Bitter Editorial About All The Potential: Rob Middleton

[mtraininjax]

rob - smile next time, you have a great one!

[Downtown Osprey]

Being only 26 and having lived in Jax my entire life, I've constantly waited on some sort of "boom" to happen to our urban core. Constant ideas thrown around but no real progress. It's frustrating to know we have to be one of the only "major" cities that  that sits on the river and doesn't utilize it at ALL.

Beautiful buildings and history that have been thrown to the wayside, and the Jacksonville Landing which looks like a tacky strip mall from the 1980's with a giant gum ball machine and Hooters. While areas like riverside and the beaches have shown great signs of progress, without a great downtown, it  doesn't get me excited for the future. I hadn't traveled in quite sometime and spent last week in SF for work. While i'm not trying to compare the two cities at all, it was quite an eye opening experience coming back here.

[thelakelander]

^When you do that often enough, you even begin to realize the scale/density, etc. of our vibrant spots like Riverside and San Marco still pale in comparison. About 10 years ago, after spending a week in Toronto (which included a road trip to at least 10 Midwestern and Southern cities), I got back to town and went out the next morning to get pics for an urban construction update. The first 15 minutes out on the street were so depressing, I gave up and returned home. Around that time, I basically accepted Jax for what it is. It has its niche and the area certainly has appeal to certain types of lifestyles. However, if you prefer urbanism/walkability/density, etc. that's simply not a local niche and no amount of money invested into random sites like the Shipyards are going to change that anytime soon. Since then, my outlook has been to work to strive to improve things locally, while also fully accepting that we're a second to third class american city on the urban lifestyle front.

[Steve]

I just find it odd to blame "leadership" without determining the challenges that face said leadership.
I don't rely on the mayor or council to make my bed for me in the morning any more than I would expect them to "fix" Downtown.

unfortunately the simile doesn't hold up.

The City is the controlling landowner downtown and the administrator of multiple levels of policy and policy making vehicles that decide every square inch of the place.

It would be more accurate if you didn't expect the city to make your bed, if the bed was being watched by surveillance camera, with five people being paid to make it, (but staring judgmentally at you instead) and a sign painted onto the headboard that warns you that making the bed is a jailable offense.

The City's control over DT is a point well taken and that is indeed the missed opportunity. Downtown is simply another council district fighting for a voice.  Without some autonomy, there is no real accountability and therefore nothing gets accomplished-at the leadership level.  You make downtown or for that matter our urban core, a legitimate governing district like a NY borough and things would get done.

NY isn't really an accurate comparison in that regard. If you're referring to the Borough President's role, it's largely symbolic (About as much power as the US Vice President, minus presiding over the senate). They are prominent cheerleaders, but that's the extent. Further, Manhattan has 1.6 Million people - plenty to advocate for it.

The key for me with Downtown (besides caring and having a vision) is two things:

1. Understand Connectivity. It was said brilliantly earlier in post here. If you take all of the projects that the city invested in during 1985-2005 and had clustered them together, downtown would have been a very different place. The Convention Center and 966 room hotel not being within walking distance is the "Mic Drop" here as far as that argument goes. I realize that the Convention Center project contributed to saving the Train Station, but the fact remains that once you leave the convention center you have to walk four blocks until you see another building - doesn't work.

It's one of the reasons I'm a huge proponent for the Laura Trio. The $8 million is pennies compared to what we've spent already down there, plus it activates street frontage on Adams, Laura, and Forsyth Streets - you've nearly connected Hemming to the Elbow with that one project.

We can go back into history and see why leaders did what they did (Convention Center saved the train station, leaving the Stadium being in BFE was cheaper because we reused the West Side Upper Deck, and on and on), the bottom line is that the decisions were made and that's why we are where we are.

2. Sticking to A plan (but revising when necessary). How many plans have we come up with that we haven't followed?

[Tacachale]

For people looking for San Francisco or Toronto, it's never going to happen, nor should it. But there's a level of "urbanism" or whatever you want to call it that should be achievable here. A major part of the problem is that the mayor changes every four to eight years and they generally just start over on their own plans every time, and the city council changes just as frequently.

Of course, editorials like this don't bring us any closer or even bring to light what the problems are. Especially when it gets basic facts wrong (the much vaunted Charlotte does NOT have an HRO).

[Tacachale]

For people looking for San Francisco or Toronto, it's never going to happen, nor should it. But there's a level of "urbanism" or whatever you want to call it that should be achievable here. A major part of the problem is that the mayor changes every four to eight years and they generally just start over on their own plans every time, and the city council changes just as frequently.

Of course, editorials like this don't bring us any closer or even bring to light what the problems are. Especially when it gets basic facts wrong (the much vaunted Charlotte does NOT have an HRO).

Much as I love you, this is bullshit.  Every City, large and great has a period where they are just like Jville.  Whether or not we can become San Francisco overnight is not (nor has it ever been) the question.  Its whether or not we are going in a direction that eventually takes us to the same levels of vibrancy, business energy and cultural vitality.

