J Magazine Spring 2018

THE MAGAZINE OF THE REBIRTH OF JACKSONVILLE’S DOWNTOWN
OUTDOORS
I S S U E
PLACEMAKING
CONNECTING THE
HUMAN EXPERIENCE
TO REVITALIZATION
P32
GOING GREEN
CREATING A PLACE
FOR THE SENSES WITH
MORE GREEN SPACE
P40
RIVERFRONT
WHERE HAVE
ALL THE BOATS
AND BOATERS
GONE?
P56
PLAY STATIONS
ATTRACTING PEOPLE
DOWNTOWN WITH
URBAN PLAYGROUNDS
P48
PRESERVATION
A PASSION FOR
resuscitatING
OUR HISTORIC
BUILDINGS
P72
TURF WARS
A FOOD TRUCK
AND BRICK &
MORTAR EATERY
BATTLE BREWS
P80
DISPLAY THROUGH MAY 2018
$4.95
LA
CRASH
NDING
WHEN WILL WE FIX THE MOST CONTENTIOUS
(AND EMBARRASSING) PIECE OF PROPERTY
IN DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE?
P18
SPRING 2018

COGGIN BUICK GMC OF ORANGE PARK
General Manager Wayne Watkins would like to invite you to stop for the best auto buying experience in North Florida.
Coggin Buick GMC is totally committed to customer satisfaction. Customer service is the key to our success and we have built
our reputation on insuring that each and every customer receives the highest levels of customer service.
When it comes to Pre-Owned vehicles, Coggin Buick GMC has what you are looking for, whether its low mileage or the best
value for your wallet. We sell only the highest quality used cars and trucks and only the best are Coggin Certified.
Coggin Buick GMC’s goal is for every customer to be confident and satisfied with their purchase.
2018 BUICK GMC LINE UP
2018 GMC YUKON DENALI
2018 GMC SIERRA 1500 CREW 2018 BUICK ENVISION
2018 BUICK REGAL
2018 GMC ACADIA
2018 BUICK ENCLAVE
BLANDING BLVD
COGGIN
BUICK GMC
ORANGE
PARK MALL
I-295
WE ARE PROFESSIONAL GRADE
(SERVICE HOURS)
1-844-242-1599
CogginBuickGMC.com
7245 BLANDING BOULEVARD, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32244
MON-SAT: 9AM - 8PM • SUN: 11AM - 6PM
MON-FRI: 7AM - 6PM • SAT: 8AM - 5PM SUN: CLOSED

23+15+5+6+10+15+6+9 23+15+5+6+10+15+6+9
contents
Issue 1 // Volume 2 // SPRING 2018
ZINE SURVEY // THE JACKSONVILLE LANDING
ROUGH LANDING
IONS ON
LANDING
THAN
WING
CLARK
Y JEFF DAVIS
E
MORE/BETTER
RESTAURANTS
least once during evry
big football game
t EverBank Field,
he blimp camera
ill scan our city’s
WHAT
22.9%
pectacular vistas,
WOULD NEED
OTHER
long the beach
TO CHANGE
nd up the St.
AT THE
hns River, but
LANDING FOR
ill pause over
ange structure
YOU TO VISIT
r in the heart of
THERE?
. 15%
onest, Jacksonville DON’T KNOW/
ks a lot better to
NO ANSWER
udiences from afar than
close to people who live
4.9% 6.2%
26
ding is iconic because of
, right in the center of the
riverfront. There is a spotts
on the Landing, which
TOO FAR WOULD
AWAY NEVER GO
y the TV networks for the
r Bowl in Jacksonville.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
ZINE | SPRING 2018
18
MORE/BETTER
ACTIVITIES
& EVENTS
11+
10.4%
9.5%
6%
10%
15.1%
MORE
PARKING
MORE/
BETTER
STORES
THERE
J MAG SURVEY:
THE LANDING
BY MIKE CLARK
CONVENIENCE
CRASH LANDING
BY MARILYN YOUNG
AMENITIES
QUALITY OF LIFE
MORE
SAFETY
32 40 48
DOWNTOWN
PLACEMAKING
BY FRANK DENTON
TURNING THE
CORE GREEN
BY LILLA ROSS
CREATING A
PLACE TO PLAY
BY PAULA HORVATH
56 72 80 90
THE VANISHING
BOATING SCENE
BY RON LITTLEPAGE
PRESERVING OUR
ARCHITECTURE
BY LILLA ROSS
A FIGHT FOR THE
LUNCH CROWD
BY ROGER BROWN
WAITING ON A
RESURRECTION
BY CAROLE HAWKINS
FLORIDA TIMES-UNION
6
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

J MAGAZINE
PARTNERS
DEPARTMENTS
9 FEEDBACK
11 FROM THE EDITOR
13 BRIEFING
14 PROGRESS REPORT
16 RATING DOWNTOWN
64 CORE EYESORE
65 12 HOURS DOWNTOWN
95 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
98 THE FINAL WORD
THE MAGAZINE OF THE REBIRTH OF JACKSONVILLE’S DOWNTOWN
OUTDOORS
I S S U E
PLACEMAKING
CONNECTING THE
HUMAN EXPERIENCE
TO REVITALIZATION
P32
GOING GREEN
CREATING A PLACE
FOR THE SENSES WITH
MORE GREEN SPACE
P40
PLAY STATIONS
ATTRACTING PEOPLE
DOWNTOWN WITH
URBAN PLAYGROUNDS
P48
RIVERFRONT
WHERE HAVE
ALL THE BOATS
AND BOATERS
GONE?
P56
PRESERVATION
A PASSION FOR
RESUSCITATING
OUR HISTORIC
BUILDINGS
P72
TURF WARS
A FOOD TRUCK
AND BRICK &
MORTAR EATERY
BATTLE BREWS
P80
DISPLAY THROUGH MAY 2018
$4.95
LA
CRASH
NDING
WHEN WILL WE FIX THE MOST CONTENTIOUS
(AND EMBARRASSING) PIECE OF PROPERTY
IN DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE?
P18
SPRING 2018
ON THE COVER
If there is one issue Downtown
that virtually everyone seems
to have an opinion on, it is the
Jacksonville Landing. What
should become of the “festival
marketplace” that has failed to live
up to its potential? // SEE PAGE 18
ILLUSTRATION BY
JEFF DAVIS // J MAGAZINE
PHOTOGRAPH BY JAX CHAMBER
DOWNTOWN COUNCIL

GREATER
TOGETHER
H
THE MAGAZINE OF
THE REBIRTH OF
JACKSONVILLE’S
DOWNTOWN
H
PUBLISHER
Mark Nusbaum
GENERAL MANAGER/
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Jeff Davis
EDITOR
Frank Denton
VP OF SALES
Lana Champion
VP OF CIRCULATION
Amy McSwain
WRITERS
Michael P. Clark
Roger Brown
Paula Horvath
Ron Littlepage
MAILING ADDRESS
J Magazine, 1 Riverside Ave., Jacksonville, FL 32202
CONTACT US
EDITORIAL:
(904) 359-4197, frank.denton@jacksonville.com
ADVERTISING:
(904) 359-4471, lana.champion@jacksonville.com
DISTRIBUTION/REPRINTS:
(904) 359-4459, amy.mcswain@jacksonville.com
WE WELCOME SUGGESTIONS FOR STORIES.
PLEASE SEND IDEAS OR INQUIRIES TO:
frank.denton@jacksonville.com
No part of this publication and/or website may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without
prior written permission of the Publisher. Permission is only deemed
valid if approval is in writing. J Magazine and Times-Union Media buy
all rights to contributions, text and images, unless previously agreed
to in writing. While every effort has been made to ensure that
information is correct at the time of going to print, Times-Union
Media cannot be held responsible for the outcome of any action or
decision based on the information contained in this publication.
© 2018 Times-Union Media.
All rights reserved.
LOOK FOR J MAGAZINE AT SELECT RETAIL OUTLETS
A PRODUCT OF
EDITORIAL BOARD

DISPLAY THROUGH FEBRUARY 2018
THE MAGAZINE OF THE REBIRTH OF JACKSONVILLE’S DOWNTOWN
HISTORY
I S S U E
FEEDBACK
MUSEUMS
ADDING TO
THE CULTURAL
EXPERIENCES
IN THE CORE
P72
RICH HISTORY
THE ANCESTRY
YOU PROBABLY
DIDN’T KNOW
ABOUT
P80
RED TAPE
CLEARING
THE WAY FOR
DOWNTOWN
DEVELOPMENT
P18
DOWN & OUT
TEN DECAYING
BUILDINGS IN
NEED OF OUR
ATTENTION
P84
SALLY CORP
GO INSIDE THE
URBAN CORE’S
MOST UNUSUAL
COMPANY
P32
UNDAUNTED
MOST GAVE UP ON THE LAURA STREET TRIO
$4.95
& BARNETT BANK BUILDINGS YEARS AGO.
STEVE ATKINS DIDN’T.
P40
THE HISTORY ISSUE
FOR YEARS, STEVE ATKINS WAS TOLD
to stop wasting his time and money trying to
save the Laura Street Trio and Barnett Bank
buildings in Downtown Jacksonville. Days after
our winter issue hit the streets, crews began
installing construction barricades around the
Barnett Bank building as Atkins’ project to
transform the historic building into retail, office
space and apartments got under way.
RE: UNDAUNTED: Most gave up on
the Laura Street Trio and Barnett Bank
buildings years ago. Steve Atkins didn’t.
“This is what can happen
[when] we do not give up
and we press on!! LET’S GO
JAX!!! I cannot tell you how
freaking excited I am about
the growth and preservation
of this city!! ... I have never
doubted one second my
decision to move here from
Miami 2.5 years ago and now
to move to the Urban Core.
This is where it’s AT!!!”
Janie Coffey
WINTER 2017-18
RE: RISE OF THE GONDOLAS: Could a network of
gondolas gliding above the St. Johns River attract visitors?
“We already have a skyway!
Let’s just extend it so
it goes to more useful
places. Connect Riverside
to downtown, connect
Avondale to Riverside.”
Cate Dobbins
“Enough with the small ideas
... Go visit San Jose, CA,
Houston, TX & Minneapolis,
MN. See how well their light
rail works & takes riders
more than just a few miles.
If Jax is going to do anything,
do it right or don’t spend
the money on it at all.”
Craig Sauls
“I remember taking field
trips here back in the day,
but I had no idea how this
had gotten started.”
Katie Flowers
“The water taxi in
Baltimore has been around
for decades and works well.
It started small and has
expanded over the years.
Your waterfront is beautiful
from the ground too, and I
think gondolas would not
be attractive over
the waterfront.”
Kathy Booth Pace
“If downtown was in
Blount Island then the
(gondola) idea might not
be bad.”
James Stewart
RE: The fantasy fabricators: Inside Sally Corp.,
one of the most fascinating businesses in the world
“It takes a great team to do
what Sally Corp. does, and
we have the GREATEST
team!”
Drew Edward Hunter
RE: DOWN &
ALMOST OUT:
Something needs
to be done about
these 10 decaying
Downtown buildings
“Demolition is the
wrong way to go.”
Kay Ehas
RE: ONE WAY,
WRONG WAY: Is it
past time to convert
the core’s one-way
streets to two-way?
“They are a pain and
I’m used to them.
Can’t imagine how
frustrating it is for
visitors.”
Brian Woodall
“It is long past time
to return the streets
to two-way. Cities
all over the country
have realized their
mistake and have
reintroduced two-way
streets.”
Kerry Decker
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 9

Formed to revitalize and preserve downtown property values
and prevent deterioration in the downtown business district.
The Downtown Investment Authority was created to revitalize
Downtown Jacksonville by utilizing Community Redevelopment
Area resources to spur economic development. The Downtown
Investment Authority is the governing body for the Downtown
Community Redevelopment Areas established by the City
Council of Jacksonville. The DIA offers a variety of incentives for
businesses to locate Downtown, including expedited permitting
and economic development incentives.

