Staff Writer

The first step is to clean up the windows.

That was part of the message delivered to Downtown stakeholders Wednesday morning by John Pharr, senior vice president for operations at Regency Centers Corporation. He is also a member of Downtown Vision, Inc.’s board of directors. Pharr has more than 20 years of experience in retail property management and moved to Jacksonville to join Regency Centers in 1997.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how to revitalize Downtown as a retail destination and to call on Pharr’s expertise in the field. Regency Centers manages 440 shopping centers in the United States, both in suburban locations and in Downtown settings.

Pharr said there is a national perception that Jacksonville is a place to “step on the accelerator on your way to central or south Florida,” but that’s not true.

“Jacksonville is a real gem,” he added. Pharr also pointed out that I-95 brings thousands of travelers through Downtown every day and with a little work, potential retail tenants can be attracted to the area to open stores and restaurants that would get people off the interstate and into Downtown.

“Jacksonville’s Downtown was obviously not born the the ‘40s or ‘50s. It has a great history to it,” said Pharr.

In terms of retail property management, however, some things need to be done to the streetscape to make it more appealing to potential tenants. The first step would be to wash the windows and clean up the empty storefronts. Pharr also suggested that real estate brokers and agents work together to create a consistent “For Lease” sign design that would replace the homemade signs some property owners have in place today.

He also encouraged property owners to remove a former business’s signage when the business moves out. Pharr called it, “de-identifying.” He pointed to the former Starbucks at 11 E. Forsyth as a good example. The store was cleaned out and all remnants of the Starbucks brand were removed by the property owner.

It’s all about the little things, Pharr added, as small as replacing plastic chairs on the sidewalk in front of a restaurant with better-quality patio furniture. Plants and flowers are also inexpensive and help create a more inviting streetscape.

“Plants and flowers are key to retail. You can’t have too many of them. Any great retail space includes plants. It says ‘We’re lush, we’re vibrant, we’re inviting and we’re open for business’,” said Pharr.

He also pointed out that Jacksonville is not alone when it comes to wanting to attract more retail to its Downtown area. He read a long list of cities including Dayton, Ohio; El Paso, Texas; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Denver, Colo. and Los Angeles that are all facing Downtown retail challenges.

“Everybody is looking at the current economy, especially retailers,” commented Jay Southerland, chair of DVI’s board of directors.

“We can’t fill up our stores overnight but we can raise our expectations and others’ perception of Downtown,” concluded Pharr.

mmarbut@baileypub.com

356-2466