by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
While structural and surface maintenance commissioned by the Florida Department of Transportation continues on the Main Street Bridge, representatives from Downtown Vision, Inc. say they would like to see the surrounding land on the Southbank get a facelift, too.
“We like to think of that portion of land near the bridge as a portal in and out of downtown,” said DVI director Terry Lorince. “We have a completed design that would, ideally, work in conjunction with the work going on now to place more emphasis on how attractive [the Main Street Bridge] is.
“It’s the focal point of the downtown area that serves as a connector between the North and South banks. It’s a major entrance and we just want to enhance its appearance.”
Designed by Euthenics Studio, the firm behind the Town Center project in Atlantic and Neptune beaches, the project calls for planting rows of palm trees — a signature feature of many of downtown’s “gateway streets” — along the stretch of land underneath the bridge from the St. Johns River to Prudential Drive. To insure their survival, an irrigation system would also be installed.
“Something like this would certainly be an addition to the pedestrian environment, too,” said Lorince. “It adds to the visibility.”
With an estimated cost of $200,000, Lorince said funding options for the project are currently being explored.
“We’re still unsure of where we would get the money,” said Lorince. “We’ve spoken to [City Council member Suzanne Jenkins] about it on several occasions and it may wind up being a public/private project. We’ll have to see, but we’d like to have it done as soon as possible.”
Jenkins, who is an advocate of the project, said City money, likely coming from the Tree Trust Fund, may be an option if the land is publicly-owned.
“I’ve known about this for a while now and I think it’s worth investing in,” she said. “Anytime you invest City money into beautifying the area, you can expect to get a healthy return because you’ll be able to attract people and businesses.”
Following approval from the Downtown Development Authority, Jenkins said she plans to draft an ordinance, appropriating dollars.
“Whenever they’re ready to move forward, I’ll support them,” she said. “This is what the Tree Trust Fund is for.”
Now only 17 months away, Lorince cited the 2005 Super Bowl as a driving force behind the landscaping efforts.
“There is obviously a push to improve the look of downtown before the Super Bowl is here,” she said. “Like everyone else, we just want it to look nice when all of those people get here.”