FROM THE EDITOR
Despite naysayers,
Downtown growth
gaining momentum
FRANK
DENTON
PHONE
(904) 359-4197
EMAIL
frank.denton@
jacksonville.com
his Downtown revitalization business,
it may be a little more com-
T
plicated than we thought. We knew
it’d be tough politically and financially, but
we didn’t think so much about the psychology
of committing to a new Downtown.
We probably should have anticipated that, as the
Downtown champions are getting some real traction (see
Progress Report on page 14), we might start hearing the
pitter-patter of cold feet, the chill of caution.
They are eager to remind us of our stumbles — the
first Shipyards plan, the Prime Osborn, Jacksonville
Landing — projects that were ill conceived, if only because
Downtown wasn’t ready for them. And they point
out the billions of dollars spent on big projects like the
Better Jacksonville Plan and EverBank Field upgrades —
initiatives that were aimed at specific needs, not at the
rebirth of Downtown.
We as a community now need to lock arms and stay
focused and committed to recreating a Downtown worthy
of our city.
In a letter to the editor, Mayor Lenny Curry made
that point clearly when he called for us to maintain the
momentum we’ve already created: “This cannot be a resolution
of the administration alone. We must resolve as
a city to create the Downtown Jacksonville we have long
aspired to build.” You have to admit we have a tendency
toward a lack of civic self-confidence, perhaps related
to the inferiority complex you sometimes see in other
letters-to-the-editor and hear in conversations about
Downtown.
There’s always a question about whether we have our
act together.
In his letter to the editor, G.T. Harrell of Fleming Island
wrote, “The current Downtown revitalization of Jacksonville
has no consolidated, coordinated plan.
“What we need is a central venue — preferably on
the river Downtown — that can attract visitors … who
currently drive through the city center.
“And we also need a comprehensive revitalization
plan that is developed and implemented by many
business leaders with the feedback and inclusion of the
citizenry.”
Two things, Mr. Harrell. For one, that “central venue”
has been a priority for years. That’s why the city is aggressively
working, in court, to resolve the dispute about the
future of Jacksonville Landing (see story page 18).
Even more important, we have a comprehensive
master plan, and we’re working it.
In 2010, after 40 years of paralysis by analysis,
then-Mayor John Peyton and the private Civic Council
of business leaders agreed that Downtown deterioration
was “a matter of urgent civic priority” and created a task
force that made the case for “a successful, central Downtown”
as “everyone’s neighborhood.”
Its most important recommendation was for creation
of “a strong, independent, well-funded but transparent
and accountable implementation agency ... for exclusive
focus upon Downtown development.”
That led to the Downtown Investment Authority,
now with Aundra Wallace as CEO. The DIA’s top priority
was leading the development of a true master plan, built
on a set of consultants, “several hundred community
stakeholders” and 43 public meetings over 2014. The City
Council approved it in February 2015, appropriating a
modest $2.5 million for the first year.
That is our democratically developed and purposeful
master plan, all 381 pages of it. Want to read it, Mr. Harrell?
Go to: http://jaxne.ws/DIA
When I first met with Wallace, he handed me a
copy of the plan and opened it to page 263 and started
checking off projects that had been completed at that
point, many of them as modest as the budget: lighting
improvements, free Wi-Fi, urban art and streetscape, bike
racks, Hemming Park redesign and programming and a
“retail enhancement program.”
But there also is the Bostwick Building, now the Cowford
Chophouse, and the Laura Street Trio and Barnett
Bank, now under renovation.
The 30-year plan warns that it “requires consistent
support by the city’s administrations, legislative bodies
and business leaders as it transcends time.”
And it requires, and deserves, consistent support by
the people.
There will be fits and starts, constructive disagreements
and tough City Council votes, especially over
money. There will be a need to trust smart public-private
partnerships.
Getting beyond those, for the sake of the heart of
the city, will call for our community commitment and
courage.
Frank Denton, editor of The Florida Times-Union from
2008-2016, is editor of J. He lives in Riverside.
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 11

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
$37,500,000
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
DIGITS
The cost to build
the Jacksonville
Landing in 1987.
The 126,000
square foot
structure was
built by the
Rouse Company,
who pioneered
the development
of festival
marketplaces
in the U.S.
BRIEFING
By The Florida Times-Union Editorial Board
Thumbs up to the
JACKSONVILLE
Jaguars, who had
our Downtown and
whole city rocking
during their journey
from underestimated
contender to three
minutes from the Super
Bowl!
Thumbs down to the
fact that while our St.
Johns River remains
majestic, there are
80 non-native
species inhabiting
it — up from 56 from a
decade ago.
Thumbs down to
the poor retail
traffic in 220
Riverside Ave. The
popular residential
complex is a great
symbol of Brooklyn’s
rise, but it needs a solid
retail element.
Thumbs up to the
love Downtown
Jacksonville has
been getting from travel
websites like Lonely
Planet, ThisisInsider.com
and others raving about
our city.
HITS & MISSES
Thumbs up to the
Jacksonville
Symphony for
signing music director
Courtney Lewis to
a new contract. The
charismatic Lewis is the
perfect conductor for
this Downtown cultural
pillar.
Thumbs down to the
Duval County
School Board’s
reluctance to sell
its building on the
Southbank, a hot
spot for Downtown
development. Why not
cash in now?
Thumbs up to
businessman Jack
Hanania for
purchasing the Dyal-
Upchurch building
on Bay Street. Hanania
has great plans for the
historic site.
Thumbs up to
a proposed
parking garage
design Downtown
that will actually fit
with historic buildings
nearby. Now add a little
shade on the sidewalk!
FIRST PERSON
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
Thumbs down to
those who assume
that because the
Elbow district is so
packed with activity,
they will get away
with parking
illegally on nearby
streets. No, you won’t.
Thumbs up for
plans to develop a
bike sharing
program
Downtown. But
Thumbs down for
taking so long to start
bike sharing. Can’t
Jacksonville be a leader
for once in Downtown
development? Other
cities have long had
these programs.
Thumbs up for the
bold proposal
to Amazon to
locate its second
headquarters in the
Shipyards property.
Jacksonville didn’t
make the finalists, but
it was amusing that
Amazon is adding
geodesic domes
in Seattle with
tropical plants. That’s
Jacksonville weather.
“You know how you walk into some people’s
living rooms, and you just want to sink into a chair
and nurse your glass of wine? It just feels good. ...
That’s my definition of placemaking.”
PETER RUMMELL, DEVELOPER AND DOWNTOWN ADVOCATE (PAGE 32)
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 13

J MAGAZINE’S
PROGRESS REPORT
DUVAL
MONROE
Monroe Lofts
A 108-unit affordable-apartment
project, approved by
the DIA and Downtown
Development Review Board.
STATUS: May be completed by late
Fall 2018.
Houston
StREET
Manor
A senior
affordable housing complex
near the Courthouse.
STATUS: Scheduled to be
completed in late Summer
2018.
HEMMING
PARK
BEAVER
ASHLEY
CHURCH
BROOKLYN
PARK
FOREST
OAK
N
LAVILLA
PRIME OSBORN
CONVENTION
CENTER
BROOKLYN
PARK
FORSYTH
MAY
OAK
HOUSTON
MAGNOLIA
UNITY
PLAZA
JACKSON
RIVERSIDE
ADAMS
RIVERSIDE AVE.
MAY
BAY
WATER
MADISON
JEFFERSON
BROAD
FLORIDA
The TIMES-UNION LaVilla I complex is poised
to open with full occupancy and
a waiting list. There is also a second planned
phase called Jefferson Station.
STATUS: Lofts at LaVilla is open. Jefferson
Station is seeking state funding.
Burlock & Barrel Distillery
A planned whiskey distillery and tasting room
near Unity Plaza.
STATUS: The developer is securing financing for
the project. Construction date TBD.
FULLER WARREN BRIDGE
CLAY
REGIONAL
TRANSPORTATION
CENTER
The $57 million multi-modal
hub across from Prime Osborn will
centralize and coordinate local, regional
and intercity transportation.
STATUS: Phase I of the project — the
Greyhound Bus terminal — is just about
complete.
Lofts at LaVilla &
JEFFERSON STATION
Vista Brooklyn
A 10-story, 300-unit apartment
tower in the growing Brooklyn
neighborhood.
STATUS: The developer is securing financing
for the project. Construction date TBD.
PEARL
JULIA
TIMES-UNION
CENTER
ACOSTA BRIDGE
HOGAN
LAURA
JACKSONVILLE
LANDING
BOUTIQUE
hOTEL
Main Street LLC,
developer of
the parking building at Hogan
and Independent Drive, is
exercising an option to acquire
an adjacent parcel and build a
hotel with 100-150 rooms.
STATUS: Seeking approval
from City Council for the
option agreement.
MAIN
MAIN STREET
BRIDGE
FRIENDSHIP
FOUNTAIN
RIVERPLACE
SAN MARCO BLVD.
MARY
OCEAN

SPRINGFIELD
Laura Street Trio &
Barnett Bank Building
A planned $79 million renovation of the
iconic buildings into residences, offices,
a hotel and commercial/retail uses..
STATUS: Barnett Bank Building is under renovation.
The Laura Street Trio is in the design stage.
THE DORO
DISTRICT
Plans include a
restaurant, bar
and bowling and possibly a
hotel or multifamily residential.
STATUS: The developers
are seeking funding for the
project.
The Shipyards
Shad Khan’s plan for
mixed-use redevelopment
of the old Shipyards
and Metropolitan Park has been
backed by the Downtown Investment
Authority.
STATUS: The city and Khan are still
working out specific details. The Lot
J entertainment district will integrate
into a larger project.
NEWMAN
MARKET
LIBERTY
WASHINGTON
CATHERINE
FSCJ student housing
The project will have 20 apartments for
58 students, and a café named 20West (as
part of the school’s culinary program).
STATUS: The retail space should be completed by
early summer 2018; the residential units should be
completed by late summer 2018.
BAY
PALMETTO
MEMORIAL
ARENA
ADAMS
A. PHILIP RANDOLPH
BASEBALL
GROUNDS
GEORGIA
FRANKLIN
SPORTS COMPLEX
EVERBANK
FIELD
DAILY’S
PLACE
NORTHBANK
USS ADAMS
The USS Charles F.
Adams, a retired U. S.
Navy guided-missile
destroyer, will soon be anchored as
a museum ship in the St. Johns.
STATUS: The museum backers
are waiting for the Navy to
officially release the ship to them
so it can begin to make its trek
to Jacksonville from its current
pierside location in Philadelphia.
GATOR BOWL BLVD.
METROPOLITAN
PARK
THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT
A potential Downtown entertainment complex
in close proximity to EverBank Field, Veterans
Memorial Arena, the Baseball Grounds and the
Daily’s Place amphitheater.
STATUS: Mayor Lenny Curry, Jaguars owner Shad Khan and
Khan’s executive team have had preliminary talks. It would
originate from Lot J, west of EverBank Field.
FLAGLER
JACKSONVILLE
LANDING
The city owns the
Laura Street site,
but it has leased it long-term to
Sleiman Enterprises. The two sides
have long sparred over its future.
STATUS: The two sides are now
in court over the property. Expect
leadership from the mayor.
PRUDENTIAL DR.
KIPP
HENDRICKS
SAN MARCO
KINGS
S T . J O H N S R I V E R
SOUTHBANK
ONYX
The San Marco apartments
A $25 million development featuring a four—story building
and 143 units of workforce housing.
STATUS: Construction should begin by late Spring. 2018.
MONTANA
BROADSTONE
RIVER HOUSE
This five- to-sixstory
structure will
have 263 apartments.
STATUS: Scheduled to be
completed by the end of Summer
2018.
The District
Peter Rummell’s community
concept will have up to 1,170
residences, 200 hotel rooms,
285,500 square feet of commercial/retail
and 200,000 square feet of office space,
with a marina.
STATUS: The city is negotiating a redevelopment
agreement for the project. Rummell
and partners must come up with the
$18 million to buy the property from JEA.
DOWNTOWN
JACKSONVILLE
TRACKING DEVELOPMENT IN THE URBAN CORE
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 15

POWER
RATING DOWNTOWN
By The Florida Times-Union Editorial Board
Lofts and apartments popping up
from LaVilla to the southbank
5 5
8
4
MIN
MAX
MIN
MAX
MIN
MAX
MIN
MAX
PUBLIC SAFETY
LEADERSHIP
HOUSING
INVESTMENT
Overall crime numbers are
down from a year ago, but
still too many auto burglaries.
The “Downtown isn’t safe”
perception is inaccurate,
but it lingers.
PREVIOUS: 5
City leaders have shown a
greater sense of urgency to
make headway on projects
like The District and get
dormant properties like the
courthouse/City Hall annex
site on the market.
PREVIOUS: 8
The Lofts at LaVilla is open
and others (including Houston
Street Manor, Broadstone River
House and Monroe Lofts) are
in progress.
PREVIOUS: 4
More investors are showing
interest in Downtown
renovations and other projects.
Businessman Jack Hanania, for
example, has spent more than
$2 million to purchase the
Dyal-Upchurch building.
PREVIOUS: 3
3
5
3
2
MIN
MAX
MIN
MAX
MIN
MAX
MIN
MAX
DEVELOPMENT
EVENTS & CULTURE
TRANSPORTATION
CONVENTION CENTER
Still too little movement
on too many vacant
Downtown buildings.
Why isn’t there action on the
vacant JEA building at
233 W. Duval St.?
PREVIOUS: 3
Downtown is holding its own
as a popular draw for concerts,
musicals and other shows. In the
next few months you can see
everything from James Taylor at
Veterans Memorial Arena to the
Foo Fighters at Metropolitan Park.
PREVIOUS: 5
JTA has finished Phase One
of its $58 million regional
transportation center project
— and it has a test track in
place to study the feasibility
of driverless vehicles in
the future.
PREVIOUS: 3
DIA got the go-ahead to request
proposals from private investors
for a possible convention center
on the old courthouse/City Hall
Annex riverfront parcel. If there’s
no workable proposal, we need
to tear down these eyesores.
PREVIOUS: 2
OVERALL RATING
Lots of work has been done,
and lots more has been planned. But
we need a lot more work to get
across the finish line.
PREVIOUS: 4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
JEFF DAVIS
16
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

SITTING on six
ACRES OF prime
WATERFRONT
property, THE
JACKSONVILLE
LANDING
ARGUABLY
SHOULD BE
DOWNTOWN’S
FOCAL POINT.
a SHADOW
OF WHAT WAS
ENVISIONED
WHEN IT WAS
BUILT three
decades AGO,
WHEN WILL THE
LANDING BE
TRANSFORMED
INTO THE
CROWN JEWEL
OF THE CORE?
JAX CHAMBER DOWNTOWN COUNCIL
CRASH