San Francisco actually has limitations that we simply do not have to overcome in its topography.  As does Manhattan and any other island city. They overcame them.

And we can do the same.  If we are going to shoot for a future, lets shoot for one worth having and not set our sights on achieving what is considered mediocre even now in our present time.  By the time we achieve todays mediocrity, it will be tomorrows bottom level of failure.

The changeover of the administrations have been a problem.  One that we solved largely by an entrenched civil service. Peyton subverted that and Alvin literally wrecked it, Sam is putting it back in place, and he is doing so in a technology enabled era where we can literally refer back to original intentions and track plans.

I think with the new technology alone it is possible to overcome the limitations of term limits---as far as the implementations of good planning go.  Perhaps not the political acumen, but as we are seeing with this vindictive new mayor, maybe thats not so undesirable.

And yes, editorials like this one do serve that purpose.  Progress has two masters. Success and Rebuke.

If the problems that Rob has pointed out are easily solved and/or unknown to you, then an editorial like Robs can serve to remind people that we have to occasionally get off of our dead asses and do something.

For every time someone says "Well done!" or 'Good Try', there has to be someone along the way saying 'This isn't working' or 'The emperor has no clothes'.

Not sure what you disagree with. I'm sure that San Fran and Toronto have their own problems, but Jacksonville will never been remotely that size and scope, at least not for a very long time. We appear to agree on the leadership. This is a structural problem, I don't think our system isn't set up to attract the best or most effective leadership or to encourage continuity of vision. It's set up to ensure turnover.

On the editorial, I'm sure you're right - a good editorial could remind people to "get off our dead asses and do something". This ain't that. Though I guess it's "zeitgeisty" in capturing the incomparable capacity of Jacksonville residents to whine.

[Tacachale]

And here is what is happening tonight in Charlotte: Its expected to pass despite the Republican Governor calling two Republican Councilmen and basically threatening to take legislative action if the city passes the ordinance.

Last year's vote focused on the bathroom provision for transgender residents.

Supporters of the expanded measure believed they didn't have six votes on the council for the full ordinance, including the bathroom flexibility. So Vi Lyles, the current mayor pro tem, proposed an ordinance with all protections except the bathroom flexibility.

That version failed 6-5. Two council members who supported the ordinance – John Autry and LaWana Mayfield – said they wouldn't support a watered-down proposal.

This year, at least eight of 11 council members have said they will support the ordinance.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article61307857.html

Glad to hear it. If it had happened last week it would have spared the author from publishing an embarrassing and easily checked factual error.

[thelakelander]

In my post, I mentioned Toronto, but that road trip included several cities I'd consider to be around Jax's scale. These included Nashville, Indianapolis, Louisville, Birmingham, Columbus, Toledo. Then there were a few in what I'd consider a tier above Jax like Charlotte, Detroit and Cleveland. Then a few that I'd equate more to Lakeland, than Jax, like Lexington, Knoxville, Asheville, Greenville, Columbia and Charleston, WV.

In terms of CBD health and vitality, at the time, only Birmingham, Columbia, Charleston and Toledo (this city appeared to need the most help) seemed to be in equal or worse shape. Indy, Columbus and Nashville were light years ahead, Cleveland and Detroit were surprising (given the bad press these places get) and Asheville and Greenville are definitely overlooked treasures. I do believe Jax has the tools and potential to be just as successful as the most successful secondary cities I visited during that Toronto trip. However, I also believe visionary leadership is the missing element needed to get Jax over the hump.

[Tacachale]

Yes.  aside from friendly poking and quibbling, I think Tacahale and I both agree with you wholeheartedly.

Quite so, 100%.

[jaxjags]

 "However, I also believe visionary leadership is the missing element needed to get Jax over the hump." Lake, how much does public financing also fit this. What if the leadership has no way to implement. Again, my issue with JAX is "second lowest tax rate" of any major city in US. Public monies may still be required at this time to implement the vision.

[thelakelander]

I don't see public financing as a problem. We've spent tons of money on things and billions on various downtown revitalization oriented initiatives over the last couple of decades. Unfortunately, because coordination and implementation hasn't been great, the economic spin-off isn't close to what it could have been.

[camarocane]

Can anyone speculate how Google Fiber will impact the core if they decide to build the infrastructure?

[Steve]

Can anyone speculate how Google Fiber will impact the core if they decide to build the infrastructure?

I think it will be a positive, but not dramatically. I'm in IT, and given Comcast's coverage in Jacksonville (however hated they are), I can't imagine deciding where to move based on Google Fiber availability.

[JaxJersey-licious]

In terms of CBD health and vitality, at the time, only Birmingham, Columbia, Charleston and Toledo (this city appeared to need the most help) seemed to be in equal or worse shape.

Really, Charleston SC CBD is in the same level of dis-repair as Jax? Please clarify because I would trade 5 Jax Landings to have anything like Charleston's King St. retail corridor... 

[thelakelander]

^Charleston, WV

Here's pics from another stop I made in Charleston back in 2009:

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-mar-elements-of-urbanism-charleston-wv