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Nearly 18 months in the making, the most recent plan to revitalize Downtown Jacksonville is now taking effect.
The Downtown Investment Authority has held more than 40 public meetings while crafting a list of seven redevelopment goals and a comprehensive array of projects that would put the area on the right path. Jacksonville’s City voted Tuesday night to appropriate some funding to get the first chunk of initiatives moving and signed off on the merit of the overall vision.
“It’s a roadmap for the community,” says DIA Chair Oliver Barakat.
The redevelopment goals include reinforcing Downtown as an epicenter for business, history, culture, education and entertainment; increasing housing geared toward an urban lifestyle; simplifying the process for getting development approved; improving walkability and bikeability as well as connectivity to adjacent neighborhoods and the St. Johns River; establishing a waterfront design framework; maintaining a clean and safe Downtown at all hours for all people; promoting a design for healthy living through planning and economic development.
DOCUMENT: See the entire DIA plan
While Barakat says this is a broad picture, the overall plan doesn’t skimp on details either.
“Look at Downtown revitalization as addressing many needs that are connected and that are focused,” he says.
The DIA has laid out a framework of projects which move the area forward- some larger than others.
Within the first year of passing the plan, some of the priority projects include creating a system for free Wi-Fi across Downtown, improving wayfarer signage, flipping one-way streets to two-way streets, improving lighting, and increasing public art. Some more general concepts are also included- like implementing a retail enhancement program, programming Hemming Park, and implementing certain design standards.
Past the first year, the range of projects continues to expand from location tailored projects- like revamping the Snyder Memorial Church- to administrative idea- like streamlining incentives programs- to transportation concepts- like an east-west circulator on the Northbank.
“It provides a vision for the next ten years for Downtown Jacksonville,” Barakat says.
He couldn’t say specifically which projects listed in their plan would get funding under this vote, noting instead that the main priority was getting everything together and then working on funding from there. This initial injection of nearly $2.6 million comes from the Downtown Development Fund. Some of the projects contained in this plan don’t have an exact price tag or funding line attached yet. Barakat says it is vital the plan be adhered to as closely as possible by all parties- from business to government to housing- for the full impact to be realized.
WOKV wants to know what you think about the plan, including whether you agree with the priorities it identifies. Send us an Open Mic using the News 104.5 app, which you can download for your iPhone or Android.
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