LANDING
BY MARILYN YOUNG // FOR J MAGAZINE

In what was planned to be a thriving festival marketplace along the St. Johns River, the Jacksonville Landing has struggled to keep tenants since opening in 1987.
Yes, the Jacksonville
Landing is failing.
That’s been obvious
for years, even
decades.
The much-ballyhooed festival marketplace began to lose its luster
just a few years after it opened in 1987, as stores moved out when their
first leases expired, instead of renewing them.
One-by-one, the big names like Sharper Image and Brookstone left.
For many years, the Landing was able to lift up the rest of the urban
core, said Oliver Barakat, who has been a member of the Downtown
Investment Authority board since its 2013 inception. Now, a resurging
Downtown is lifting up and leaving the Landing behind.
“We need the Landing to at least keep up and not become the drag,”
said Barakat, a senior vice president of CBRE, a commercial real estate
services and investment firm.
He said the Landing has become a negative not just for Downtown,
but for the entire city. So much so that Barakat typically avoids showing
his clients the mall, which is adjacent to the tower where CBRE is located.
“I try to walk on to Bay Street and to the Cowford Chophouse or up
Laura Street,” he said. “We don’t bring them to the Landing anymore.”
The development on such a critical piece of Jacksonville’s riverfront
is a mess that needs to be fixed. Letting it play out in court for years
through dueling lawsuits between the city and Sleiman Enterprises may
only benefit the lawyers being paid by taxpayers and the company.
Even worse, it adds another delay in the redevelopment of the Landing
property, as progress is being made all around it. From the Sports
Complex to the Barnett Bank Building to LaVilla and Brooklyn — and
many places in between.
Plus, the DIA is seeking a developer for a convention center and hotel
on the sites of the old courthouse and City Hall on Bay Street. A rejuvenated
Landing could be a critical partner to that project.
BOB SELF
20
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

‘‘
‘‘
“We need the Landing to at least keep up and not become the drag.”
Oliver Barakat, Downtown Investment Authority board member
FLORIDA TIMES-UNION
Both sides in the Landing dispute — Sleiman and Mayor Lenny
Curry — are passionate, committed and strong-willed, but the
pressures from all directions are suggesting that now is the time for
clenched-teeth mediation and compromise.
FINGER POINTING
It’s easy to try to blame Sleiman Enterprises and the city for the
Landing’s deterioration over the years. But the failure was likely inevitable.
The early desertion by stores and restaurants is an indication
the concept was flawed from the beginning. The festival marketplace
was built in an area with a sparse residential population,
leaving only the Monday through Friday work crowd as its base.
Retailers and restaurants can’t survive that way.
City Council member John Crescimbeni agrees that the absence
of a nearby residential base was a detriment to the Landing’s
success. A lack of parking, he said, may have been a secondary
contributor to its failure.
Parking shouldn’t be a big problem based on the lack of visitors
the Landing gets, outside of special events. A University of
North Florida public opinion survey commissioned by J magazine
showed 44 percent of local residents said they hadn’t been
to the Landing in the past year, while 45 percent had been there
only a couple of times. (See related story on page 26.)
Count many of those interviewed for this story among those
two categories. Council member Lori Boyer said she fits in the
category of visiting a couple of times a year.
“And the times were not to go to dinner there or go shopping
there, which is the purpose really of the venue,” she said.
Crescimbeni said he felt confident he hadn’t been this year
and probably didn’t go there in 2017.
Brian Hughes, chief of staff for Curry, said since 2012, the
mayor has gone there only to attend one political event and
several other times to see his daughters perform.
Barakat said ideally the average Downtown worker should
be going there twice a week and the average Jacksonville resident
once or twice a month. His office is a stone’s throw away
from the Landing, and he admits, “I might go once every
three months.”
Some of the festival marketplaces built elsewhere, like
in Baltimore and Miami, are thriving. But they’ve been bolstered
by extensive public investment or the nearby construction
of facilities like AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami.
But for years, as the Landing issue has languished, its
operators have been alone in trying to attract visitors to a
Downtown that basically closes up after work.
FINDING SOLUTIONS
Instead of focusing on the past, it’s more productive to
concentrate on what the new Landing should be. Many
concepts and visions have been shared since Sleiman
bought it.
The most recent came in 2015, when the DIA hired a
consultant that proposed creating an opening from Laura
Street through the middle of the building to the river — a concept that
is still popular today.
The mixed-use plan called for the construction of 300 apartments
to help boost the stagnant residential population. But since then,
the apartment dearth has been rectified by major developments
in Brooklyn and LaVilla, with more planned Downtown and on the
Southbank.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
During the week-long grand opening of the Jacksonville Landing in 1987, crowds packed the
courtyard. When it opened, the Landing boasted dozens of retail stores and 18 restaurants.
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 21

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . The . Sleiman . family’s . .
One
. .
step
. . . .
forward,
. . . . . . .
ownership of the Jacksonville
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Landing since 2003 hasn’t
. been . easy . for . them or . the city. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. They’ve . . encountered . . mixed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
support
. .
though
.
three
.
mayoral
. .
two
. . .
steps
. . . .
back
. . . . . .
administrations, which has
.
escalated
. .
over
.
an inability
.
to
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . make . the riverfront . . mall . an . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. iconic . Downtown . . landmark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . RESEARCH . . BY . MARILYN . . YOUNG . //. GRAPHIC . . BY JEFF . DAVIS . // . J MAgAZINE . . . . .
. . . .
Aug.
.
9,
.
2003. . . . . . . . . . Aug. . 15, 2003 . . .
. . . . .“It’s . definitely . a risk. . I . am buying . it .(the Jacksonville . . . Landing) . . “You. know . how . .
aggressive we are.
. . . . and . it is . not even . making . . money. . But . with the . help . of my . . . I’m going . to go . sit in . .
. . . . . brothers . and . mother, . we . are . going . to make . it happen.” . . . . their . headquarters, . . .
Toney Sleiman
and I have a mayor
. . . . President . . of Sleiman . Enterprises . . . . . . . . .(John Peyton)
.
who’s
. . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . going to . go with . me.”
Toney Sleiman
. .
. . 2003
[About trying to recruit
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Cheesecake Factory
to the Landing]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . Nov. . 23, . 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . “I don’t . think . there’s . any
Aug. 16, 2003
stomach here to jump from,
‘Well, Rouse wasn’t doing a good
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . “It’s . slowly . dying . down . here.
. . . . . . . .
. . . . job’ to . ‘Well, . the Sleimans . can.’” Business, I know, can be a
whole lot better.”
Susie Wiles
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spokeswoman for
Sonjii Peters
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mayor John Peyton
Manager of the Body
Shop
. . . . . . . . . and . accessories women’s clothing
. store
. . . . . Aug. . 23, . 2003. .
May 17, 2004
“We as a city have
. “I’m. going to . keep pounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . done some . things . . .
. . until I get . it done. . I promise . . . . . . . . . . . . that . did it (the . . .
you, I’m going to get the
Landing) a disservice.
. Landing . done.” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Feb. 9, 2006
We took the parking
. . Toney . Sleiman . . . .“We’ve . had 17 . drafts . of this . redevelopment . . agreement . and . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . away and . never
have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars pursuing a path replaced it. We have
. . .
that we thought was acceptable to the administration. We got to be part of the
. . Jan. . 28, 2006 . . . . had no . conversations . . prior to . Friday . which led . us to . believe ....
. solution.” . . . .
“It’s time to get this right.
. . . . . . there . was . a change . in the . process.” . . . . . . Suzanne . Jenkins
This is turning advocacy into
. . .
JACKSONVILLE CITY
. . action and . getting . the private
Mitchell Legler
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
COUNCIL MEMBER
Attorney for Jacksonville Landing Investments
market to solve the problem
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[About Mayor John Peyton rescinding an offer to sell the land the Landing sits on]
without public incentives.”
. . Trip Stanly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blackwater Capital
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . managing . member
[On the company’s offer to
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. buy . the Landing . from Sleiman]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22 J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
June 22, 2017
June 25, 2017
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“I’m prepared to take the Landing ... I’m
“We want this to work. The Sleimans are
. . . . . . . . . . . willing . to compromise . . and work . with
prepared for the city to have it and to begin in
. . . . .
other people, maybe somebody the mayor
. . a very . public . way . determining . . what . its . best . .
would
.
like
.
to see
.
in there.
.
The strong
. . . . .
. . and highest . . use is. . We’ve . got a . plan . internally . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . preference . . is not . to walk . away from . what
to put the screws and keep pushing this.”
they’ve worked so hard to make work.”
. . . .
Lenny Curry
MitchELL Legler
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2018
Nov. 1, 2016
. . . .
“The battles of the
. . past . have . gotten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
this city
.
stuck.
.
Do
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
we have to do things
July 24, 2015
. . with . the . Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“I will always encourage the most cost-effective plan
. . Landing? . Absolutely . . . . . . with . the best . return . on investment . . for the . taxpayer, . and . . . .
that’s an issue. But
. . . . . . . . . .
in the
.
case of
.
the Landing,
.
all
.
options
.
are on
.
the table.”
I’m not going to get
. . . .
Lenny Curry
. . stuck . in the . battle.” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . JACKSONVILLE . . MAYOR
Lenny Curry
[After a Downtown Investment Authority workshop on the Landing]
[Making it clear his vision for
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Downtown is not centered
on the Landing]
March 9, 2011
. . . . . . . .
“I am
.
struck
.
... that
.
the
.
City
.
Council
.
has
.
approved
.
the
.
expenditure
. . .
. . . . . . . of . more . funds . to acquire . . a surface . lot . than . Mr. Sleiman . . spent . in . .
. . . . . . . . purchasing . . the entire . Jacksonville . . Landing . . just . eight years . ago.” . . .
. . . . . . .
John
.
Peyton
. . . . . . . . . . . .
[About his veto of the City Council’s decision to offer Sleiman $3.5 million toward
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
a $5 million parking lot and $1.9 million to subsidize short-term parking operations]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JAn. 16, 2014
. .“Our goal . should . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
be
.
to make
.
it
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
iconic, to make
Dec. 8, 2013
. . sure it . becomes . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . “When . I went . to see . the mayor . (Alvin . Brown), . the
destination, to make response was unreal. I’ve never had that before.”
. . . . . . . . .
Toney Sleiman
April 9, 2010
sure it’s user-friendly.
. . I want . people . to be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . [On his . meeting with . Mayor Alvin . Brown]
. . . . . . . . “They’re . talking
using the Landing
semantics. The
goal isn’t a parking
. . .
not just from 9 to
. . . . . . . . March . 24, . 2006
5, but seven days a
. . . . . . garage. . The . goal isn’t . .
“I could not be more pleased with the
a floating barge with
. week.” . . . . . .
agreement.
. .
It’s been
.
challenging,
. .
but the
. . . .
cars on
.
it. The
.
goal
. .
Alvin Brown
. .
JACKSONVILLE
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . time . it took . delivered . a . better project.”
John Peyton
. . . . . is dedicated . parking
for the Landing.”
. . .
MAYOR
JACKSONVILLE MAYOR
Richard Clark
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[About the agreement on parking for the Landing]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JACKSONVILLE . . CITY
COUNCIL MEMBER
. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [About . Mayor . Peyton’s office]
SOURCE: . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Florida . Times-Union . archives
. .
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 23
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In 2015, renderings of a reimagined Jacksonville Landing were shared with the public by the Downtown Investment Authority. Met with luke-warm reaction from the
public, DIA said the design effort was aimed at creating an economically successful development as well as a night-and-day gathering spot for Downtown.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
The UNF poll showed only 1.3 percent of those questioned believe
apartments are the best use for the Landing site, compared to 24
percent who supported restaurants and bars and 6 percent for retail
stores. Oddly enough, 16 percent said to leave the site the way it is.
There is strong support among Downtown stakeholders and officials
for more public space on the site and more access to the St. Johns
River.
Boyer said the 2015 proposal’s public space plans “just didn’t get
us there in terms of being special and iconic.” The plan also didn’t
offer adequate setback from the river and an expanded Riverwalk.
“I felt that while it was acceptable, acceptable is different than
something that has energy
and enthusiasm and support.
Acceptable is different
from something you become
an advocate for,” Boyer
said.
Barakat said the project
needs a mix of uses so it can
become a 24-hour site. He
believes the city would be
challenged in filling up tens
of thousands or hundreds
of thousands of square feet
of retail or office space and
hundreds more residential
units.
Sleiman, who would not
be interviewed for this story, sent a statement reiterating he has been
waiting to redevelop the Landing since he bought it.
He pointed out the company has spent $1.5 million for redevelopment
plans to help get it there. The statement also touted that
overall his company has developed more than $1.5 billion in commercial
real estate.
Perhaps the reason an agreement hasn’t been reached is as simple
as something Boyer said: There’s no doubt Sleiman has been
successful in building strip malls. But maybe that’s not what the city
wants or needs at the Landing.
“I think there is a certain hesitation as to whether, if we did enter
into a partnership, are we going to get the kind of retail tenants,
restaurant tenants that we really want to see there for our Downtown?”
she said.
Barakat said Sleiman
could perhaps partner with
a team or hire a consultant
with experience in urban
developments to build a
unique offering that can’t be
found anywhere in Jacksonville.
He said if Sleiman is going
to hold on to the Landing
long-term, it would be nice
to see some type of interim
improvement there.
“There are some relatively
inexpensive retail concepts
you can do that might
Wakefield, Beasley and Associates and Urban Design Associates (2)
24
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

