by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The Power Point presentation begins with a shot of an exquisite garden and the words “Brooklyn Botanical Gardens” superimposed. Matt Carlucci points excitedly at “Brooklyn” and quickly says, “Jacksonville.”
The City Council member and mayoral candidate has a vision for downtown that includes a botanical garden, a children’s and handicapped garden and plenty of publicly displayed art. And, he has no intention of seeing his dream materialize in LaVilla or the Tallyrand area. Instead, Carlucci has his sights set on what will surely become one the most pursued pieces of property in town in about three years —the site of the current Duval County Courthouse.
According to Better Jacksonville Plan officials, the new $211 million county courthouse will occupy six city blocks south and west of City Hall and it’ll be complete sometime in 2005. Once all the judges, assistants and equipment is moved, the old site will be fair game for development. With Berkman Plaza and The Shipyards to the east and the Adam’s Mark Hotel to the west, the courthouse site will surely be ogled by developers. Carlucci says he’ll do whatever he can to prevent the property from becoming a concrete jungle that’s inaccessible to the public.
“To me, this will bring far more value to downtown than another skyscraper or condo,” said Carlucci.
With what he believes is 11-14 acres available, Carlucci would like to turn the site into the one thing downtown is lacking — an attraction that benefits not only downtown workers and the residents current developments promise, but also the entire community, seven days a week.
Carlucci’s garden would be a literal medley of the local flowering plants, shrubs and trees arranged in a classic labyrinth pattern. The winding, circular path would take visitors past everything from azaleas to philodendrons to palms of every variety. Carlucci sees rock gardens, flowing streams and natural bridges.
Interestingly, Carlucci can’t — and won’t — take credit for the idea. Instead, he credits his brother Michael for the inspiration.
“We were at dinner one night and my brother said, ‘Downtown needs an attraction.’ He said a botanical garden would be perfect. It would bring beauty and peace to a busy downtown,” said Carlucci. “And, it would tie in with the Northbank Riverwalk.”
Carlucci said he realizes there will be two major obstacles to the garden. One, the pull of developers and additions to the county tax rolls may be hard to resist. Two, he has no idea how much it would cost and where the money would come from. Neither of those matter right now. Instead, Carlucci is more concerned with getting the word out and convincing people a botanical garden is the missing element to a mature downtown.
“If downtown is going to be the place where people live, work and play, they’ve got to have a place to play,” said Carlucci. “One day downtown will have shopping and restaurants all along Bay Street. What a great place to go if we have a first class botanical garden.”
Making the garden a reality will take both patience and perseverance. It will be a few years before serious ideas for the site can be considered.
“I realize it’s riverfront property, but in my view, if we are going to make Jacksonville a first tier city, that [the gardens] is an extremely important piece of the puzzle,” said Carlucci. “And, if the big ‘if’ happens — that is if I’m elected mayor — part of my platform, a component of my campaign, will be getting people to buy into it. When I talk about it, people love it.”
Managerially, Carlucci sees the garden as an open City park. Financially, he believes the funding will come from any and everywhere.
“I want to partner with corporations all over Jacksonville,” said Carlucci. “I don’t have the slightest idea what it will cost. I just know it will be an investment in downtown and the future of Jacksonville.
“I’ve said time and time again: if ever a city can capture the charm of other Southern cities like Savannah and Charleston, it’s Jacksonville. This park would enhance the value of everything around it and it would be free. It will only become more beautiful the older it gets.”