by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
The new leader of the Downtown Development Authority has a plan and, he says, it’s up to him to get it done.
“I need help from everyone,” said Al Battle, just a week into his job as managing director of the Downtown Development Authority. “We have to work in partnership with everyone who has an interest in downtown, whether it’s Downtown Vision, the Downtown Council or the other City agencies.
“We have goals to achieve. It’s my responsibility to get them moving.”
Battle spoke Friday to about 75 at the Downtown Council’s bimonthly meeting at the River City Brewing Company and outlined his plan in four major areas:
• Small business and entrepreneurs. “We’re doing a number of very large projects which will bring people to downtown, and this also opens the door for small businesses to open up and thrive. We need to help them get established. I’m going to be very aggressive on this.”
• Historic preservation. “There’s only so much land, so developers are going to have to go back into the present inventory. We need to work with them, and with those who want to preserve the buildings. This will be sooner, rather than later, and we need to make sure all sides are accommodated.”
• Cultural and entertainment development. “There’s a lot in place and more to come. Everyone wants more restaurants, though, and we want to move town a 24-hour downtown. The DDA needs to be active to help bring in the right things.”
• Brooklyn. “We’ve done a lot in almost every area except this one [Brooklyn is bounded by Riverside Avenue and I-95.] There has been a lot of disinvestment over the years, but some big projects are coming along Riverside Avenue [St. Joe and the Marks Gray law firm are building] and that will encourage other development.”
Battle said there currently 2,000 housing units under construction or planned, and predicted that that number would increase to 10,000 in the next five years.
“When the current projects come online, downtown will really start to change,” said Battle, who formally got the job last week after his former boss, Paul Krutko, quit to take a position in San Jose. “Emerging downtowns start with high-end housing, and then more affordable housing will come. With people comes businesses, with businesses come more people.”
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The Council’s “Hard Hat Tour” of downtown properties will be Saturday, April 20, and the tour will be chaired by Ann Shea of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. About seven projects will be on the tour, she said, and they probably will include Berkman Plaza, The Shipyards and the Parks at the Cathedral.
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The next Downtown Council meeting is Feb. 15, also at the River City Brewing Company. The speaker will be Wayne Boy, the Better Jacksonville Plan administrator of the new baseball park and arena.