‘‘
‘‘
“If we did enter into a partnership, are we going to get the kind of retail tenants,
restaurant tenants that we really want to see there for our Downtown?”
LORI BOYER, JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
DON BURK
justify a five-year concept while you negotiate and navigate the political
lens in designing a larger, long-term project,” he said.
Barakat said he would hate to see the status quo prevail, particularly
during the current real estate cycle.
“And then if we hit a downturn and it’s very difficult to justify any
construction or any projects, then you’re waiting for the next economic
recovery,” he said. “And then what you have across the
street (at the Landing), you’ve got for another five to seven years.
That would be really disappointing,”
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
For now, though, the Landing remains as it is. A site that
hasn’t been relevant for years and one that will likely stay that
way for a long time if the disagreements are left to be decided in
the court system.
The city sued Jacksonville Landing Investments in 2015 over
a parking garage issue and late last year, the company sued the
city, accusing officials of abusing their power and undermining
the mall.
Dan Bean, a partner at Holland & Knight, said virtually every
case goes to mediation. “It’s just a matter of when,” said
Bean, who is not associated with the case.
While the process isn’t binding, he said, it is valuable to
hear a licensed mediator “poke holes in your case so you appreciate
the risks you have.”
It also gives clients the chance to hear from a voice other
than their attorney.
“Sometimes people don’t listen to their lawyers, or their
lawyers are hesitant to tell them all the bad points because
clients may think they don’t believe in the case,” Bean said.
A mediator can speak directly to the client and describe
best- and worst-case scenarios. He said 90 percent of cases
are resolved through mediation.
Bean said it typically takes a year for a case to make it to
trial, depending on the types and number of pleadings filed,
the level of discovery exchanged and the court docket, itself.
The 2015 case was not typical, with a jury trial first being
set for Feb. 12 of this year. It is now set for a non-jury trial on
June 27. Bean believes, based on the docket, that the 2015
case has gone through the confidential mediation process.
A jury trial has been requested, but not scheduled in
the 2017 case.
Bean said litigation involving public agencies takes
longer because the government automatically gets more
time to respond to requests than non-government parties.
Another way to delay a resolution on the Landing.
That’s the last thing that’s needed after decades of failure
and intransigence.
The best way to resolve this is for the city to make a
reasonable offer to buy out the Sleimans. The family then
needs to accept it.
Let’s do what’s best for the citizens of Jacksonville and turn this
eyesore into the waterfront showplace the city deserves.
Marilyn Young was an editor at The Florida Times-Union in
1998-2013 and was editor of the Financial News & Daily Record
in 2013-2017. She lives in northern St. Johns County.
In 2005, the Jacksonville Landing was packed with boats as pre-game activities were
under way before the kickoff of the annual Florida/Georgia football game.
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 25

23+15+5+6+10+15+6+9 23+15+5+6+10+15+6+9
J MAGAZINE SURVEY // THE JACKSONVILLE LANDING
A ROUGH Landing
OPINIONS ON
THE LANDING
LESS THAN
GLOWING
ABY MIKE CLARK
GRAPHIC BY JEFF DAVIS
J MAGAZINE
t least once during every
big football game
at EverBank Field,
the blimp camera
will scan our city’s
spectacular vistas,
along the beach
and up the St.
Johns River, but inevitably
will pause over that big, orange
structure on the river
in the heart of Downtown.
To be honest, Jacksonville
Landing looks a lot better to
those TV audiences from afar
than it does up close to people who
live here.
The Landing is iconic because of
its location, right in the center of the
Downtown riverfront. There is a spotlight
of sorts on the Landing, which
was used by the TV networks for the
2005 Super Bowl in Jacksonville.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
22.9%
OTHER
15%
11+
DON’T KNOW/
NO ANSWER
More/Better
Restaurants
10.4%
WHAT
WOULD NEED
TO CHANGE
at THE
LANDING FOR
YOU TO VISIT
THERE?
4.9% 6.2%
TOO FAR
AWAY
WOULD
NEVER GO
THERE
convenience
AMENITIES
More/Better
ACTIVITIES
& EVENTS
9.5%
6%
10%
15.1%
More
PARKING
More/
Better
STORES
QUALITY OF LIFE
More
SAFETY
26
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

J MAGAZINE SURVEY // THE JACKSONVILLE LANDING
How satisfied are you
with The Landing being
a symbol of Downtown?
VERY SATISFIED
17.8%
What is the best use
for The LANDING SITE?
29.5%
24.4%
16.3%
6.9%
6.6%
6.4%
4.8%
3.8%
1.3%
SOMEWHAT
SATISFIED
33.1%
SOMEWHAT
DISSATISFIED
22.7%
VERY DISSATISFIED
21.7%
NO ANSWER
4.8%
Mixed Use
RESTAURANTS
& BARS
LEAVE IT
AS IT IS
SOMETHING
ELSE
PARK
RETAIL
STORES
DON’T KNOW/
NO ANSWER
MARINA
APARTMENTS
THE MOST COMMON WORD(S) USED TO
DESCRIBE THE JACKSONVILLE LANDING:
BORING/USELESS
66.7%
OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE
DOWNTOWN AND
HAVE VISITED THE
LANDING FOUND
IT TO BE “VERY
UNENJOYABLE”
HOW OFTEN In the PAST
YEAR DID YOU VISIT THE
JACKSONVILLE LANDING?
7.1%
ABOUT
ONCE A
MONTH
2.1%
WEEKLY
1%
DAILY
42.6%
OF PEOPLE BETWEEN
35-46 BELIEVE THAT
RESTAURANTS &
BARS WOULD BE
THE BEST USE FOR
THE LANDING
44%
NEVER
46%
Of PEOPLE aged
45-54 SAID THAT
“safety” would
need to improve
if they were to
visit The Landing
45%
A COUPLE
OF TIMES
A YEAR
.8%
NO ANSWER
ABOUT THIS SURVEY:
411 people in Duval County were
surveyed in January 2018. The
survey was sponsored and funded
by J Magazine & The Florida Times-
Union and was conducted by the
Public Opinion Research Lab at the
University of North Florida.
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 27

J MAGAZINE SURVEY // THE JACKSONVILLE LANDING
Toney Sleiman says correctly that photos
of the Landing often are used to illustrate
Jacksonville. For those of us who know the
real story, that has become a sad reality.
It’s as if the front of a house on a Hollywood
set, propped up by 2-by-4s.
For most people in Jacksonville, our
iconic riverfront feature is out of sight, out
of mind.
A new scientific poll conducted
by the University of North
Florida Public Opinion Research
Laboratory for J Magazine and
the Times-Union found that
Jacksonville Landing is anything
but an iconic spot for the vast
majority of local people:
• 44 percent of respondents
never visited in the last year.
• 45 percent visited just a couple
times.
That’s 9 of 10 Jacksonville residents
who consider the Landing an afterthought,
justifiably so.
In fact, when asked to describe the Landing,
the top phrases were these:
• “Boring/Useless.”
• “Old/Outdated.”
The people who ought to be
visiting the Landing, those who
live Downtown, don’t even visit.
Seventy-five percent of Downtown
residents drop in just a few times a
year and 25 percent of them never visit.
Ouch. And to make it clear, these were
answers to open-ended questions. The
pollsters were not suggesting adjectives to
the citizens.
Of all the age groups, those 65 and older
are most likely to say they never visit the
Landing (67 percent of them). Yet, they probably
visit the nearby Jacksonville Symphony
Orchestra, other events at the T-U Center
for Performing Arts or performances at the
Florida Theatre.
The age group most likely to view the
Landing positively are those 18 to 24 (69
percent).
People living at the Beaches are most likely
to never visit the Landing (64.1 percent).
That’s no surprise, since old-timers remember
the “blighted area” at Jacksonville Beach.
Visitors tend to skew to the low end of the
income spectrum. Respondents with annual
incomes from $25,000 to $50,000 are most
likely to have a “very enjoyable” visit at the
Landing.
For people who do visit, the experience
rates as OK. The vast majority say their experience
there was “somewhat enjoyable”
or better. That is probably due to the fact
that the Landing still hosts a great variety of
FUN/COOL
7.4%
WHAT WORD WOULD
YOU USE TO DESCRIBE
THE LANDING?
BORING/
USELESS
13.4%
BARS/FOOD
SHOPPING
6%
VIEW/RIVER
8.2%
OTHER WORDS
MENTIONED: Downtown/
Jacksonville/Landmark;
Needs Improvement;
Crowded/Traffic/
Parking; Unsafe;
Just Bad; Nice-looking/
Aesthetic; Peaceful/
Relaxing; Central/
Convenient
OLD/
OUTDATED
11.6%
SOCIAL
DIRTY
4.6%
5.6%
free events, which attract people predisposed
to enjoy them.
In fairness to the Landing, there are
plenty of events taking place there. In February
alone, for instance, there were local
bands every Sunday, Art Walk, bike night and
EVENTS/
ACTIVITIES
9.2%
National Dance Week Celebration.
But as a destination itself? Jacksonville
citizens confirm that it is well past its prime.
When asked what they would like at
the Landing, respondents don’t mention
anything especially unusual. Restaurants and
bars lead the list, and mixed uses come in
next.
People living Downtown are unanimous
in saying that better activities are needed to
bring them to the Landing, and 71 percent
of nearby Riverside residents say the same.
When the Landing was in its prime, it
offered then cool national chain stores
like the Sharper Image. Now that national
chains are under pressure or going to the
St. Johns Town Center, the shops there need
to be unique, locally based. Think of the kind
of shops inspired by One Spark.
But the Landing still has
a negative perception to
overcome, like much of
Downtown. Of those who
never visit, the top issue
listed is “more safety.”
Better restaurants and more
parking also are prominently
mentioned.
The current issue with the Landing
is that the Sleimans, who have the lease
to the city property, say they need to add
apartments to make the property financially
viable.
But only 1.3 percent of respondents say
that apartments represent the best use of
the property. And that’s why the city and the
Sleimans are at a standstill.
About half of respondents are “somewhat
satisfied” with the Landing being a
symbol of Jacksonville’s Downtown. That’s
probably because it looks fine from a
blimp view. But residents know the icon
is tired.
Bottom line is that Jacksonville people
expect to find a mixture of attractions at
the Landing. It should be a place where
people can visit, enjoy the sunshine and the
river and have a good time, like the Riverside
Arts Market on Saturdays. There ought
to be special activities, too.
Right now, it’s like a black eye. But it
could be so much more.
MIKE CLARK has been reporting and editing for
The Florida Times-Union and Jacksonville Journal since
1973. He has been editorial page editor for the last
12 years following 15 years as reader advocate.
28
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

J PARTNER PROFILE
By Barbara Gavan
Eric Mann, CEO of the
YMCA of Florida’s First Coast
YMCA of Florida’s
First Coast
CEO sees Downtown on the cusp of great things
hile living in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Charlotte,
Eric Mann, president and CEO of the
W
YMCA of Florida’s First Coast, saw the major
improvements those cities made to their Downtown
cores. As a seven-year resident of Jacksonville,
he now sees the same spirit and
dedication here.
“Jacksonville is on the cusp,” he said.
“Mayor Curry has brought enthusiasm
and excitement to Downtown revitalization,
so the oars are rowing in the right
direction. And we’re seeing proof that
it’s on the right track. With our Winston Y, the DuPont
Center, Brooklyn redevelopment, FSCJ’s housing, the
Barnett Building and Laura Trio, people are beginning
to believe in Downtown as the place to be.”
Mann says that we now need more residences,
more jobs and amenities to attract people Downtown.
“But, we shouldn’t focus just on new things, but also
on things that have been with us all along, like working
with the homeless,” he said. “LaVilla improvement, the
Clara White Mission, Sulzbacher Center — they’re all
part of a strong Downtown and they illustrate that more
support is needed. You can’t leave out
one whole segment of the population; you
have to work to ensure that all segments
are part of a vibrant Downtown.”
This year, the YMCA celebrates 110
years in Jacksonville. Mann points out that
the first Y was on Laura Street and has
never left Downtown.
“The new Winston Y has become a destination; 30
percent of its 14,000 members live outside the Downtown
community,” he said. “It brings them Downtown,
where they see the new restaurants, entertainment
venues, new FSCJ residences. They see how strong
Downtown is becoming, and it encourages the entire
community to be a part of it.”
QUICK
TAKES
WORKING
TOGETHER
“I’ve been in
Jacksonville nearly
seven years
and have seen
Downtown change
for the better. It
is getting more
positive attention
from civic leaders,
the business
community and
the municipality.
There is definitely
more and better
coordination of
effort.”
YMCA IS A
MICROCOSM
“The new Winston
Y is our most
diverse branch in
socio-economic
status, ethnicity
and age. At 10
a.m., you can see
people from all
walks of life. This is
what Jacksonville
should be. The Y is
a welcoming place
for all.”
FIRE IS LIT
“I’ve lived in
three cities that
have seen their
Downtowns
revitalized. So, I
know that we’ve
got the fire going.
The fire just needs
a little more
kindling to burn
brighter right
now.”
BOB SELF
30
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

A rendering of what retail and residential
activity at The District may look like when the
“community living” development is completed
along Downtown’s Southbank.

