JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Mandarin Community Club and other Mandarin residents are continuing to speak out against the proposed sidewalk that would stretch along Mandarin Road.
The proposed sidewalk would span a few miles from Red Cypress Drive to Loretto Road.
Community members have expressed concerns that the sidewalk would take away from the neighborhood’s historic charm.
“If you’re talking about trying to thread a sidewalk through here, you’re either going to push people out into harm’s way close to the road, or you’re going to have to intrude deeply up into people’s property to get around these significant oak trees,” said Susie Scott, a member of the board of directors for the Mandarin Community Club.
Susie Scott says she worked extensively with others to declare Mandarin Road Jacksonville’s first Scenic and Historic Quarter. This ordinance, in addition to a historic overlay, prohibits any changes that may disrupt the corridor.
“We never anticipated that somebody who represents Mandarin would not honor the significance of the scenic and historic corridor ordinance,” Scott said. “We understand connectivity and community, but there are areas that there’s more historic significance that need to be protected.”
The Jacksonville Transportation Administration’s website outlining the project reads that the goal behind the sidewalk is to enhance public safety and improve mobility and accessibility.
JTA referred to District 6 Councilman Michael Boylan as the “man behind the project.” He says that these community concerns are exactly why they’re following a design-bid-build process.
In this process, the design portion is completed first. Once design plans reach 60% completion, a community meeting will be held to further discuss concerns and determine if this sidewalk is at all feasible.
“No one wants to see the corridor compromise; I certainly don’t want to see that happen, and I don’t expect that it will,” Boylan said. “ I think it’s pretty clear that these people are projecting the fact that something is going to happen [when] there’s no fact or a fundamental basis to it at this point in time.”
Boylan says that he wouldn’t be doing his due diligence as councilman if he didn’t vet out if there’s a pathway forward on behalf of the community members who do want the sidewalk. He says that if it’s determined that there is no way to move forward with the project without disrupting the corridor, then plans will change.
“I don’t want, as part of my legacy as a city councilman, to say [I] destroyed the corridor,” Boylan said. “I have a great deal of respect for the Mandarin community club, the heritage, the community and the scenic beauty of all of that. I just want people to have a chance to enjoy it. So if this is going to be compromising that, then certainly we’ll step back.”
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