A Lesson for Jacksonville: Pensacola's Palafox Street

[vicupstate]

Sadly, just returning them to two-way is still thinking small.  The entire right-of-way from building to building needs to be redone.  New sidewalks, new street lighting, new sidewalk furniture, new landscaping, new parking strategy, new pavement where necessary, bike lanes (bike share is already dead), new way finding system, etc...  The whole place needs a make-over and something still needs to be done with the homeless.

This is Jacksonville. Small is all you're going to get. Small steps eventually get you a respectable distance or optimistically get you to the point that bigger steps can be made based on the success of the smaller ones.

[thelakelander]

The main goal should be to activate the urban environment as fast, efficient and affordable as possible. Two-waying streets is only one small tool in that toolbox. Alone, like an isolated restaurant staying open in the evening, it means and accomplishes little.

So my recommendation would be to start small and apply the concept of clustering, complementing uses within a compact setting to this. In other words, cluster the two-way street work with complementing uses within a compact pedestrian scale setting like existing buildings, businesses and storefronts on Adams.

With that in mind, I'd suggest focusing on Adams Street between Jefferson and Ocean. The lion's share of this stretch has buildings with storefronts on both sides and it has a few great placemaking/infill projects that will positively impact it.

1. Duval County Courthouse (a weekday anchor with a green space that with placemaking could become a decent destination --- think Nashville Courthouse  Square)

2. JEA Headquarters (replaces a key blighted surface parking block with mid-rise and 800 workers)

3. Emerald Trail (one of the early Emerald Trail projects will be a redo of Hogan Street from the riverwalk to FSCJ and the Hogans Street Greenway)

4. Barnett/Laura Trio (a couple of hundred new residents and a hotel with street level retail/dining)

If you want to do anything with the sidewalks, you don't have to break the bank immediately. Just focus on getting a key central block right where you already have a cluster of existing businesses in place (as shown below).





Between Laura and Hogan, Zodiac, Gili's, Kaza, Da Real Ting, Volstead, Breezy Jazz Club, Firehouse Subs and even Scotties gives you something to work with. Happy Grilled Cheese, Vagabond, Chamblins, Desert Rider, Quizno's, etc. are already in place to help you extend to include adjacent blocks of Hogan and Laura. When the Barnett and Courtyard by Marriott/Trio come online, they simply add to the mix. So, Giralda Plaza up the block of Adams between Hogan and Laura or go for three blocks (Julia to Main) if you're really ambitious.

Giralda Plaza in Downtown Coral Gables in 2015


Giralda Plaza in 2019


Full article: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/rethinking-adams-street-the-makeover-of-giralda-plaza/

The street can remain open but the idea would be to flood the wider sidewalks with a continuous block of outdoor dining and sitting opportunities, while also setting it up to be a place for occasional special street events. Given the location, it can easily be tied in with Hogan and Laura Street, both of which also have some existing businesses and wider sidewalks in place. In short, we should stop worrying about cranes and what's not present and focus on nailing it big with what we already have to create a situation where business owners can and want to operate at night and on weekends.

For those who equate spending millions with urban revitalization, focus on doing something with the old Furchgott's, 218 Adams and doing something with activating the first floor of the Ed Ball Building (yes, having DVI and a seldom used conference room take up former retail storefronts facing Adams are poor uses of a city-owned building).

As for the lesser traveled streets, coordinate two-waying when resurfacing projects pop up and consider replacing traffic signals with 4-way stop signs. This ain't Manhattan. If San Diego can get away with this in the Gaslamp District, Jax can too. Don't blow your wad on traffic signals. That's money that can be used to help small businesses set up storefronts, enhance building facades, two-way additional streets, etc. to achieve what should be the real goal.....activating the urban environment as fast, efficient and affordable as possible.