A SENSE OF
PLACE
AS DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION GAINS TRACTION,
INFUSING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE INTO THE CORE
COULD BE VITAL IN CREATING LONG-TERM SUCCESS
BY FRANK DENTON // J MAGAZINE
ILLUSTRATION BY ELKUS MANFREDI ARCHITECTS

Colorful lights illuminate Downtown Jacksonville near Monroe and Laura Streets during a recent First Wednesday Art Walk.
ou can find your way
to Downtown by looking for our striking skyline of tall,
grand buildings, even from miles away over the St. Johns
or from the interstate. But once you’re there, on the ground,
about all you see are the bottoms of those tall, grand buildings
and their parking lots. What people are there hustle from car to office
and back to car, coming and going on those efficient one-way streets.
It’s not really a concrete jungle, more a concrete mausoleum for the
rich urban life that existed there for a century until sprawling suburbs
sucked away the people and soulless malls seduced the stores.
The current campaign to revitalize Downtown includes more grand
buildings within a master plan and public-private partnerships and the
politics of city subsidies and all that, but this time, the builders also need
to think about the essential ingredient: people.
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018
DOWNTOWN VISION, INC.Y34

“[Placemaking is] a spectrum. On
one end, just throw a chair out, and
on the other end, a multi-faceted
experience cluster of retail, outdoor
dining, etc. ”
Tony Allegretti, executive director of
the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville
After all, the “vital” in revitalization
refers to life, having good energy, liveliness
or force of personality. So revitalizing
Downtown means repeopling it.
Much of that will be residents, as apartments
and condos are sprouting or being
planned all around Downtown, toward
the goal of a critical mass of 10,000 people.
But it also must include people who
come Downtown because it’s fun, interesting
or comfortable, just to hang out,
maybe lingering after their workday before
beginning the trudge back out to the
suburbs or the beach.
There must be opportunity — and encouragement!
— for people to take their
kids to play in a riverfront park, watch the
boats go by, marvel at the dramatic headon
merger of the Atlantic Ocean and the
St. Johns River and hope to see manatees
or even dolphins.
Everyone focused on revitalization
must understand that what we are after is
a Downtown that, rather than just being
building-defined, is people-fueled.
Placemaking is a relatively new concept
that is the artful blending of physical,
social, cultural and artistic forces to create
a place, small or large, that is or becomes
naturally vital for people.
Without the benefit of new knowledge
and thinking, Jacksonville over the years
has inadvertently developed or allowed
largely lifeless, and even negative, public
spaces — but now it faces inspiring opportunities
to create vital spaces in a new
Downtown.
“Public places are a stage for our public
lives,” says the Project for Public Spaces, a
non-profit that helps cities create and sustain
such spaces to build community.
“They are the parks where celebrations
are held, where marathons end, where
children learn the skills of a sport, where
the seasons are marked and where cultures
mix. They are the streets and sidewalks
in front of homes and businesses
where friends run into each other and
where exchanges both social and economic
take place.
“They are the ‘front porches’ of our
public institutions — city halls, libraries
and post offices — where we interact with
each other and with government.
“When cities and neighborhoods have
thriving public spaces, residents have a
strong sense of community; conversely,
when they are lacking, they may feel less
connected to each other.”
Placemaking can be happenstance
or a sort of human engineering that can
be used for an entire community or for a
piece of a city block. “It’s a spectrum,” said
Tony Allegretti, executive director of the
Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville.
“On one end, just throw a chair out, and
on the other end, a multi-faceted experience
cluster of retail, outdoor dining, etc.
I’m more grassroots: It’s not about infrastructure
at all, just something that gets
the community together.”
Jake Gordon, CEO of Downtown Vision,
offers a more structural definition:
“To me, placemaking is a multi-faceted
approach to the planning, design and
management of public spaces. It capitalizes
on a local community’s assets, inspiration
and potential, with the intention of
creating public spaces that promote people’s
health, happiness and well-being.”
When 140 Jacksonville leaders went on
a fact-finding trip to Toronto in November,
they heard Rob Spanier, a partner in
an international real estate firm called
LiveWorkLearnPlay, talk about creating
“iconic and thriving” mixed-use neighborhoods
where “people love visiting and
wish they could live that life,” college and
resort towns, for example.
Spanier’s work, some of it for Tallahassee,
focuses on placemaking for entire
communities, built around strategizing
to attract people and engage community.
One approach is to actually compete with
malls through innovations like “interactive
retail,” pop-up shops and adventure
experiences, “things to do, not just buy
things.”
“It’s happening everywhere,” he said,
and “Jacksonville is perfect.”
The Metropolitan Planning Council of
Chicago issued a report saying that placemaking
“almost always pays economic
dividends back to the community” — attracting
corporate relocations, supporting
local stores and restaurants by building
foot traffic, lifting nearby property values,
encouraging tourism and ultimately generating
tax income greater than the original
investment.
In its work with more than 1,000 public
spaces, the Project for Public Spaces has
identified four key qualities of successful
spaces. They provide a useful way to understand
Jacksonville’s past missteps and
current opportunities:
Access. People have to easily get to
the space and around it, ideally via walking.
Uses and activities. This means
ongoing and unique things to do and buy,
with a homegrown quality.
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 35

“[Placemaking] capitalizes on a local
community’s assets, inspiration and
potential, with the intention of creating
public spaces that promote people’s
health, happiness and well-being.”
Jake Gordon, CEO of Downtown Vision, Inc.
Comfort and image. The community
knows the space is safe, clean and
“sittable.”
Sociability. People expect to meet
their friends and neighbors there — and
feel comfortable interacting with strangers.
Missed opportunities
Jacksonville’s placemaking stumbles
over the years have transgressed one or
more of those qualities.
When voters approved the $2.25 billion
Better Jacksonville Plan in 2000, it was to
build a number of major public buildings
such as the main library, the Veterans
Memorial Arena and the Courthouse specifically
for their obvious functions — but
without consideration of how they could
become community spaces. Only the library’s
facilities have drawn a community
— and many people go there largely for free
use of restrooms and internet access.
“If you look at the Courthouse,” Gordon
of Downtown Vision said, “no matter how
great that building is inside, the outside
is not interacting with the neighborhood
around it. There’s that giant lawn that is not
used at all — I always try to walk on it.”
Consider the entire Sports Complex:
The Arena, EverBank Field and the Baseball
Grounds were conceived individually,
to serve the obvious functions of containing
large crowds for specific performances,
without regard to the potential communities
of interest and activity that could develop
around and among them.
Unity Plaza was an appealing part of
the 220 Riverside apartment development
in Brooklyn, with some planned activities
and a good image. But it is easily accessible
only to the adjacent apartment residents,
and that has resulted in the failure of two
of the three restaurants and a slow start for
the Plaza.
On the Southbank behind the Museum
of Science and History, Friendship Fountain
is beautiful, in a concrete-park setting,
so the city’s description says: “Whether
you are looking for a peaceful place for a
picnic, or just want to watch the river flow
by, Friendship Fountain provides the ideal
setting for a sunny afternoon or a romantic
evening Downtown.” But then it says:
“Amenities: no. Pets: no. Parking: no. Security:
no.” You ever been there? There are
a few picnic tables under trees nearby, but
mostly concrete.
Then there’s The Jacksonville Landing,
which temporarily provided some energy
and excitement to Downtown when it
opened 30 years ago as a “festival marketplace,”
similar to those in other cities like
Baltimore. But it couldn’t revitalize Downtown
by itself in an era when city leaders
weren’t as committed as they are today. Retailers
began disappearing, and despite a
full calendar of activities, the Landing fails
the other three qualities. It’s the big orange
elephant whose future will be determined
in court or, if we’re lucky, sooner, over the
negotiating table. (See story, page 18)
learning and doing
We have shown we can mount powerful
events that build temporary communities:
Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 and One Spark
are obvious examples.
And we can do it periodically, as shown
by the weekly Riverside Arts Market and
monthly Art Walk.
What is different now is that our more
enlightened Downtown leadership is
finding ways to humanize and warm up
Downtown continuously and permanently
across a range of ways, starting at the size
of a parking space.
Aundra Wallace, CEO of the Downtown
Investment Authority, said placemaking
as part of Downtown revitalization can be
conscious and deliberate or just happen.
“For us,” he said, “it’s a little bit of both.”
So we’re seeing different types and
scales of placemaking.
One is “spin-off,” Wallace said, for example,
as gathering spots cluster around
the relatively new but established Elbow
entertainment district.
A second could be seen as “fill-in.”
While the huge anchors of the Sports
Complex are unconnected, they are close
together, and now Mayor Lenny Curry and
Jaguars owner Shad Khan are talking about
developing an entertainment district to
create synergy among them. While it might
not fit a formal or rarefied definition of
“placemaking,” it likely would be one heckuva
party.
Another type of placemaking might be
considered evolutionary. Hemming Park
was created in 1857 and has gone through
a long and sometimes painful series of
identities and functions as the city’s central
park. Until the Friends of Hemming Park
took it over three years ago, it had become
a rundown gathering spot for transients
drinking from paper bags and intimidating
passersby.
Using city appropriations and private
grants, and despite some fits and starts,
the Friends have spiffed up the park and
hired private security to enforce park
rules and made the place safe and comfortable.
Take a look at the Friends of
Hemming Park Facebook page to see to-
36
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

A rendering of the The District, a development proposed along Downtown’s Southbank. The project incorporates the St. Johns River into the living experience.
ELKUS MANFREDI ARCHITECTS
day’s events and food truck menus.
“I think we’ve made tremendous progress,”
said Bill Prescott, CEO of Friends.
“People who use the park are abiding by
the rules and it’s very welcoming to people.
It’s a dramatic change.
People who don’t come Downtown
very often may find that hard to believe.
Jake, when would you invite them to pop
in and see for themselves? “Right now,” he
said. “I would invite anyone today to come
to the park for lunch. We have food trucks
every (week)day. I think they’ll have a great
time.
“It’s a great feeling seeing the park being
used. This is the heart of the city.”
Wayne Wood, historian and a founder
of several Downtown projects, including
the Friends, said Hemming doesn’t just
need people, it needs to create “synergy
that brings people together. You need 10
things around the park for people to do —
music, performances, buy a hot dog, have
a kids area.
“Hemming Park won’t work unless
you have 10 other things to do within a
five-minute walk.”
Downtown Vision, the non-profit funded
by businesses to improve, maintain and
promote Downtown, is trying to create
such “places” in other, less obvious places
through what CEO Gordon calls a “lighter,
quicker, cheaper” approach, or LQC as it’s
called in placemaking, he said.
One is the idea of a parklet, a small,
semi-permanent public park created by
blocking off one or more parallel parking
spaces. It could have tables and chairs, a
bike rack or shade to allow people to relax
and people-watch. The first one is on Adams
Street in front of the Ed Ball building.
Now, Downtown Vision is developing
its LABS Fund, for “lively and beautiful
sidewalks,” to make Downtown more
walkable and enjoyable by adding a wide
variety of amenities, in addition to parklets,
such as sidewalk cafes, holiday decorations,
pop-up events, shade canopies
and landscaping.
“From our standpoint,” Gordon said,
“it’s these little interventions we can do
Downtown that can make it more inviting.
There’s so much it can be.”
Two other approaches for humanizing
Downtown are explored elsewhere in
this issue of J. One is the idea, or perhaps
only realization, that Downtown lacks, and
seriously needs, a place for our youngest
citizens to enjoy, a children’s park or playground.
(See story, page 48.)
Add those nodes together, add playgrounds
and that’s placemaking on a
grand scale.
As you read or hear about the many
projects and ideas proposed for our Downtown
revitalization, look at them through
your personal placemaking filter: Is that a
place where I, and my family, might hang
out, just for fun?
Peter Rummell, the developer and
Downtown advocate, interprets placemaking
intuitively.“You know how you
walk into some people’s living rooms, and
you just want to sink into a chair and nurse
your glass of wine? It just feels good. You
don’t know why, but there is a warmth and
comfort that is all too rare.
“You go to other people’s houses, richer
or poorer, and you can’t wait to move on.
That’s my definition of placemaking ... as
much art as science.
“Buildings a certain height or color or
finish or design might help, but it’s the mix
of all of it that creates that feel. When you
like a place and don’t know why, somebody
succeeded!”
Since Rummell, with Michael Munz, is
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 37

developing The District, the former Southbank
“Healthy Town,” how does he propose
to create a “place” there?
The District defines itself as “an entirely
new approach in community living. It is a
place where people can get the most out of
life, mind, body and soul. Here, residents
will have everything they need to live the
most healthful of lives — and to feel truly
alive. Healthier lives are, indeed, happier
lives. And The District is designed from the
ground up to provide every essential element
for promoting fitness and for living
the healthiest of lives.”
Most of the riverfront is devoted to a
park (with beach volleyball, bocce and
outdoor billiards), and it’s integrated with
first-floor retail and food and drink. “The
marina is as much for placemaking as it is
for boats,” Rummell said.
“We put a bunch of these things together
on a scale that makes sense, so there’s a
‘there’ there.”
The Times-Union said in an editorial:
“It’s going to be focused on the St. Johns
River, not as a backdrop, but as an invitation
to the public to come on down.”
This concept of placemaking offers the
citizen a different way of evaluating the
plethora of projects, public and private,
that are being proposed or built as part of
the revitalization of Downtown.
Now, some people react to anything
with the first questions being: Who’s paying
for it? Is it tax money? Who’s making
money off it?
A more constructive question might
be: What will this do to make our Downtown
a real place?
Frank Denton, editor of The Florida Times-Union
from 2008-2016, is editor of J. He lives in Riverside.
11 principles of placemaking
TRANSFORMING public spaces into community places
1. The community
is the expert
People who use a public space
regularly provide the most valuable
perspective and insights into how
the area functions.
2. You are
creating a place,
not a design
Providing access and creating active
uses, economic opportunities,
and programming are often more
important than design.
4. They’ll always say,
“It can’t be done”
When an idea stretches beyond
the reach of an organization and
an official says, “It can’t be done,” it
usually means: “We’ve never done
things that way before.”
6. Develop a vision
A vision for a public space addresses
its character, activities, uses and
meaning in the community. It should
be defined by the people who live
or work in or near the space.
8. Triangulate
The concept of triangulation
relates to locating elements next
to each other in a way that fosters
activity.
9. Start with
the petunias
Simple, short-term actions such as
planting flowers can be a way of
testing ideas and encouraging people
their ideas matter.
3. You can’t
do it alone
A good public space requires
partners who contribute innovative
ideas, financial or political support
and help plan activities.
10. Money is
not the issue
Funds for pure public space
improvements often are scarce, so it
is important to remember the value
of the public space itself to potential
partners and search for creative
solutions.
5. You can see a lot
just by observing
People will often go to
extraordinary lengths to adapt a
place to suit their needs. Observing
a space allows you to learn how the
space is used.
7. Form supports
function
Too often, people think about how
they will use a space only after it is
built. Keeping in mind active uses
when designing or rehabilitating a
space can lower costs.
11. You are
never finished
Because the use of good places
changes daily, weekly and seasonally,
about 80 percent of the success of
any public space can be attributed
to its management.
SOURCE: Project for Public Spaces
JEFF DAVIS
38
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

