by David Chapman
Staff Writer
In a spring election filled with issues, Downtown had the spotlight to itself Friday morning.
Two of the leading mayoral candidates, Audrey Moran and Rick Mullaney, answered Downtown-specific questions for almost an hour Friday morning.
Called “Downtown In-depth,” the forum was presented by the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce Downtown Council, Downtown Vision Inc. and the Urban Land Institute North Florida.
The two shared similar ideas about numerous ways to improve Downtown, from using the riverfront for projects such as a convention center to focusing on a 25-block core for development.
There was an obvious difference: the creation of an authority to oversee such Downtown growth.
Moran, speaking first, stated as she has before that the first piece of legislation she’d sign would be the recreation of the Downtown Development Authority. She said Friday it would meet three-, five- and 10-year progress benchmarks.
The private Jacksonville Civic Council, in its recently released Northbank Redevelopment Task Force final report, also called for an independent Downtown Improvement Authority that would span mayoral administrations.
“The Downtown Development Authority is going to make that happen,” said Moran.
Mullaney said he respectfully disagreed with the idea of such an authority and said it would be a new bureaucracy. He said he wouldn’t advocate for a Downtown-specific tax. Instead, he said, Downtown redevelopment would come from building consensus and community support.
Mullaney said officials in Indianapolis, where the chamber took its most recent leadership trip, offered advice for Downtown development.
“We need a mayor who leads the effort for consensus,” he said.
When asked whether to offer incentives to businesses, including small businesses, to move Downtown, both responded favorably.
As for funding sources for Downtown development, Moran wanted to see Downtown-specific business taxes already in place go toward Downtown development instead of being used to balance the overall City budget.
Mullaney said his efforts to restructure City finances would reduce fees and taxes for small business and directly affect such funding efforts.
Both agreed on the need for public-private partnerships to achieve development results. They also agreed that a more active Downtown would create fewer nuisance crimes and change the perception of it as dangerous, even when statistics show it as one of the safest communities in the region.
While both also favored bringing a convention center to the Northbank and turning the Osborn Center into a multimodal mass transit facility, Moran also wants to see the Police Memorial Building in the discussion when it comes to making the best use of the area.
Moran said moving the police building closer to the new courthouse, such as where the Jacksonville Transportation Authority is currently located, is an idea and that the police building shouldn’t be “out of the puzzle.”
Mullaney also advocated for bringing a medical school Downtown.
Both said Downtown was vital.
“We’ve got to make this a priority if we’re ever going to succeed,” said Moran.
Mullaney agreed.
“I am a Downtown advocate,” he said. “I believe in Downtown.”
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