In the lead story this month, you will find out how the economy has changed the way some developers plan communities for future residents.
Although historical success is hard to debunk, many communities are listening to their future homebuyers with a goal of creating a more self-sufficient environment.
More interesting, since the days of buying with the hope of selling for a profit in a few years, many are looking at their home purchase as long term. A place they can raise a family, grow old and retire. This is a place that has amenities from water parks to hiking trails and retail within a gallon of precious $4 gasoline.
I’d like to think as a city, we take the lead from some very bright people, our developers. People willing to risk it all on building a community buyers would stake their life’s savings on.
They are making the best out of current circumstances. Showing leadership during these very challenging times. They all see the positive attributes that make our city desirable and marketable.
Take a look around you. Where else can you find a city that is twelve miles from the ocean, has arguably the best climate in the country, an abundance of Southern hospitality, a sheriff that is tough on crime, a school board and superintendent who know we need better? Not to mention, a beautiful river running right through the middle that will eventually become our gateway to the world. Throw in a cost of living that makes us the envy of most of the other 49 states and you should have people lining up along our borders just waiting to get in.
We have all the “amenities” a great American city should have. What’s left to complete the equation? Similar to the rest of the nation during this recession, we need job opportunities to draw people in and give them the means to live.
Our next class of city leaders must work hard to fill that void. Private enterprise is doing what they can to succeed but it is going to take a great deal of support from our government to make it happen. It reminds me when I was in high school when the Buckman Bridge was built. It opened a whole new world to my friends and me. We were teenagers living on the Southside among all of the kids we grew up with. Then one day, the bridge opened and so did a whole community of new friends and opportunities. We still had our lifelong friends, but like those on the other side of the bridge, we all had the opportunity for new friends, new challenges and new “teenage” issues.
It may be a simple analogy, but to a teenager, something as unassuming as a transportation project to get people around our city faster, changed our city in many ways, all for the better. Government leadership was the catalyst for a better quality of life.
I’m not saying that government should build more roads and bridges. I believe that government can create an environment that encourages economic development, which will mean new jobs and more homes sold.
Let’s take a hard look at how we take all of these amenities and “bridge” them together.
Respect the hard work of many in the past and the ones who will lead in the future to build that connection. We want to strive to create opportunities that increase our quality of life. A happy and healthy citizenry makes for successful schools and a low crime rate.
We should appreciate the environment in which we live and actually reach out to assist the people charged with leading our city. And if we make a mistake in the election process, let’s take responsibility for the vote we cast and do something about it in the next election. But let’s not waste another year of low productivity and misplaced pride because of choices we made.
We have an opportunity with new leadership to bridge the gap between the critics and the ambassadors. We want the naysayers to come over to our team and help us sell this city to the world. We need a positive and energizing force, working together to help Jacksonville reach its potential.
This real estate and builders’ community is one of the hardest working and positive groups I’ve ever seen. They have hung in there through some of the tougher times this industry has seen. They deserve our support. Our economy relies a great deal on their level of success. As their product improves, so do the chances of our community’s success.
— Jim Bailey is president of Bailey Publishing & Communications and publisher of Realty/Builder Connection.