HOW CREATING MORE GREEN SPACE CAN ATTRACT PEOPLE
TO JACKSONVILLE’S URBAN CORE, BE GOOD FOR BUSINESS
AND BE GREAT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
TRANSFORMING DOWNTOWN:
GOING GREEN
BY LILLA ROSS // SPECIAL TO J MAGAZINE
ILLUSTRATION BY RETRO ROCKET

ONE
challenge facing the redevelopment of
Downtown Jacksonville is its size — 2.7
square miles. Another is people’s attitudes.
For a variety of reasons, it’s not a
place they want to be.
Could trees and green space be the
tie that pulls the disparate parts of the
urban core together and not only give
Downtown a sense of place but make
it a place for the senses?
“Green space needs to be the centerpiece
of the city,” said landscape architect
Buck Pittman. “It’s what makes
Downtown great. New York City has
Central Park but it also has so many little
parks. They fit in between buildings.
They help make the city livable, attractive,
memorable.
Think of Paris, considered the tree
capital of the world with its boulevards
lined with London plane trees. Or, the
moss-draped oaks of Savannah, planted
to give the city shade in the summer.
The oaks give shade a plenty but also
have shaped the city’s identity.
“It’s the trees that make the space
more than anything else,” Pittman

One of the few places in Downtown where you can enjoy a lush tree canopy — one with towering oak trees providing lots of shade — is in Hemming Park.
said. “It has a lot to do with rhythm and
spacing.”
When trees are in parks, they become a
place of the senses. Think of Central Park in
New York, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco
and Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
But parks don’t have to be big or conventional.
Consider Boston’s Post Office
Square in the financial district. It’s 1.7 acres
of green space on top of an underground
parking garage. The park’s motto: “Park
above, park below.”
Parks work best when they have an
identity, said Erik Aulestia of urban planners
Torti Gallas that developed the Cathedral
District master plan. And, parks can
take on all kinds of identities:
• Playgrounds for children, adults and
dogs
• Activities like ping pong, chess or basketball
• Gardens for native plants, butterflies,
cactus or roses
• Public art and street musicians
• Water features like a splash fountain, a
water wall or a sailboat pond.
Those are the kinds of parks that people
“go to” and where they linger.
The parks of Downtown
Downtown Jacksonville doesn’t really
have any go-to parks.
Hemming Park: The city’s oldest
park long ago was the village green. It was
bricked over in the 1970s when the trees
were removed after an invasion of starlings.
About half the plaza is shaded by
laurel oaks. People use the park — notably
for the monthly Art Walk — but no one
seems very happy with it, except, perhaps
the street people who spend the day there.
Bill Prescott, president of the Friends of
Hemming Park, said they are working to
enhance the greenery in the park, though
it is difficult with the hardscape. Artificial
turf was installed in the Kids’ Zone. And
uplighting has recently been added.
The focus now is making the park “clean
and safe,” that’s code for dealing with the
street people. Downtown Vision is leading
the “clean and safe” campaign with
a corps of orange-shirted ambassadors,
who are tasked with picking up trash,
identifying problems, such as things in
need of repair or suspicious behavior,
and being a friendly, welcoming presence
in Downtown. The new city budget expands
the ambassador corps and adds a
social worker who will help connect street
people with services and optimally move
them out of the public eye.
The Riverwalks: The city is promoting
the walkways on the Northbank
and Southbank as park space, which is a
bit of a stretch. City Councilwoman Lori
Boyer is developing a plan for about a
dozen pocket parks and activity zones at
access points along the Riverwalks. The
goal is to help people connect with transportation,
with the river and the city’s history.
BOB MACK
42
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (3)
Boyer also would like to incorporate
Friendship Fountain, due to be renovated
in 2018, the Times-Union Center for
Performing Arts, across the river, and the
Acosta and Main street bridges as the venue
for a light and music show that would
draw people to the riverfront on a regular
basis.
Metropolitan Park: The 32 riverfront
acres near the sports complex are
underutilized as public space. The park
is more an event venue than a place for
a picnic lunch or a game of Frisbee. And
now that the stage is essentially gone and
Daily’s Place is the new hot venue, the future
of the park is in question.
The property is being looked at for
possible redevelopment, maybe by Shad
Khan. But if it is, comparable public park
space would have to be found elsewhere
to satisfy a clause in the federal grant that
was used to develop the park in the 1980s
— the Shipyards has been floated as a possibility.
But there are other parks Downtown
that aren’t on anyone’s radar. Have you
ever heard of Jesse B. Smith Memorial
Plaza, Main Street Park or Cathedral Park?
Jessie B. Smith Plaza is a pocket
park on Forsyth Street across from Florida
Theatre. Main Street Park is a
terraced park behind MOCA. It’s a greenspace
that lacks identity.
And, Cathedral Park, Downtown’s
newest park, is a small arc of green
space in front of St. John’s Cathedral. It is
nicely landscaped and up lit but not big
enough for planned activities.
And then there’s the Emerald Necklace.
Groundwork Jacksonville plans to
develop the 11-mile pedestrian greenway
along Hogans Creek and the S-Line Rail
Trail to link the Northbank Riverwalk,
Springfield and Riverside. But it is early
days in the project, which could take a decade
to complete.
Trees as infrastructure
The Emerald Necklace project also
highlights another role that greenspace
plays in an urban environment. Trees are
part of the public works infrastructure.
They are air purifiers and storm water
managers. They also lower the temperature
in heat islands, paved areas like much
of Downtown.
Kay Ehas, executive director of Groundwork
Jacksonville, said she hopes Jacksonville
starts thinking more about its green
infrastructure.
NEW YORK CITY // CENTRAL PARK
BOSTON // POST OFFICE SQUARE
SAN FRANCISCO // Golden Gate Park
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 43

Opened in July 1996, the Jessie B. Smith Plaza is an often overlooked pocket park on Forsyth Street across from Florida Theatre.
“Hurricane Irma showed us how vulnerable
Downtown is to flooding,” Ehas
said. “We need to think about how we
can mitigate that, especially along the river.
Green infrastructure uses vegetation,
soils, and other elements and practices
to restore some of the natural processes
required to manage water and create
healthier urban environments.”
Things like grassy areas, bio swales
and permeable pavement can capture
and filter storm water, which is especially
important in Downtown Jacksonville
because anything that goes into a street
drain goes straight in the St. Johns River. A
2002 study found that for every dollar the
city spends maintaining its trees, it saves
$4.60 in storm water management.
The time is right
And the timing couldn’t be better because
the city now has some new tools:
a citywide survey of the tree canopy and
$20 million awaiting disbursement in the
city tree mitigation fund.
The tree canopy survey was a project
of Greenscape and Public Trust Environmental
Legal Institute of Florida and
funded with $103,000 from the city Environmental
Protection Board. (To see the
database and planning tools, go to jaxdigstrees.org.)
Plan-It Geo surveyed Duval County’s
tree canopy last summer with geospatial
technology that analyzed data from an
aerial perspective. John November, executive
director of Public Trust, said the
canopy survey gives the city a baseline so
that it can make strategic decisions about
where to plant trees — like Downtown.
The survey shows that trees make up
only 11 percent of Downtown, which includes
the Southbank. But it shows that
there’s space to increase the canopy by 18
percent.
The JaxDigsTrees database also has a
planning tool that allows a user to try out
different size trees, play with placement
and spacing and analyze the potential
economic and environmental benefits.
“You can say, I want six bald cypress
here and six oaks there and draw them
on the map with GPS coordinates so
work crews could go plant them exactly
where you want them,” November said.
“Then send the data to JEA to make sure
it’s consistent with underground utilities.
You not only can plan a project, you now
have an inventory and that will help the
city schedule maintenance.”
One group that will be making a lot of
use of JaxDigsTrees.org is the new Tree
Commission that started work in January.
The seven-member commission will
make recommendations to the city about
the best places to plant trees.
The commission was part of a settlement
of a suit Public Trust filed in 2015
against the way the city’s use of the Tree
Mitigation Trust Fund established in
2000 by charter amendment. Developers
pay into the fund when they cut down
trees and the money is supposed to be
used to mitigate the loss by paying for
new trees to be planted on public property
elsewhere in the county.
The fund has grown to $20 million, and
BOB SELF
44
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

One of Jacksonville’s leading Toyota dealers.
Large selection of new, used or certified used vehicles.
Factory-trained technicians
Highly experienced staff
State-of-the-art facility
Inventory with thousands of Toyota parts
to meet your vehicle needs.
2018 TOYOTA MODEL LINEUP
888.771.6304 • 11340 Philips Highway, Jacksonville, FL 32256 • www.CogginToyota.com

Come explore the wonderful businesses of
•5 POINTS•
1035 Park Street
904.575.4951
alewifebottleshop
visit5points.com
Five Points - 1021 Park St
Downtown - 45 W Adams St
1030 Oak Street
thebreadandboard.com
822 Lomax Street
904.379.6166
generationus.com
826 Lomax Street
904.379.7162
glossgoods.com
Extended Spring Rooftop
Hours starting in March
1037 Park Street
hoptinger.com
820 Post Street
904.355.7333
redfieldsalon.com
@redfieldsjax
Mon-Fri: 08:00 AM-06:30 PM
Sat: 09:30 AM-03:00 PM
Sun: Closed
1650-302 Margaret Street
904.381.6678
theupsstorelocal.com/3458
store3458@theupsstore.com

that money will be used to replace trees on public property lost
to development, storms and disease, November said.
The funds also can be used to add new trees — Downtown.
Figuring out what to do
So, there’s money and expertise available, but what sorts of
things could be done?
The Late Bloomers Garden Club is advocating for a master plan
for what it calls the Core District, stretching from City Hall to the
river and bounded by Hogan and Laura streets. The vision includes
a revamped Hemming Park and “a landmark public park on the
riverfront central to Downtown.” And with the city contemplating
moving Metropolitan Park, the Late Bloomers’ idea has possibilities.
Erik Aulestia, the Cathedral District master planner, suggests
that some of the countless parking lots scattered across Downtown
could be turned into park space. He also recommended trees
and landscaping along streets, which would give residential areas
Downtown a “homey” feel.
Buck Pittman, the landscape architect, would start with the
streetscape.
“You have to build from outside in,” he said. “There needs to be a
committed effort. That’s what it’s going to take to make spaces green
and attractive to walk through and to attract businesses.
“You need some private incentives, too. That would encourage
private property owners to do more landscaping their own property.”
He likes what Greenville, S.C., did. They converted their streets
to two-way, which slows down traffic and opens up more space to
widen sideways and allow more trees.
Larry Figart, urban forestry agent for Duval County Extension,
would like to see an urban forest master plan.
“Cities that have dynamic urban forestry programs treat trees
as part of the infrastructure, just like sewers and sidewalks. When
something gets redeveloped, trees are part of that, not an afterthought.”
He’s a big advocate of planting the right tree in the right place,
considering factors like how big the tree grows, how long it lives and
how much sun and water it needs.
That hasn’t been happening in Downtown, Figart said, judging
from the live oaks and date palms planted in the street scape.
The date palms, which you’ll see along Riverside and Bay streets,
are meant to be grown in hot, dry climates like Southern California.
They’re pretty trees but palms native to Florida would be a better
choice. But Figart doesn’t think palms are a good choice because
they are expensive, high-maintenance trees.
Live oaks grow into huge trees — like the Treaty Oak — with
sprawling root systems. But in Downtown Jacksonville, they are
planted in curbside pits that don’t allow for proper growth. Savannah’s
streetscape gives their oaks the space they need.
Whatever trees are chosen for Downtown, they must be tough.
Urban cores are inhospitable places for trees — roads, sidewalks
and underground utilities that restrict water, air flow and root
growth. Over time tree roots can do serious damage to underground
pipes.
One way to provide more trees Downtown is with parks, which
allow for groupings of trees, as well as bigger, shade-producing
trees, Figart said.
Chris Daily, horticultural director at the Jacksonville Zoo and
Gardens, said the critical factor to any green space plan is maintenance.
Daily is advising Boyer on the pocket parks along the Riverwalk.
“You can spend thousands of dollars on the plants and the design
but if you don’t take care of it, what’s the point,” he said. “It
takes people with the right mindset. You can’t mow and blow. It’s a
hands-on job and you need a certain level of knowledge.”
The zoo has 14 horticulturists on staff and every garden has a
horticulturist assigned to it who monitors the space daily. In addition
to the needs of the plants, they deal with trash, vandalism and
damage inflicted by throngs of people.
He also recommends spending the money to buy healthy, wellformed
trees. “If they’re cheap, they’re cheap for a reason,” Daily
said. “If they’re poorly grown, root bound or have structural issues,
they’re not going to last.”
Having a plan
Trees and green space are an important part of the redevelopment
of Downtown. They can help shape its identity, improve its
environment and a catalyst for investment.
But the green space needs to be done with forethought. There
needs to be a plan, a big picture of a chain of parks from the riverfront,
through Downtown linking the various Downtown district
from the riverfront to the Emerald Necklace.
It’s a critical piece of making Downtown a welcoming place and
give people another reason to come Downtown to live, work and play.
Lilla Ross is a freelance writer in Jacksonville. She worked for The Florida Times-
Union for more than 30 years as a writer and editor. She lives in San Marco.
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 47

