by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
There weren’t too many new ideas introduced at City Council member Suzanne Jenkins’ meeting about downtown Monday. It was however, a packed house. Developers Cameron Kuhn and Toney Sleiman were both in attendance, along with Council President Kevin Hyde and Council members Lynette Self and Ronnie Fussell. Mayor John Peyton was at a meeting off Normandy Boulevard for his “Evening with the Mayor” series and no one else from the mayor’s office attended.
• President of TTV Architects Tri Vu proposed wider sidewalks, more public art, more public restrooms and lighting major corridors of downtown, including connecting sectors of downtown with “Cultural Paths.” Much like trolley routes, cultural paths would connect main hot spots of downtown like the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art with the Landing and the Florida Theatre to the River. Vu suggested the plan start on Forsyth, Newnan and Ocean streets, with focus on the Florida Theatre.
• Vu focused on the city’s parks, saying many of them are just public restrooms. “Parks are not designed as urban activity centers,” he said. Vu proposed renovation of Jesse B. Smith Memorial Park on Newnan Street. It would be paid for by citizen and corporate-bought stars that would later decorate the park, celebrating theater. He said the project would cost $700,000, but would be underwritten by the purchase of stars.
• Vu said widening sidewalks wouldn’t take away from the current size of streets and it wouldn’t make traffic any quicker. Getting from point A to point B doesn’t need to happen in six seconds, quipped Vu. “A minute and a half is just fine.”
• Developer Toney Sleiman was noticeably upset with Vu’s comment on downtown parking. Vu contends there is ample parking while Sleiman has been pushing for a garage near the Landing.
• Internet discussion board Metro Jacksonville members said downtown should be no different from other river cities, but ask “Why start over?” The city has presented multiple-plans to revitalize downtown, none of which have been brought to fruition. Metro Jacksonville suggests finishing what was started.
• Jenkins said before her term is over (in less than 18 months), progress will be made downtown.
• Metro Jacksonville believes the City should let the developers do the developing and the city should work to strengthen public and private relationships. “The city is not a developer,” they said. “The government should support, not lead redevelopment. The city’s job is to regulate.”
• “The city has owned riverfront land for 130 years, but haven’t done anything with it,” according to the round-robin group presentation by Metro Jacksonville.
• Pioneers-4-Jax Founder Susann Marino received a lot of applause for her presentation to the crowd. “Make the city’s identifying mark the Landing,” she said. “Our future is now.” She said the city has diluted other proposals and projects to an extreme. “Delirium cannot focus,” she said. Pioneers-4-Jax is an organization of downtown residents and merchants that was formed as a grassroots voice focused on the betterment of what they dub the “Shining City on the River.”
• One speaker directed his comments to the absent mayor. “There’s one man missing tonight — If you want the public’s input, this is where you should be.”
• Picketers held “Recall Peyton” signs during the meeting and in Hemming Plaza after the meeting.
• Jenkins said she would come up with a plan in three months and return for another meeting.