[Kerry]

Incrementalism would be fine if we had a City government that could follow through on the ideas of the previous administrations.  If we did one item at a time it would take 30 years, which means it would actually never get done.  Timing wise, we can write the next 4 years off because Curry isn't interested in anything west of Hogan's Creek, and besides, we don't have the money.

[thelakelander]

You can only do incremental and it will take you 30 to 40 years (probably more) to fill up the Northbank. No place, not even OKC gets all its dreams implemented at once. Even a lot of stuff you see taking place to day has been talked about for decades in many districts. Also, you just said it yourself.....placing your hopes on Curry is a lost cause. He's a politician, not an urban revitalization specialist. If you think it would take 30 years doing something incrementally with little political support, what makes anything thing that same entity will fund $300 million worth of wish list items any time soon?

[FlaBoy]

The main goal should be to activate the urban environment as fast, efficient and affordable as possible. Two-waying streets is only one small tool in that toolbox. Alone, like an isolated restaurant staying open in the evening, it means and accomplishes little.

So my recommendation would be to start small and apply the concept of clustering, complementing uses within a compact setting to this. In other words, cluster the two-way street work with complementing uses within a compact pedestrian scale setting like existing buildings, businesses and storefronts on Adams.

With that in mind, I'd suggest focusing on Adams Street between Jefferson and Ocean. The lion's share of this stretch has buildings with storefronts on both sides and it has a few great placemaking/infill projects that will positively impact it.

1. Duval County Courthouse (a weekday anchor with a green space that with placemaking could become a decent destination --- think Nashville Courthouse  Square)

2. JEA Headquarters (replaces a key blighted surface parking block with mid-rise and 800 workers)

3. Emerald Trail (one of the early Emerald Trail projects will be a redo of Hogan Street from the riverwalk to FSCJ and the Hogans Street Greenway)

4. Barnett/Laura Trio (a couple of hundred new residents and a hotel with street level retail/dining)

If you want to do anything with the sidewalks, you don't have to break the bank immediately. Just focus on getting a key central block right where you already have a cluster of existing businesses in place (as shown below).





Between Laura and Hogan, Zodiac, Gili's, Kaza, Da Real Ting, Volstead, Breezy Jazz Club, Firehouse Subs and even Scotties gives you something to work with. Happy Grilled Cheese, Vagabond, Chamblins, Desert Rider, Quizno's, etc. are already in place to help you extend to include adjacent blocks of Hogan and Laura. When the Barnett and Courtyard by Marriott/Trio come online, they simply add to the mix. So, Giralda Plaza up the block of Adams between Hogan and Laura or go for three blocks (Julia to Main) if you're really ambitious.

Giralda Plaza in Downtown Coral Gables in 2015


Giralda Plaza in 2019


Full article: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/rethinking-adams-street-the-makeover-of-giralda-plaza/

The street can remain open but the idea would be to flood the wider sidewalks with a continuous block of outdoor dining and sitting opportunities, while also setting it up to be a place for occasional special street events. Given the location, it can easily be tied in with Hogan and Laura Street, both of which also have some existing businesses and wider sidewalks in place. In short, we should stop worrying about cranes and what's not present and focus on nailing it big with what we already have to create a situation where business owners can and want to operate at night and on weekends.

For those who equate spending millions with urban revitalization, focus on doing something with the old Furchgott's, 218 Adams and doing something with activating the first floor of the Ed Ball Building (yes, having DVI and a seldom used conference room take up former retail storefronts facing Adams are poor uses of a city-owned building).

As for the lesser traveled streets, coordinate two-waying when resurfacing projects pop up and consider replacing traffic signals with 4-way stop signs. This ain't Manhattan. If San Diego can get away with this in the Gaslamp District, Jax can too. Don't blow your wad on traffic signals. That's money that can be used to help small businesses set up storefronts, enhance building facades, two-way additional streets, etc. to achieve what should be the real goal.....activating the urban environment as fast, efficient and affordable as possible.

100% right.

[Steve]

No place, not even OKC gets all its dreams implemented at once.