PLAY STATIONS
BUILDING A DESTINATION playground IN JACKSONVILLE’S URBAN
CORE could make THE AREA MORE APPEALING & FAMILY FRIENDLY

BY PAULA HORVATH // J MAGAZINE
ILLUSTRATION BY Grkatz
Once upon a time
there was a magical kids’ space nestled beneath
the steel girders of the Hart Bridge
ramp. For years, the unique play place attracted
droves of children to zip around the imaginary roads, passing by the rows of small plastic
houses and splashing in the water features that filled 10 acres near the St. Johns River.
Kids Kampus was certainly one of the top destinations in Jacksonville for people with children. Residents
and visitors alike converged on Metropolitan Park on weekends and after-school weekdays and

KIDS KAMPUS AT METROPOLITAN PARK // 2000-10
FLOIRIDA TIMES-UNION (9)
50
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

schools sent busloads of children there regularly.
The park was touted on both local and tourism
websites as a special place for parents to take
their broods. It not only taught children important
safety lessons, it taught them about the nearby
river with its water-based activities.
“It was centered around education, safety for
children and good old fun,” remembers Elaine
Brown, one of the founders of Kids Kampus in
2000 and now the mayor of Neptune Beach. “On
any given Saturday, there were just crowds and
crowds of people.”
Jeneen Sanders, the assistant to Jacksonville
City Council President Anna Lopez Brosche, says
she took her daughter to the playground for six
years straight to celebrate her birthday.
“Kids Kampus connected to the park and had
a beautiful access to the water. Their eyes were as
big as saucers seeing the water,” Sanders remembers.
“It was like a little city. There was a police
station, a post office and more. I had everything I
needed there for them to enjoy her birthday with
friends.”
But then the playground grew older, maintenance
costs mounted and pressure to use the
land for other purposes forced the playground’s
closure and eventual razing in 2010.
What had been a destination — a unique
gathering spot for kids and their parents — was
suddenly no more. Its “clientele” drifted away to
other parks and playgrounds. There was little in
terms of play to draw them Downtown anymore,
so they simply stayed away.
Sure some smaller playgrounds remained, including
the little one near old City Cemetery, but
it seems there was little thought given to ways
to attract families to the urban core. While the
library was still an attractive reason for families
to travel Downtown, it was in competition with a
host of neighborhood libraries that, while smaller,
were much closer to home. A riverwalk invited
people to walk its length but there was little
special for children.
MOre recently Hemming Park has
mounted programs to attract families Downtown,
but marginally. It does offer a small kids space
where children can play and plans occasional programming
to attract them, but its focus is generally
on an older audience. In addition, the homeless
men and women who congregate there make it
feel less-than-safe for worried parents.
Creating play spaces Downtown hasn’t even
been considered much, says Brosche. There
were discussions once, headed by Councilman
Bill Guilliford, to create a skate park in the urban
core, but those have dissolved. There was also a
passing proposal to erect a carousel somewhere
in Downtown, but that died.
Now? Nothing.
“I don’t think we’ve even talked about it since
“When we
did have a
destination
park for kids
and families
downtown it
worked.
Now, I have
to admit, it
doesn’t even
cross my mind
to bring my
kids to a park
in Downtown.”
Anna Lopez
Brosche
Jacksonville City
Council President
I’ve been here,” Brosche says of her City Council
tenure. But with three children of her own,
the Council president says she remembers the
success of Kids Kampus. “When we did have
a destination park for kids and families downtown
it worked. Now, I have to admit, it doesn’t
even cross my mind to bring my kids to a park in
Downtown.”
That’s because there really isn’t much in Jacksonville’s
urban core — certainly not a destination
the likes of Kids Kampus.
“It is a missing component Downtown,” admits
Christina Parrish Stone, director of programming
at Hemming Park. “I know there are
a lot of kids Downtown who don’t have great access
to parks. There is no city park in Downtown
proper that has children’s activities and children’s
play equipment.”
And that’s precisely the problem faced by
many cities, according to Ethan Kent, senior vice
president of the Project for Public Spaces. Many
cities, especially in their urban cores, have ignored
the needs of their youngest constituents
and families for way too long.
“We find that children and families in many
ways have been designed out of many downtowns,”
he says. “Yet play and activities for children
are core to many great public spaces. And
playgrounds are particularly good ways to bridge
differences and bring people together.”
Not only do they provide safe spaces for kids
and adults from various segments of society to
mix, the incorporation of playgrounds into urban
areas makes those sometimes-imposing concrete
jungles friendlier and more compelling. The
presence of families and children within a city’s
downtown makes it appealing and attractive for
everyone. After all, Kent says, who doesn’t smile
at the sound of a child’s laugh or the endearing
sight of youngsters swinging on monkey bars?
“There’s an idea out there that deals with
spaces being ‘loveable.’ It’s called ‘place attachment,’
Kent says. “When people are attached to a
place it’s because it’s more open, more engaging
and more aesthetic. And having children downtown
makes it more attractive.”
When that occurs, not only do families benefit,
so does the city in general.
“When there’s greater place attachment
there’s greater entrepreneurship,” Kent says.
“Place attachment is tied to economic growth.”
That attachment creates a positive bond that
colors not only how people feel about their work
endeavors, but also how they focus their personal
endeavors. People attached to their communities
are more willing to engage in activities and projects
that will result in improvements. And cities
need people plugged in to their environment to
succeed.
Having urban spaces for child’s play is also
essential for the retention of college-aged mil-
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 51

lennials who may choose to live in the urban core
before having children, but decide to relocate
to the suburbs as their families grow. That trend
has only been accelerating. The exodus of young
families from city centers saps these areas of their
vibrancy and stability.
Instead, cities — Jacksonville included — must
take a more proactive approach to attracting and
retaining families within their urban cores. That
means, in particular, designing housing that can
accommodate families, not simply studios and
one-bedroom apartments. It also means creating
spaces that families can enjoy together — including
playgrounds.
In downtown Detroit, basketball and sand volleyball
courts fill a street at Campus Martius park.
“In Detroit
they even
closed a street
and put in
basketball
courts, foosball
tables and
things like
that. Toronto
took a road
median and
put swing sets
in the middle
of it.”
ENNIS DAVIS
URBAN PLANNER
+ DEVELOPER
Around the world, cities are actively working
to add play spaces to their urban architecture.
Urban95, for example, a project of the Bernard
van Leer Foundation, is challenging communities
to re-create themselves in ways that
will promote positive child development. The
initiative is funding various innovations in cities
globally, including creating spaces for children
to play and explore nature.
Urban planners and architects are also rethinking
what child-friendly cities should look
like. It’s led to a renewed sense of what an urban
play area should be. What they’ve come up with is
something entirely novel.
“Various cities are going back and just redeveloping
the public spaces they have to be more
interactive,” says Ennis Davis, an urban planner
and developer who lives in the city. “Jacksonville
should be marketing the Downtown area to more
than just millennials and empty-nesters. I’ve always
been surprised that Jacksonville hasn’t figured
that out.”
A statement from the Mayor’s Office noted that
there 14 city parks with playgrounds located less
than two miles away from downtown. But that’s
different than parks located within Downtown.
“To support needs in communities like Downtown
where there may be fewer playgrounds, the
city utilizes Joint Use Agreements in partnership
with the school district that provides community
use of school facilities.”
Elsewhere, the spaces being designed within
downtowns aren’t just the swing-and-slide playgrounds
of old. They’re spaces children of all ages
can explore and utilize from skateboard parks for
teenagers to adventure playgrounds that provide
children with opportunities to explore and experiment.
And, they’re spaces that take into account
everyone who might be taking advantage of them
— from the youngest to the oldest.
“In Detroit they even closed a street and put in
basketball courts, foosball tables and things like
that. Toronto took a road median and put swing
sets in the middle of it,” Davis says. “Lakeland took
a road and made a 50-foot linear park through
their Downtown corridor.”
Some designs are even simpler.
“Some of the best places are just a piece of art
that kids can climb on,” says the Project for Public
Spaces’ Kent. “They include places that have
benches where people can sit and drink coffee. Or
places in the shade where they can drink lemonade
while they’re watching their kids play.”
Philadelphia has attempted to capitalize on
the changing nature of play through its Community
Design Collaborative. In 2015, the collaboration
selected three underused sites within its city,
then called for an international design competition
to design them as play spaces.
“In Philadelphia we have a lot of play spaces
but they needed to be thought about in a different
way, particularly for pre-school children,” says
Linda Dottor, communication manager for the
collaborative. “The end game here is to open people’s
eyes to the possibilities.
The group received 40-some designs from
around the world. And the possibilities were endless,
ranging from more-traditional play spaces to
designs that took great advantage of nature. Now
various partners are working to raise money to
make the designs come to life on the three lots.
A similar approach could certainly work within
Jacksonville’s Downtown. Currently 97 “vacant”
pieces of property are owned by the city
within the boundaries of the Downtown area.
Although some of them contain vacant buildings,
others are simply bare property. Or, owners of
privately owned property within the urban core
might be willing to transfer ownership of their
property to the city or a nonprofit if they received
a tax deduction.
The possibilities are infinite. And so are the
benefits.
Paula Horvath is an editorial writer and
Editorial Board member at The Florida Times-Union
and teaches multimedia journalism at the University
of North Florida. She lives in St. Nicholas.
COME PLAY DETROIT
52
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

BEAUTIFUL.
MADE AFFORDABLE.
PROUDLY SERVING JACKSONVILLE SINCE 1977
351 BLANDING BOULEVARD
904-276-1400
VISIT US AT WWW.CARPETONE.ME
8956 PHILIPS HIGHWAY
904-260-0109
3670 US HIGHWAY 1 SOUTH
904-794-5008
14333 BEACH BOULEVARD
904-620-0288

DREAM IT
DRIVE IT
www.vaughnmotorgroup.com
VISIT THE HOME OF LUXURY
(904) 645.8700
11350 San Jose Blvd
www.vaughnmotorgroup.com

J PARTNER PROFILE
By Barbara Gavan
BARRY VAUGHN, owner
of Vaughn MotorGroup
Vaughn MotorGroup
Automotive group owner says Downtown
Jacksonville projects are catalysts for change
arry Vaughn, owner of Vaughn MotorGroup, is a
B longtime supporter of Downtown Jacksonville and
proponent of its revitalization. For many years, he saw
the potential for growth as he served the city in two
separate capacities: for 12 years as President and
CEO of The Suddath Companies, which has its headquarters
Downtown, and for five years on the Board
of Downtown Vision with one year as Chairman.
“I’ve always been and always will be a huge
proponent of redevelopment and revitalization,” he
said. “The urban core is critical to the strength of
the city; we need that vibrancy Downtown. A lot has
changed since I first got involved; I’m heartened and pleased at
the new projects slated for Jacksonville like Shad Khan’s Shipyards
and Peter Rummell’s District.”
Vaughn knows that to bring new residents to the Downtown
area, they first must have a reason to travel Downtown, then
discover more reasons to stay and live there.
“It’s like the chicken and the egg — which comes first, development
or people?” he said. “To live in an area, people
need housing, of course, but they also need art,
culture, entertainment, sports venues, restaurants,
grocery stores and many more things. We have to be
forward-looking in our understanding of that.”
Vaughn also sees a new convention center as a
catalyst for Downtown regeneration.
“We really need a new convention center to bring
more life, more vitality to Downtown,” he said. “It
would not only bring more Jacksonville residents Downtown,
but would also bring in a lot of out-of-town visitors, as well. That
would encourage the opening of more shops and restaurants. It
could serve as the nudge that revitalization has been needing.”
WILL DICKEY
QUICK
TAKES
PROGRESS FROM WITHIN
“In the past, people who live here haven’t
seemed as excited about Downtown
revitalization as those from outside the
city. But, that seems to be changing for the
better. People like Shad Khan and Peter
Rummell have shown that they can make
a significant difference without any outside
help. From what I’m hearing and reading,
I’m very encouraged by the progress that is
now coming from within.”
INVESTMENT THE KEY
“I’ve had the opportunity to spend quite a
bit of time in many large cities that invested
heavily in their downtown areas, and I’ve
seen the many ways those investments
paid off.”
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 55

W H E R E
H A V E
ALL THE
bOATERS
G O N E ?
BY RON LITTLEPAGE // PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB SELF // J MAGAZINE

DECADES AGO,
BOATS AND
BOATERS FILLED
THE ST. JOHNS RIVER
IN JACKSONVILLE’S
DOWNTOWN.
NOW, EXCEPT
DURING SPECIAL
EVENTS, THEY SEEM
TO BE BECOMING A
RARE SIGHT NEAR
THE URBAN CORE.
hen taking in the
beauty of the St.
Johns River as it
W runs through the
heart of Downtown,
you will notice
something is missing
on most days.
Where are the boats and the boaters?
A number of years ago, an out-of-town
consultant with expertise on improving
downtowns met with a group of the city’s
movers and shakers, looked at the river
while dining at the University Club high
above it and asked that same question.
Sure, on the few days each year when
there are special events, such as Jaguar
games, boaters use the river as a fun and
convenient highway.
And there’s no better view of Downtown’s
spectacular skyline than there is
by approaching it from the river.
St. Augustine’s river is full of boaters.
So are the harbor in Baltimore and the
waterways in South Florida.
But that’s not the case in Jacksonville’s
Downtown.
There hasn’t always been a dearth of
boaters Downtown.
Tony Lanzetta is a boat captain who
specializes in piloting other people’s
boats and taking his clients places where
they want to go. He’s watched the St.
Johns River for 20 years.
Despite perfect weather, few boats could be found on the St. Johns River in Downtown on a recent Sunday.
In an interview, he recalled when the
Landing was still a hotspot and “boats
were rafted up there while people were
going to the restaurants.”
City Councilwoman Lori Boyer, who
has taken on the challenge of activating
the city’s waterways, also remembers
when boaters were common Downtown.
“I have photographs of there being
quite a few recreational boats on the river
Downtown 20 to 25 years ago,” she said in
an interview.
“The Landing was brand new, and
there might have been 10 restaurants in
the Landing that people wanted to go to.”
What happened?
JEFF DAVIS
58
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

