Mayor, local leaders to discuss improvements in Downtown Jacksonville

[thelakelander]

MAYOR TO MEET WITH PRIVATE BUSINESS OWNERS AND LOCAL LEADERS TO DICSUSS IMPROVEMENTS IN DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 19, 2021 — Mayor Lenny Curry and six Jacksonville business owners and local leaders with vested interest in Downtown Jacksonville will meet Monday to openly discuss ways to improve the urban core. This meeting is open to the public and media.

*** Masks are required


WHEN:       

Monday, Feb. 22

9 a.m.



WHERE:     

Jacksonville Main Public Library

Multi-purpose Room 1

303 N Laura St., Jacksonville, FL 32202

(Enter at the Main Street entrance)



WHO:         

Mayor Lenny Curry – City of Jacksonville

John Rood, Chairman – The Vestcor Companies

Gary Norcross, Chairman, President & CEO – FIS

Aundra Wallace, President – JAXUSA

Nat Ford, CEO – Jacksonville Transportation Authority

Jack Hanania, Founder & CEO – Hanania Automotive Group

Ed Burr, Founder & CEO – GreenPoint Holdings LLC

COJ Press Release

[Charles Hunter]

No Ennis Davis or anyone else from here?
I assume this is a public meeting - will the public be allowed to speak?

[jaxlongtimer]

No Ennis Davis or anyone else from here?
I assume this is a public meeting - will the public be allowed to speak?

Agreed.  This looks like a circular firing squad.  Many of these people have been "influencing" City leaders and Downtown "development" for years and we have nothing to show for it.  It's time to bring in all-new fresh blood with ideas not yet being considered or prioritized.  Maybe people who don't have a personal "vested interest" (i.e. motivation to only do what lines their pockets) but what is best for the vested interests of the entire community.

Nice that they are willing to start a conversation but this isn't necessarily the way forward with that.

[vicupstate]

What about someone from VyStar?  Hello?!

Or JWB or whatever the company is that is buying up properties and actually doing something with them around City Hall/JWJ Park?

[marcuscnelson]

This looks to me like Curry desperately seeking purpose after seeing three of his signature initiatives collapse in little more than a year.  It doesn't do him a whole lot of good to have little to show for eight years in office except pensions. At this point Davis might actually accomplish more in one term, and that isn't saying much.

I wonder if the meeting is being streamed for people who can't just show up at the library at 9am on a Monday.

Also, one very important typo. GreenPoint Holdings LLC is a marijuana company. GreenPointe Holdings LLC is a developer. Their Quay Sarasota (the only large mixed-use urban development in their portfolio) is actually larger than Lot J.

[thelakelander]

I don't know why Ed Burr is listed but I'm aware of the others recently making significant investments in various areas of the DT CRA. I remember Burr involved with the old LandMar plan to redevelop the Shipyards. That project blew up when the real estate bubble burst back around 2007-08.

[marcuscnelson]

Daily Record Article.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/city-meetings-focus-on-downtown-riverfront

There's also going to be a DIA workshop on riverfront development on Tuesday at noon. That will have a Zoom option.

The Downtown Investment Authority will discuss public park and private commercial development along the St. Johns riverfront Feb. 23 in a joint workshop with City Council and the Downtown Development Review Board.

DIA is working on a riverfront development strategy with the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.

DIA CEO Lori Boyer said Feb. 17 the nonprofit will make a presentation along with the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History, which plans to move its facility to the Shipyards property on the Downtown Northbank by 2024.

The meeting also will include time for community comments, Boyer said.

The noon workshop will be in the Jacksonville Main Public Library at 303 N. Laura Street.

The DIA workshop will have a virtual attendance option on Zoom:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/98520909500?pwd=S2YvbEdvdXRMSHVLVlJWZE0xbzZLdz09

Meeting ID: 985 2090 9500

Passcode: 237408

[jaxlongtimer]

Yes, where is Brian Wolfburg from Vystar?

And, what about Riverfront Parks Now and Kay Ehas from the Emerald Trail?

Or people from the Urban Land Institute or others, along with Ennis, who are city planners?

How about some cutting edge architects or transportation experts with existing successful/proven projects?

How about residents living in the urban core?  And rank and file employees there?

What about small business owners?

Representatives of the surrounding areas that might support Downtown as the closest audience to interact with it?

Any reps from the cultural arts?

Leaders from successful urban areas around the country (or the world)?

With all due respect, Burr's company, Vestcor, JTA, DIA and the Chamber have not done anything notable to advance downtown beyond their own self-interests.  Aside from their campus (which is in Brooklyn, not the heart of Downtown), what has FIS done?  Hanania is a newcomer who makes his living in the burbs so not sure he is ready to offer heavy duty experiences.

In the end, more people are missing than present.  This approach is typical of our past and why we are where we are (or are not!) today.

[heights unknown]

Here we go again. How many times have we heard these baseless words? Ya da ya da ya da ya da ya da! They really need to shut up their pie hole unless they are going to back up their words with staunch and concrete action(s).

[marcuscnelson]

Again, the point of this isn't a substantive, community-based solution. It's Curry desperately seeking purpose, and reaching out to his buddies for help. I wonder, if you look up his PACs, what the odds are that everyone on that list (except for maybe Wallace and Ford) is a donor.

Also, is it strange at all that Wallace from JAXUSA is attending, but not Daniel Davis, who runs the Chamber that JAXUSA is a subsidiary to?

If Carlucci was doing more outward campaigning right now, it'd be nice to see him pulling together an alternate meeting of some kind, with some of the figures y'all have mentioned.

[thelakelander]

Wallace is the former DIA CEO.

[landfall]

All thats missing is Lamping and some renderings.

[fsu813]

Meeting for Monday morning, in-person only, announced on Friday.

Almost like they don't want people to actually attend/participate.

[jaxlongtimer]

I don't know why Ed Burr is listed but I'm aware of the others recently making significant investments in various areas of the DT CRA. I remember Burr involved with the old LandMar plan to redevelop the Shipyards. That project blew up when the real estate bubble burst back around 2007-08.

The most important thing every single one of the individuals on this list have in common is that they and/or their companies have donated to Curry's last campaign and/or PAC.  If you didn't give, apparently you are not entitled to input on the future of Downtown.

I verified this at the City's election site for campaign contributions:

https://www.duvalelections.com/Candidates-And-Committees/Search-Local-Contributions-And-Expenditures

This is the place to go if you want to best understand Jacksonville politics and who pulls the strings.

[marcuscnelson]

I don't know why Ed Burr is listed but I'm aware of the others recently making significant investments in various areas of the DT CRA. I remember Burr involved with the old LandMar plan to redevelop the Shipyards. That project blew up when the real estate bubble burst back around 2007-08.

The most important thing every single one of the individuals on this list have in common is that they and/or their companies have donated to Curry's last campaign and/or PAC.  If you didn't give, apparently you are not entitled to input on the future of Downtown.

I verified this at the City's election site for campaign contributions:

https://www.duvalelections.com/Candidates-And-Committees/Search-Local-Contributions-And-Expenditures

This is the place to go if you want to best understand Jacksonville politics and who pulls the strings.

Well, I'll be. Wallace and Ford are also donors to Curry. In a way that's not surprising, but it also is, I thought they'd be at least kinda... impartial, or something.

But yeah. Every single one.

Meeting for Monday morning, in-person only, announced on Friday.

Almost like they don't want people to actually attend/participate.