by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
In what may be one his last initiatives, Mayor John Delaney told the Downtown Development Authority Wednesday morning to get busy developing Brooklyn — and do it right.
Delaney made a rare appearance at a DDA meeting and, after complimenting the board on the pro bono, time-consuming job they do, cut right to the chase.
“It’s time to make a serious effort in Brooklyn,” said Delaney. “As wonderful as LaVilla is, in hindsight there were mistakes made in LaVilla and if we could, we would have done it different.”
Delaney explained that developers eyed LaVilla a decade ago and began developing without any specific plan or theme in mind.
“We were so desperate in the early 1990s to get something going that we had to prime the pump with anything,” said Delaney. “I joke that in the 1980s we were interested in everything from uranium to pornography. If it brought jobs to Jacksonville, we wanted it.”
The mayor has asked the DDA to come up with a solid plan for Brooklyn (considered the area on Riverside Avenue between the T-U building and the Fuller Warren Bridge overpass), one that compliments the riverfront businesses with more commercial, retail and restaurant development. The newest addition to that stretch of Riverside Avenue is the St. Joe Company, which will relocate to their building from the Southbank within the next couple of weeks.
“Brooklyn and Riverside Avenue is going to change with St. Joe moving in,” said Delaney. “Brooklyn is something we need to do right. I formally charge you [the DDA] with developing a master plan for Brooklyn. Let’s think 20, 30 years down the road.”
DDA chair Bob Rhodes readily accepted the mayor’s directive and DDA board member Dave Auchter volunteered to lead the initial stages of the plan.
“I would offer my time to build a group that would include Reggie [Fullwood, City Council member whose district includes both LaVilla and Brooklyn] to create a subcommittee to look at Brooklyn,” said Auchter.
Delaney’s chief of staff Audrey Moran said there’s no specific reason for the mayor’s timing regarding Brooklyn.
“As Riverside Avenue is being expanded, it’s time to focus on that area,” said Moran. “The mayor considers Brooklyn the final frontier of downtown. As we are developing
LaVilla and the downtown core, we want to make sure Brooklyn is done right.”
When pressed, Moran said no one, not even Delaney, can define “done right” at this point. More than anything, she stressed, the mayor wants to see a consistent plan developed and implemented.
“Whereas the vision for what Brooklyn will look like at the end, there is no preconceived notion of that vision,” said Moran.
Delaney intimated that a recent 5-1 vote of the DDA approving the relocation of the Border Patrol Station was an impetus for addressing the board.
“When all is done and complete, we may have come full circle on the Border Patrol project, maybe three times,” said Delaney, explaining the he agreed with the DDA’s Design Review Committee that the Border Patrol Station, no matter how reconfigured, doesn’t fit into the long-range plans for Brooklyn.
Moran explained that the decision to oppose the Border Patrol Station wasn’t an easy one and the entire project is one the City is languishing over.
“We would desperately like the Border Patrol to remain downtown. However, the administration agrees with the DDA that the Riverside Avenue site is not suitable,” said Moran, adding sites near the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office were exhaustively considered. “It makes a lot of sense and we did look. But there was no where to go.”
• • •
In other DDA news, representatives from the Bay Street Town Center project delivered a presentation of their plan to convert the stretch of Bay Street from Liberty to Main streets to an arts/entertainment district complete with an almost total revamping of the streetscaping.
The initial proposal calls for over 20 property owners to renovate and revitalize the four blocks with City assistance. The developers are asking for approximately $3.6 million in grants and low-interest loans. They have an aggressive timeline of 18 months, but have agreed — should they obtain City help — to get as much done as possible before the 2005 Super Bowl and bring the project to an acceptable of completion before the game.