By J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
On Saturday, City Council member Suzanne Jenkins invited Southbank residents, advocates and property owners, to a meeting where she hoped they would give insight, offer ideas and also learn about what’s headed their way.
After four presentations and more than two hours of brainstorming at the Radisson, she said she was pleased with the results.
“After the room started warming up, things were getting interesting because people are very passionate about what they want to see happen here,” Jenkins said. “Their ideas are going to help us move in the right direction, to help us offer a creative vision.”
Those ideas included better parking, brighter lighting and more access to the St. Johns River.
“I’ve been wanting to do something like this for so long,” she said. “I really couldn’t have asked for more.”
Last week, as she was planning and promoting the workshop with non-profit group JaxPride, Jenkins she said she had hopes for a healthy turnout and, with more than 70 participants showing up, that’s exactly what she got.
Margo Dundon, president of the Museum of Science & History, was among those present. Also serving as chair of the Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dundon said she understood the importance of being informed about the Southbank’s impending transformation into a thriving residential and commercial hub.
“The perception of the Southbank has always been that it is separate from downtown, which is not true,” she said. “It is very much a part of downtown and, unlike the Northbank, much of it is still underdeveloped or not developed at all. Now that we have an idea of what’s coming, I know I want to be sure that they don’t negatively affect MOSH. We don’t want to be overlooked.”
Jenkins’ Council colleagues Art Shad and Kevin Hyde were also active and vocal at the workshop. Hyde, who will likely become Council president later this year, said was “very interested” in seeing developments downtown, the Southbank included, move forward.
“I think we have to be prepared to help downtown as much as we can,” said Hyde. “As we’re seeing now with the Super Bowl, it can be a destination place, if only temporarily. With an extra push and the right ideas, it can become much more permanent stop for years to come.”
Data collected at the meeting will presented at the JaxPride Ideas and Action Forum on April 16. It will later be made available online at www.jaxpride.org.