J Magazine Fall 2017

UNCOVERING
The Emerald
N e c k l a c e
THE VISION TO CONNECT McCoys Creek, Hogans Creek
and the S-Line Trail STARTED MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO
BY RON LITTLEPAGE // J MAGAZINE
Craig O’Neal.
reating a vision is easy and often
fun.
C
Turning that vision into reality
can be damn hard.
A case in point is the Emerald
Necklace, the long talked about and
dreamed of string of parks, waterways and
greenways that would loop Downtown and
tie the surrounding neighborhoods to each
other, to the core city and to the St. Johns River.
Downtown advocates and aficionados are
very familiar with the concept, which is seen
as a key element to truly revitalizing Downtown.
It was a key part of the Downtown master
plan that the City Council approved in
2000 titled: “Celebrating the River: A Plan for
Downtown Jacksonville.”
And it highlighted a master plan update in
2010 titled: “Reuniting the City with its River.”
Many, however, including long-time residents,
know little about the Emerald Necklace
or are even aware of the existence of three key
elements vital to it — McCoys Creek, Hogans
Creek and the S-Line Trail.
The plan has been talked about for decades.
Talk is cheap. Implementing the plan
won’t be.
And until true leadership makes it a priority
— leadership that extends beyond the
short-term lifespan of our elected leaders —
it won’t get done.
The two creeks have been abused for
years, and in places they are hidden away
under roadways and overgrown vegetation. It
can be difficult to convince people they are a
jewel waiting to be polished.
But Henry J. Klutho, the famed architect
whose designs added beauty and uniqueness
during the rebuilding of Jacksonville after the
Great Fire of 1901, saw something different.
He envisioned parks and greenways along
the creeks that would become gathering
places and tie neighborhoods to Downtown
— yes, there’s that concept again — and for a
time that became reality along Hogans Creek.
The creek was notorious for flooding, as
FALL 2017 | J MAGAZINE 59