by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
The City should create over the next six years retail and entertainment opportunities downtown to supplement hundreds of millions in public and private investment, according to the strategic plan delivered last week to the mayor’s office by Downtown Vision, Inc.
DVI chair Mike Harrell told Mayor John Peyton in a letter accompanying the plan that the City had made significant progress toward providing a cleaner, safer downtown environment. Harrell pointed to 2,200 residential units in planning or under construction as evidence that early efforts were taking root. The next step, according to the plan, was to make downtown, “lively and seductive with great retail and density.”
“These initiatives will focus . . . on continuing to ensure a clean, safe and attractive environment, and creating a downtown experience for the people that live, work, play or visit downtown,” according to DVI.
The plan is based on research into the development of downtowns across the country. The package to Peyton carried endorsements from 17 downtown leaders in business, urban planning, banking, financial planning and non–profit enterprise.
The plan re–affirms housing as the key to downtown’s viability. “Retail will ultimately follow rooftops,” it reads. It urges continued City subsidies of housing projects until 10,000 units have been built downtown. That number will encourage retail and entertainment development and will create “a strong neighborhood feel.”
City subsidies should continue until the market becomes self–sufficient, according to the plan. The subsidies should be specifically tailored to help projects that fill gaps in the market. City help for these projects will no longer be necessary when developers can “obtain financial backing for a project from private entities without public support.”
The housing market will require a range of units — from luxury to affordable. The units need to be clustered in specific areas to encourage density, according to the plan. Preferably, this development will surround areas that have already received public and private investment.
The plan also calls for:
• Featuring downtown’s unique assets: the St. Johns River should be developed into a pedestrian experience that cannot be duplicated outside of downtown. Planning should focus on a few areas to provide unique, walkable experiences.
• Encouraging pedestrian traffic: parking lots at downtown’s fringe should be featured. These lots should be privately managed and should be joined to downtown destinations with public transportation.
• Keeping current businesses while enticing others to come downtown: locate all federal, State and City offices downtown to encourage accompanying development. Provide commuters with a clean, safe and attractive downtown that’s easy to get in and out of.