by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Whenever the topic of discussion is development — especially Downtown residential development – the conversation always eventually winds up at money.
“The 800-pound gorilla is still up-front cash,” said Jacksonville Economic Development Commission Executive Director Ron Barton at Monday’s meeting of the JEDC’s Residential Task Force. The Task Force is charged with identifying ways to create work-force housing Downtown. While there is quite a bit of housing under construction Downtown, the average Downtown worker can’t afford the luxury price tag that comes with many of the condominium towers.
The group’s recommendations will be presented to the JEDC’s Downtown Committee in January. The goal is to provide incentives to motivate developers to create a diverse residential community by building 2,000 work-force housing units in the urban core in the next two years.
Barton supports concentrating the incentives in a targeted area or areas, possibly beginning with Brooklyn or LaVilla.
He pointed out that while land costs are going up in LaVilla, there is plenty of undeveloped land still available and some of it is owned by the City, which could make it attractive for development.
“We haven’t created a vision for LaVilla yet,” he said. “The area gets attention because the City owns a lot of land that could be incentivized for work-force housing, but we need to figure out how to make the proposed transit center an amenity, not a detraction.”
Barton pointed out that one possibility would be for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority to change the site plan for its multi-modal transit center that’s been proposed for the LaVilla area near the Osborn Center and move the parking garage to allow residents in potential LaVilla developments to have spaces available, thus reducing a developer’s investment requirement.
Barton said he thinks some funding could come from the City’s Capital Improvement Project budget but how much and how soon remains in question.
”We probably know how much money is available, but with what priorities?” he said. “Housing is in line behind potholes and drainage. Minimum maintenance requirements must be met first.”
Funds for work-force housing can come from what Barton called, “creative financing” or possibly through a bond issue, but he said the success of work-force housing in the long-term will come from a change in policy.
“Part of the future budgeting process has to have an allocation for Downtown – a percentage of the Capital Improvement Program every year. It’s like taking care of every part of your body except your heart. If you don’t care care of your heart, you’re going to have problems,” said Barton.