by Karen Brune Mathis
Managing Editor
Jacksonville Economic Development Commission Executive Director Ron Barton said last week that he wants to take six or eight months to review the 19 points of the 2007 Downtown Action Plan.
The plan was created through work by four task forces from September 2006 through March 2007, following several years of strong national and state economic growth.
“The creation of the Downtown Action Plan is a great opportunity to give life to the Master Plan,” said the final report. That Downtown Master Plan was approved by City Council in May 2000.
Those task forces focused on Downtown retail; residential; infrastructure; and pedestrian, open space and the river.
The national economy spiraled into a recession in December 2007 and began to recover slowly in June 2009.
Barton wants to review the 19 points to determine whether any should be removed or if others should be incorporated.
Here’s a review of those 19 points and comments from the plan.
• Enhance the level of service for “clean and safe” programs. “Challenges such as vagrancy, litter pick-up and perceptions of safety must be addressed.”
• Develop and implement a comprehensive streetscape plan. “Beautiful, vibrant, well-lit and safe streets are an important part of a welcoming Downtown.”
• Convert one-way streets to two-way streets. “Two-way streets will help slow Downtown traffic and make Downtown driving less intimidating to visitors.”
• Create a Riverwalk enhancement plan. The plan will consist of “three major components: maintenance, expansion and making the Riverwalk more interesting.”
• Improve Downtown connectivity by an enhanced trolley system and a complementary Bus Rapid Transit system. Such a system “will efficiently move people throughout Downtown.”
• Enhance event programming. “There should be something occurring every day Downtown.”
• Improve wayfarer signage. An improved program ”will make Downtown more accessible to all.”
• Refine the approval process and create a one-stop shop approach for Downtown development. “The JEDC has had several successes related to this action step to allow the JEDC to be the central agency with authority on Downtown development. ... These actions have shortened the time line for Downtown development and have consolidated development authority into the JEDC.”
• Promote work force housing. “An urgent need of the Downtown community is to provide housing that addresses the price point of wage earners that comprise the majority of the Downtown work force.”
• Implement innovative parking programs and parking management initiatives. This step “strives to increase the occupancies and efficiencies” at parking facilities, a new parking meter system and improved communications among parking operators and the City.
• Update and implement the Stormwater Management Plan.
• Initiate a Downtown marketing strategy that emphasizes Downtown districts. The strategy “will increase the appeal of Downtown as an entertainment, sporting and retail destination and create a ‘buzz.’”
• Engage in active, targeted retail recruitment. This step would create a recruitment plan for retailers.
• Facilitate Brooklyn redevelopment.
• Develop and enact a master plan for Metropolitan Park/Kids Kampus. The area “is a prime waterfront venue for large events and has the potential to become Jacksonville’s premier special events venue.”
• Redevelop the Friendship Fountain area.
• Improve connections from the “emerald necklace” to the river and upland activity centers. The vision of the emerald necklace is a connected system of trails and open spaces that links creeks and the river.
• Identify and facilitate large-scale, catalyst projects. “Two critical areas of short-term and long-term redevelopment respectively are the Jacksonville Landing and the City Hall Annex/courthouse site.”
• Create more marine-themed activities and improve marine linkages. Those would include public and private marinas, moorings, marine-themed attractions, enhanced water taxis, a public pier and marketplaces.
356-2466