"Emerald necklace" plan

[Kiva]

https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2018/03/28/after-delays-emerald-necklace-groundwork-jax-ceo.html

[jax_hwy_engineer]

This looks more promising than any of the previous COJ initiatives I've heard talk of on previous forum posts here. I know the Fuller Warren shared use path will be a sweet addition to the city, but a completely bikeable/walkable corridor throughout would be an awesome sight to see.

[TimmyB]

The same people that did the Atlanta Beltline makes it at least have some legitimacy.  Whether they can get anyone in city hall to actually kick in the money will be interesting, but this group has credibility.

[thelakelander]

This looks more promising than any of the previous COJ initiatives I've heard talk of on previous forum posts here. I know the Fuller Warren shared use path will be a sweet addition to the city, but a completely bikeable/walkable corridor throughout would be an awesome sight to see.

I can't read the article because it's behind a paywall but what's changed? The Emerald Necklace concept has been around for at least 20 years or so now. Here's a quote in a 2006 Metro Jacksonville article about the Peyton Administration:

No one is criticizing the concept of expanding our city parks. However, why don't we focus on better maintenance of current parks, or development of parks in conjunction with the current Downtown Master Plan? One such example is the Hogan & McCoy's Creek greenway, an eight mile long waterfront park referred to in the Downtown Master Plan as "The Emerald Necklace". Why don't we enhance the parks we already own before we create more?

https://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2006-apr-the-peyton-administration

[TimmyB]

I signed up for the free JBJ account a few months ago.  Some articles, they make you pay for; some not.  This one was a free one. 

This is the text of the article.  If this violates some copyright law, please feel free to delete this post.

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By Allison Colburn  – Reporter - Real Estate & Economic Development, Jacksonville Business Journal
9 hours ago
The idea to build a ring of trails connecting the neighborhoods around downtown Jacksonville is about a century old, but past ambitions to build Emerald Necklace have never quite come to fruition.

In 2014, the nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville formed with the intention of finally seeing the project through to the end. And even though the organization has done plenty of park restoration work since then, Jacksonville has not seen much in the way of a concrete action to create the pedestrian paradise.

But with a new development partner and an $88,200 master plan on the way, Groundwork Jacksonville CEO Kay Ehas wants skeptics to have some optimism.

"What people are frustrated by is that Jacksonville is always planning and never implementing," Ehas said. "I get that, but unless you have a plan, you're not going to do anything."

Groundwork has brought on Atlanta-Based PATH Foundation to design and develop an ambitious Emerald Necklace plan over the next six months. The goal is to connect 14 neighborhoods to the S-Line, Hogans Creek, McCoys Creek and northbank and southbank riverwalks.

Full article: https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2018/03/28/after-delays-emerald-necklace-groundwork-jax-ceo.html

[thelakelander]

Here's a summary. Definitely don't want to cut and paste the entire thing since that takes readers away from them:

- The Emerald Necklace concept is roughly a century old

- In 2014, the nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville formed with the intention of finally seeing the project through

- Groundwork Jacksonville has brought on Atlanta-Based PATH Foundation to design a plan over the next six months

- PATH's experience includes building the Atlanta BeltLine and the Island System Trail in St. Simon's Island.

- City would have to fund actual initial implementation at a cost of roughly $2 million/mile and creek restoration at $1.2 million/mile

- Community support from 14 adjacent neighborhoods is needed

- A steering committee will be formed to help plan over the next several months

[Captain Zissou]

I thought we already had the master plan for this years ago?? 

The big thing is JTC (Jacksonville Track Club) has kicked in $50k to help fund this master plan.  JTC understands that this aligns with their mission and the successful completion of the system will be a huge benefit to their members, so they ponied up some cash.  Not rocket science, but not common for this city.

[thelakelander]

Not mentioned is Curry's budget has over a million already earmarked for the McCoys Creek Greenway. How does this master plan incorporate or integrate with what the city is already doing?

[tufsu1]

^ COJ has been involved with Groundwork in hiring PATH - and COJ staff will be on the steering committee

[Bill Hoff]

This is the 3rd master plan in the past 8 years.

And, the one I'm most hopeful about.

[jaxnyc79]

Was there something wrong with the other 2?  Were they so fundamentally flawed and off the mark that they can't be dusted off and enhanced, and instead a new master plan is required?  Were they not descriptive enough to be actionable?  Did the other master plans contemplate a 3rd?

Or when you don't have the funding to actually clean up toxic creeks and really make this a reality, you try and get funding for studies and master plans to at least keep some attention on the issue?

[TimmyB]

Was there something wrong with the other 2?  Were they so fundamentally flawed and off the mark that they can't be dusted off and enhanced, and instead a new master plan is required?  Were they not descriptive enough to be actionable?  Did the other master plans contemplate a 3rd?

Or when you don't have the funding to actually clean up toxic creeks and really make this a reality, you try and get funding for studies and master plans to at least keep some attention on the issue?

That's all we did for my 30+ years in education up in Michigan.  Every three-ish years, we would have a new direction, one that we were all supposed to be gung-ho over and buy into.  Then, when you invested all of that time, a new plan would come down that was going to fundamentally change the way we did things.  Makes the public think things are happening!

[downtownbrown]

anyone have any thoughts about what the plans are to ensure safety along that entire route, 24/7?

[jax_hwy_engineer]

adequate lighting is about all you can do, but for some of those stretches of long bike trails between intersections, I'd imagine it would be a bit of an ask. Likely best suited as a daylight-use facility unless a big lighting plan gets implemented

[TimmyB]

We have biked through several urban pathways, including Columbus and Ft Wayne.  Definitely some sketchy neighborhoods passed through, but never had an incident.  As mentioned, it's a daytime thing and the more people there are using the trail, the less likely it is that there will be problems.  Far more concerned about my health from the asses in vehicles than I am on criminals preying on me.