by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
Mayor John Peyton wants to cancel plans for a Northbank Riverwalk extension that would have connected the public promenade to Memorial Park in Riverside.
Mayor’s office spokeswoman Susie Wiles said Peyton will ask City Council to reprogram funds from the estimated $25 million project to renovations of the Southbank Riverwalk and Northbank bulkheads.
“Why would you add on to your house when there are some elements of your house that are in disrepair?” said Wiles. “That’s not to say the Northbank won’t ever get extended ... I don’t know (because) we haven’t gotten to that.”
Chief Administrative Officer Dan Kleman said Peyton’s administration probably won’t consider the extension again. The Riverwalk extension into Memorial Park is currently part of Peyton’s proposed five-year Capital Improvements Program for 2006-11. City Council hasn’t approved the new CIP yet. Wiles said the mayor’s office will amend the program to remove the extension project in the near future.
“It (the Memorial Park extension) is pretty much canceled,” said Paul Crawford, deputy director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, which has played a major role in developing the Riverwalk. “We came to the realization as a group that we needed to focus on our existing assets.”
The extension would have added about a half-mile to the Riverwalk from the Fuller Warren Bridge to Memorial Park. Some Riverside residents welcomed the extension as better public access to the river. Others living along the stretch worried the Riverwalk would be a nuisance and devalue their homes.
“The majority of Broadview Terrace owners are concerned about the Riverwalk’s proximity to our homes,” Broadview Terrace Condominium Association President Jim Bolling wrote in a July letter to Peyton. “Most neighborhoods would oppose having a Riverwalk in front of their homes, with the resulting decrease in privacy, obstruction of views, and increase in trash, noise, congestion, parking problems, crime, etc.”
Most of the Riverwalk has been built along businesses and public land so the City hasn’t had to negotiate plans with pre-existing private properties before.
In addition, the condominium associations have pointed out that the Riverwalk extension would be particularly expensive. Much of the structure would likely have to be built over the water because of a narrow road, condominium parking and other structures already in place along the river.
Meanwhile, nonprofit Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP) has supported a Riverwalk extension into Riverside since the group began.
“The river belongs to everyone and having access to it is a lovely amenity for anybody,” said Bonnie Grissett, executive director of RAP. “We hope it (a Riverwalk extension) comes to pass.”
The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens is also located along the proposed Riverwalk stretch. Maarten van de Guchte, museum director, said the museum board wants to know more before forming an official opinion.
“The board keeps an open mind to the study of this plan,” he said. “The board is also aware of concerns among some of its neighbors regarding the impact of the Riverwalk on security and parking-related issues ... but we would love to see what the various architects can come up with.”
The Public Works Department has not conducted any studies on the potential impact of a Riverwalk extension, a spokeswoman said. The JEDC is exploring an idea for a land connection to Riverside Park, Crawford added.
“We’re working with FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) to bring a pedestrian connection to the west under the interstate to Riverside Park,” said Crawford. “That appears to be the best terminus ... a State entity owns the property under the (interstate) bridge.”
He said an “Artist’s Square” has been proposed for the area beneath the interstate. The small park would have parking and shade from the road above. Crawford said it would provide an entertainment venue transition between the Riverwalk and Riverside Park.
He emphasized the Artist’s Square and Memorial Park extension have been separate endeavors, and neither project has renderings or detailed plans. The Riverside Park land connection is not a replacement for the Riverwalk extension, Crawford added.
“It was all conceptual,” he said. “I think those are two different things. Those two things could have happened together.”