by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
City Council member Lynette Self says she’s ready to make good on one of her original campaign promises. She said it’s time to start revitalizing some of the city’s oldest shopping centers
Self first noticed noticed “dilapidated strip malls” while driving on the Arlington Expressway.
“But this really is something that you see all over Jacksonville and Duval County,” she said. “In virtually every area, there are strip malls that are continually falling into disrepair.
“I want to see if we can establish a new citywide standard, new criteria these malls can adhere to so that we can stop this from happening.”
No legislation has been filed or introduced, but Self has directed the Council’s research division to observe similar systems already in place in other parts of the country.
“I’m especially interested in what cities with consolidated governments are doing,” she said. “I don’t want to reinvent the wheel, so I’d expect Nashville and Indianapolis may serve as potential models for us.”
Council research chief Jeff Clements confirmed other areas may have programs in place that could serve a local purpose.
“What I’ve been able to find is that there are some cities who do work to promote this kind of thing, the retail market” he said. “I’m not sure how we’d go about it here, but in some cases grants have been issued to allow for various improvements.
“In other instances, the local government has actually been able to find tenants, even national chains, who could come in and help better support and revitalize the retail market. So yes, there are several options we could pursue.”
Self was unsure when she would move forward with a bill, but added area events like the Super Bowl and Sail Jacksonville were not factors.
“No, this is something that needs to be done regardless,” she said. “The way I see it, if you let the commercial areas continue to go down, the residential will probably follow. Ultimately you run the risk of losing your tax base so I believe we need to work toward making improvements no matter what.
“We need to establish a new criteria for these shopping centers and I’m hopeful we can.”