SPR/Downtown residents, COJ wants your input...

[nvrenuf]

I just got home and was hoping to see a summary too. Anyone who can share?

[fsu813]

I went yesterday. About 15 showed up, they were expecting more. Where was everyone?

It was interesting & interactive. Looking for input for short term & long terms plans for the parks.

There is another meeting today at 3pm for business heavy hitter in the area, i think 30 people are expected. Anyone is welcome, but it'll be geared more for them today.

Good discusssions.

[thelakelander]

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make either meeting.  Hopefully, someone who participates on this site will have the opportunity to make it and contribute some of the ideas that have been discussed in this thread.

[fsujax]

I am going today.

[Sigma]

I thought the meeting today went very well. 

some good thoughts there,fsu813!

I know that progress won't happen quickly enough for some, but let's hope that these ideas start becoming a reality.  I heard something about the idea of a round-a-bout in the area of the Park View Inn area i thought was pretty cool. 

Some of the ideas have been discussed many times before and some from this board were mentioned, so keep the ideas flowing!

[thelakelander]

I've heard the roundabout idea in the past and I'm not too crazy about it.  I hate the idea of wasting valuable urban core property by adding more asphalt and non-property tax contributing passive and unusable green space.  However, I'm glad that PPS is participating in this process.  Their experience should help lead to a concept that better utilizes the parks, creek and the surrounding area.

[Sigma]

I get that lake, what would you do with that area?

[thelakelander]

I believe its important to identify, preserve and work to best utilize your existing assets.   While the Park View is not an asset, the traffic count on that corner is for anyone who wants to see additional retail options in the urban core.  The intersections of Main with State & Union carry more traffic per day than the most congested portions of Southside Blvd.

If we're going to take out the Park View, that becomes a prime full city block for infill retail and it should be marketed as such.  Imo, a multi-story mixed use development with street level retail would be a much more effective gateway to Springfield and pull the historic district and downtown together than a round-a-bout ever would.  Plus, such a development would have to pay property taxes to the city.  A round-a-bout and non-usable green space would not.



An infill mixed-use project taking advantage of a centralized full city block, with a high traffic count, would be better for both districts and the parks than a round-a-bout.



As for green space, we have more than enough in the form of the existing parks lining Hogans that we have not properly maintained for half a century.  Before spreading out resources to create more green space, we're better off improving the mile of parks already in place.



The Indianapolis Canal Walk (above) takes up less space than the Hogans Creek park system.  Instead of expanding the green space, use the available funds to clean up the park space so that it is just as clean and pristine as the Indianapolis Canal Walk, San Antonio Riverwalk, etc.



So what would I do with the couple of million it would take to construct a round-a-bout and landscaping?  I'd move those infrastructure funds to help get a real streetcar system into Springfield, connecting it with downtown.


All money to expand roads in the urban core should be shifted to improving mass transit, imo.

[JaxByDefault]

^ I concur, Lakelander.

The Park View Inn site needs to be walkable/urban-friendy, high density, commercial or mixed use. It's too valuable a property to leave off of the tax rolls. It would become even more valuable to the city if the block of Main between State and Union were two-way. It would be ideal if whatever was built there addressed both downtown and the park area. Bonus if it worked as part of a comprehensive development plan that related the properties across Orange St., the JEA properties, FSCJ, and the feeder blocks of the Main Street commercial corridor through Springfield.

The idea of a roundabout evidences the same poor urban planning (trees and medians everywhere!) as did the old pond-with-fountain idea for that space.  How can a city that is crying about a lack of funds so greatly misunderstand the relationship between commercial development and long-term tax revenue?

[nvrenuf]

I can only hope that Lakelander is screaming this same info at the top of his lungs at anyone who will listen and can do something tangible with the suggestions. And then hope some more it is acted upon. A roundabout? WTH?

[Sigma]

^ I concur, Lakelander.

The Park View Inn site needs to be walkable/urban-friendy, high density, commercial or mixed use. It's too valuable a property to leave off of the tax rolls. It would become even more valuable to the city if the block of Main between State and Union were two-way. It would be ideal if whatever was built there addressed both downtown and the park area. Bonus if it worked as part of a comprehensive development plan that related the properties across Orange St., the JEA properties, FSCJ, and the feeder blocks of the Main Street commercial corridor through Springfield.

The idea of a roundabout evidences the same poor urban planning (trees and medians everywhere!) as did the old pond-with-fountain idea for that space.  How can a city that is crying about a lack of funds so greatly misunderstand the relationship between commercial development and long-term tax revenue?

Wow, thanks for your input JaxByDefault! I do concur.  How does the COJ deal with the environmental concerns under the Park View inn?

It seems that this area in conjunction with Confederate Park and FCCJ is the core issue to deal with to make everything else in the area a success. 

[Omarvelous09]

I hate to say that i think there are more important issues than what type of birds flock to the creek.

Let me add, get rid of the invasive unprotected bird species (i.e. the Canadian geese) and relocate portions of the populations of the other birds. Their fecal matter is not only contributing to pollution in the form of runoff into the water, but also makes navigating the sidewalks a highly unpleasant affair. Plus one of the species is highly aggressive & territorial and will charge at people. While it will quickly back off, this is a deterrent to bringing small children to the park.

Incentivize and plan for surrounding development to work with the park. (i.e. restaurants with park-facing and accessible patios

Then they should probably turn down the requested rezoning of the property on Phelps near Ola. I think they are requesting light industrial, which sounds like another auto body shop to me.

[thelakelander]

^ I concur, Lakelander.

The Park View Inn site needs to be walkable/urban-friendy, high density, commercial or mixed use. It's too valuable a property to leave off of the tax rolls. It would become even more valuable to the city if the block of Main between State and Union were two-way. It would be ideal if whatever was built there addressed both downtown and the park area. Bonus if it worked as part of a comprehensive development plan that related the properties across Orange St., the JEA properties, FSCJ, and the feeder blocks of the Main Street commercial corridor through Springfield.

The idea of a roundabout evidences the same poor urban planning (trees and medians everywhere!) as did the old pond-with-fountain idea for that space.  How can a city that is crying about a lack of funds so greatly misunderstand the relationship between commercial development and long-term tax revenue?

Wow, thanks for your input JaxByDefault! I do concur.  How does the COJ deal with the environmental concerns under the Park View inn?

It seems that this area in conjunction with Confederate Park and FCCJ is the core issue to deal with to make everything else in the area a success. 

There are brownfield programs out there that can be taken advantage of.  Also, regardless of if its a building, a roundabout or a pond, if the building is demolished and contamination is exposed, it will have to be cleaned.

Btw, here is an infill development on a former brownfield site in Miami.  If you can get this built on an old railyard, we should be able to handle what ever Hogans Creek throws at us.







Midtown Miami master plan

[JaxByDefault]

The EPA used to focus on just the clean-up of brownfield sites (information at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/) but has recently launched pilot programs for sustainable redevelopment of brownfields (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/sustain.htm#green), too.

[CS Foltz]

COJ  does not appear to have much input here.........or is it just me? There seems to be lots that can be done but has not for whatever reasons! Hogans Creek has potential and if there is infrastructure there that has not been taken care of, that needs to change.  I don't see alot of input from the City........vision and planning appear to be lacking but then thats nothing new!