J Magazine Fall 2017

“That’s what we’re understanding now. In
an urban desert, they’re all by themselves.
People come in from the suburbs, do ministry
and then leave. That leaves them alone
without any real understanding and without
all their needs met. By keeping the ministries
but encouraging people to move back
in, we’re doing a much better job of serving
the poor.”
It’s a new style of ministry — and urban
renewal — that Moorehead thinks will resonate
with millennials, who are interested in
living in a diverse neighborhood.
“The inclination of many people is to
run away to gated communities or resorts,”
Moorehead said. “It’s scary to live and work
among people who are different, but it’s a
richer way of life.”
Redeveloping the Cathedral District is
not just about constructing housing and
retail. It’s about building community, too,
and that requires a safe environment where
people can start building relationships and
trust, she said.
Aulestia said he has worked on a lot of
plans to help revitalize struggling cities. He
thinks the Cathedral District is different.
“You have the commitment of a few individuals
to see it through, to take it every step
of the way,” he said.
“I love this city,” Moorehead said. “It’s an
extraordinary canvas for Downtown development.”
Lilla Ross was a reporter and editor for
The Florida Times-Union for more than
30 years and now is a freelance writer. She
lives in San Marco.
VOICES FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Wiatt Bowers
Career: Senior planning manager, Florida
Transportation Planning
Age: 45
Residence: Parks at the Cathedral, 333 E.
Church St.
How long: 11 years
What do you like:
I moved to Jacksonville in 2006. I’m an urban
planner, and it’s important to me to be in the
urban core. I looked at San Marco and Riverside,
but what I love about my townhouse
is that it’s a relatively new unit with decent
square footage with a lot of the benefits you’d
find in a suburban neighborhood. I have a
garage, a deck and terrace, a pool. There’s a
grass side yard with trees. And I have all the
advantages of being in the heart of a city. I
can walk or bike places like the Arena, the
Stadium, the Landing. I don’t live a car-free life,
but I don’t drive as much as I would if I lived
in the suburbs.
What would you like to see:
More people. Everything else comes when
more people come, whether they are
residents or people coming to do something
to church on Sunday, or brunch. The other
thing I would like to see us have is more
multimodal transportation — bicycle facilities
with better transit connections to other
parts of the urban core.
Louise Henry
Retired
Age: 95
Residence: Cathedral Towers, 601 N.
Newnan St.
How long: 13 years
What do you like:
It’s wonderful living downtown. We have
24-hour security. Before I was living alone,
but now I have so many friends and people
looking in on me. I can go to church right
across the street at the AME Church. The
supermarket is a little over a block away. If I
feel like walking six or seven blocks, I can go
sit on the river and watch the boats and enjoy
the fresh air. There are all kinds of things
going on — bingo and Bible studies. There’s
a bus that takes us shopping. We’re not far
from the hospitals.
What would you like to see:
I’m not a complainer. I think it’s wonderful.
If you want to have a good life, this is the
place.
Jessica Olberding
Career: Energy trading company
Age: 31
Residence: The Strand on the Southbank
How long: 6 months
What do you like:
My husband and I are urban people. We enjoy
the atmosphere of the city. We have two
children, 5 and 16 months. We moved to the
Southbank because it’s as close as we could
be to Downtown and still be in the Hendricks
Avenue Elementary school district. Before
that we lived at the Parks at the Cathedral for
five years and really loved it. I love it that I had
great entertainment options for the kids. We
could walk to MOSH or the Main Library or
MOCA for the kids room or the kids zone
at Hemming Park. And I could go jogging over
the bridges with the stroller. I really like that I
don’t have a 45-minute commute.
What would you like to see:
I would love a charter school! Expanding
the Skyway to the stadium, San Marco and
Five Points is a great step. There needs to be
a drug store. Better grocery store options
would be good as Harvey’s has some notable
security issues. There is also a significant
presence of loitering vagrants and mentally
ill homeless which is really different from the
homeless presence I’ve seen in other cities
where I lived.
FALL 2017 | J MAGAZINE 73