Developers seeking tax break want Jacksonville forest land designated as blight

[thelakelander]

The Jacksonville City Council on Tuesday spiked a request from a Miami-based development firm to include its large swath of forest, swamp and cow pasture in a program designed to revive struggling urban areas, which could have allowed it to receive millions in public money to build on the undeveloped land.

After the legislation sat idle for seven months, the council unanimously voted to withdraw it at the request of the developers and their lobbyist. There was no discussion prior to the vote.

http://jacksonville.com/news/2016-01-26/story/jacksonville-council-nixes-developers-bid-have-swath-land-declared-blighted

[spuwho]

In this case a great "non-decision" was made.

In fact offer Transworld Investment Corp a trade, COJ will take the forested land off their hands and give them some Lavilla parcels in return.

Then they can still do their development, get the blighted land subsidies they seek and we get to bank vacant land from future greed.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

This sounds like a great idea in fact. COJ banks all the ex-urban vacant land in return for urban development subsidies and rights.  It will never work because it makes too much sense.  We could make the largest greenbelt in the nation.

[mbwright]

Most likely they will see a tree leaning, declare a public emergency, and demolish it.  This does almost make too much sense for Jacksonville.