There are two keys to luring boaters to
a destination: adequate docking space
and something to do.
In typical Jacksonville fashion, we have
shot ourselves in the foot when it comes
to Downtown.
In the past, there were attractions that
brought boaters there.
And it wasn’t just football games. There
were events like the St. Johns River City
Band playing concerts in Friendship Park
on Sunday afternoons.
“There were more just everyday places
and everyday things to go to that were
drawing people to get in their boats,”
Boyer said.
Those things are rare now, and we’ve
let the Landing deteriorate until it’s no
longer a destination.
Lanzetta said his clients ask: “Where
can we go? St. Augustine or the Landing?”
“Well, there’s nothing at the Landing.
Let’s go to St. Augustine. They aren’t
going to come Downtown to see a vacant
storefront.
“When Hooters is your biggest draw
been an embarrassment as hurricane
damage was left unrepaired for more than
a year.
A large part of the marina at the River
City Brewing Company remains in shambles
after being damaged during Hurricane
Irma.
But coinciding with the resurgence
of Downtown, the future is brighter for
bringing boaters there.
A finger pier is being built on the
Southbank at the Riverplace Tower that
will have space for recreational boaters
and provide access to the nearby restaurants.
“We’ve got others in the works that are
in design,” Boyer said, “and we are definitely
focused on that on the Northbank.”
Space for recreational boaters has been
added to a river taxi dock at A. Philip Randolph
that can serve visitors to Intuition
Ale Works and the Doro District.
Also on the Northbank, the city has
secured funding for a dock at the end of
Post Street that will serve Five Points.
Plans are also underway for a dock at
address the riverwalks to make the riverwalks
interesting, energized places and
alive, people will go to them.”
Restaurants. Light shows. Entertainment.
People coming to a revitalized Downtown,
including boaters, will add to the
excitement.
Build it and they will come.
Just ask Marc Hardesty, one of the partners
in Palms Fish Camp on Heckscher
Drive at Clapboard Creek.
There’s already talk of expanding the
dock there at the recently opened restaurant.
“When the weather is good, we have
loaded the dock up,” Hardesty said. “It’s
really a cool thing.”
That brings us back to The Jacksonville
Landing, once a showpiece but now a
drag on Downtown.
Progress there has been slowed by legal
skirmishes and a war of words between
the Landing’s owners, the Sleiman family,
and the city, which owns the property the
buildings sit on.
“When Hooters is your biggest draw Downtown,
it’s an issue. Nothing against Hooters.”
Tony Lanzetta, JACKSONVILLE Boat captain
Downtown, it’s an issue,” Lanzetta said,
quickly adding, “Nothing against Hooters.”
We’ve also done some not-so-smart
things when it comes to providing docking
space Downtown.
The reconstruction of the Southbank
Riverwalk created a magnificent riverfront
linear park, but there’s no space for recreational
boaters to tie up if they want to
stroll on the riverwalk and then eat dinner
at the Chart House or at Ruth’s Chris Steak
House.
The city paid $400,000 to put in a
floating dock on the Northbank Riverwalk
to serve the Riverside Arts Market, but it’s
only available to boaters for four hours on
the Saturdays the market is open.
The marina the city built at Metropolitan
Park is a good facility, but as Lanzetta
pointed out, “When you step off your
boat, you step into a field.
“In St. Augustine, you get off your boat
and take a couple of steps and you are in
downtown St. Augustine. There are places
to go, things to do there.”
And the docks along the Landing have
the end of Jackson Street near the new
YMCA that will provide access to Brooklyn.
The redevelopment of the JEA property
on the Southbank into The District will
provide both things to do and docking
space for boaters.
Michael Munz, one of the partners in
The District, said plans call for a 125-slip
marina that can handle boats from 15
feet to 125 feet in length. Federal and
state agencies have already approved the
marina.
There will also be a kayak launch and a
river taxi stop there.
Shad Khan’s development on the Shipyards
property on the Northbank also will
likely include a marina and will add to the
draws already there — Daily’s Place and
EverBank Field, Veterans Memorial Arena
and the Baseball Grounds.
Boyer is also adamant on adding more
activities on the riverwalks and creating
different nodes that will attract attention.
“Part of my belief is that if we can
address the access with the docks and
“If you go down there now, the docks
are still broken,” Lanzetta said in late December,
more than a year after the docks
were first damaged during Hurricane
Matthew.
“There is not a lot of space to tie your
boat up.”
There’s been more than enough talk
about what to do with the Landing.
“Somebody has to take the ball and
say, hey, this is our vision. This is what we
want to do,” Lanzetta said.
“Until somebody sticks a shovel in the
ground and starts it, we can talk about this
until we are blue in the face.”
Things are happening Downtown that
will bring boaters back to the riverfront
there.
Solving the Landing issue is critical to
success.
What’s been “wait, wait, wait,” in Lanzatta’s
words, must become “do, do, do.”
Ron Littlepage wrote for the Times-Union
39 years, the last 28 as a columnist, before
retiring last year. He lives in Avondale.
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 59

J PARTNER PROFILE
By Barbara Gavan
CYNTHIA BIOTEAU, President of
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Florida State College
at Jacksonville
Local college makes two-fold investment Downtown
hen she arrived in Jacksonville four years ago,
W Florida State College at Jacksonville President
Cynthia Bioteau was struck by the Downtown
area and its views of the St. Johns River.
“The quality of the water feature aligning
with the urban core set the city apart and a
bit above other comparable cities,” she said.
“There’s a wonderful energy to Downtown.
The city government understands its
importance and is striving to revitalize and
reinvigorate the area. I see great hope and
promise.”
Bioteau believes that more daily activity
— locally grown and engaged with the city
— is what is needed to dispel the feel of vacancy and
disrepair in some areas.
“It is very important for FSCJ to take part in bringing
people Downtown and keeping them there,” she
said. “I hope our project at 20 West Adams, which is a
historic building being repurposed as student housing,
can be a model for Downtown renovation. It has 58
beds that are all reserved, with a waiting list of 300! And
these students are Downtown 24/7.”
In addition to this project and FSCJ’s
Downtown campus, Bioteau says that, visioning
forward, the college could include
additional phases for student housing and
opening a culinary arts café, which she
sees as highlighting the promise of what is
to come for the area.
“When we bring in developers on a
project like that, not only are we helping
the students and giving people another
reason to come downtown, but we’re also putting the
buildings on city tax rolls,” she said. “The more student
facilities there are Downtown, the better it is for everyone.
The more development and renovation there is,
the better it is for everyone.”
QUICK
TAKES
TEAMWORK
VITAL FOR
DOWNTOWN
“I ask everyone
to look into
Downtown and
find your own
way to improve
it. Where there
is inactivity, let’s
leverage our
resources to bring
activity to the
Downtown core.
There’s room to
grow. To succeed,
it just takes a
collaboration
of the city, the
developers
and private
enterprise. FSCJ
is proud to have
such wonderful
partners in our
endeavors.”
SAVING
HISTORY
“I am a fan of
history, so I would
much rather see
historic buildings
renovated and
repurposed
as something
vibrant and vital
to Downtown
than to see them
torn down. That’s
what we are
doing with our
student housing
in Downtown.
Phase I at 20 West
Adams is only
the first of three
planned historic
renovations.”
BOB SELF
60
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

CORE EYESORE
FORMER JEA
HEADQUARTERS
At some point, a white elephant
becomes an eyesore. This is the case
with a former JEA headquarters
building. No, not the current one at the
corner of Main and Church streets, the
former Universal Marion Building.
JEA is preparing to move from that
current location.
The eyesore is a former JEA building
at 233 W. Duval St., across the street
from the federal courthouse. This
building has been largely empty now
for about 20 years. Most of us just
walk by, not thinking of all the wasted
space Downtown.
The building once housed Independent
Life Insurance headquarters, which
later moved to the building now
known as Wells Fargo.
JEA bought the building for $2.9
million in 1975. In 1989, most JEA
officials moved out of the building.
A search of Times-Union archives
reveals a few stories from 1998 to
2003. In 2000, JEA reportedly was
interested in selling the 19-story
building for a minimum of $4 million.
In 2003, there was talk of South Florida
developers buying the building and
converting it into apartments. Since
then, the building has been out of sight,
out of mind, one of several vacant
structures that are pockmarks on
Downtown.
Aundra Wallace, CEO of the
Downtown Investment Authority,
confirms there is no news on the site.
There ought to be.
BY MIKE CLARK
PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF DAVIS
J MAGAZINE
Spot a downtown eyesore and want
to know why it’s there or when it will
be improved? Submit suggestions to
frank.denton@jacksonville.com.
62
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

Serving Jacksonville for nearly 40 years
NOBODY PAYS MORE
Deal with the professionals not wannabe coin dealers!
ALL GOLD & SILVER COINS
No Appointments Necessary - Walk-Ins Welcome
Clients Worldwide
Bank & House Calls
Available for Large Estates
Jewelry • Diamonds • Gold/Silver • Coins • Watches • All Types of U.S. Currency • Guns • Stamps
Hours: Mon - Fri 10:30 - 5:30
“All Transactions Confidential”
904-733-1204 WWW.A-COIN.COM
6217 St. Augustine Rd., Jacksonville, FL Licensed, Bonded & Insured
WE ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH ROLEX CORPORATION OR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES NOR ENDORSED BY ROLEX IN ANY WAY. ALL TRADEMARKED NAMES, BRANDS, AND MODELS, MENTIONED
IN THIS AD ARE USED FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE THE SOLE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE TRADEMARKED OWNERS. A-COIN IS KNOWN WORLDWIDE, AND OUR
INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS ASSURE YOU OF SELLING TO THE COMPANY WITH THE WIDEST CLIENTELE OF ANY OTHER. WE GUARANTEE THE HIGHEST CASH PRICES. PLEASE NOTE... THERE
IS NO OBLIGATION TO SELL.. NO CHARGE FOR OUR EXPERTS TO EVALUATE YOUR TREASURE. MINIMUM PURCHASES APPLY. A-COIN IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ROLEX USA. ALL TRADEMARKED
NAMES, BRANDS, AND MODELS, MENTIONED IN THIS AD ARE USED FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE THE SOLE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE TRADEMARKED OWNERS.

JACKSONVILLE
EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS
A BOLD NEW DOWNTOWN AWAITS
WatsonRealtyCorp.com
800.257.5143
WatsonCommercial.com
904.731.4511

12 HOURS IN DOWNTOWN
By Paula Horvath
Volunteer Reginald Graham serves breakfast at Clara White Mission. The mission serves breakfast to about 500 people each weekday morning.
Downtown’s rich history is easy
to find if you know where to roam
BOB SELF
ome with us on a 12-hour journey to visit
some of the most historic spots Downtown.
C
This trail will take you from the west side of
Downtown, then right across its central heart.
It ends on the northern boundary before sweeping southward
toward the river for its last stop.
Along the way, we’ll visit spots that commemorate the
grand history that is Jacksonville. Although most of these
spots no longer serve the precise purpose they once did,
most are still vibrantly alive.
Want to learn more about Downtown? Then follow us
for a history-filled day that begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends 12
hours later.
1
7:30 a.m.
Clara White Mission
613 W. Ashley St.
The streets are still empty when a hardy crew of volunteers arrived
at Clara White Mission but already the smell of baking sweets
and oatmeal is wafting from the direction of the mission’s kitchen.
Most of the jeans-clad visitors were from the University of
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 65

LEFT: Artist Roosevelt Watson III talks with Ritz Museum volunteer Kate MacKinnon before the opening of “Journey To South Africa: A Cultural Exchange.”
RIGHT: Colorful lollipops cool before being packaged at Sweet Pete’s, a downtown candy shop located in what once was the Seminole Club.
North Florida’s social work program. We
were there that morning to celebrate the
memory of Clara and her daughter, Eartha
White, who jointly fed Jacksonville’s poor
and disadvantaged since the 1880s.
The mission has been operating on this
very spot since 1932 and the second floor
contains a small museum in the same
rooms where Eartha lived for years. Before
it became a mission, however, this building
was the Globe Theater, a thriving black
club where “Ma Rainey,” the Mother of the
Blues, belted out her songs to encores.
But the blues have been long gone from
the mission and this morning, as happens
every weekday morning, community
volunteers are on hand to serve the breakfast
prepared in the mission’s kitchens to
some 500 men, women and even children
who have few other places to go for their
morning meals.
On the serving line, volunteer servers
dipped into large pots of oatmeal, eggs,
sausage and freshly baked breads to load
onto individual plates. In the dining room
other volunteers delivered the heaped
plates to a continuing wave of people
brought into the mission with promises of
warm food.
“Good morning, here’s your breakfast,”
one of the volunteers said as she carefully
set the plate in front of one man. “Thank
you,” he replied gratefully. “May God bless
you.”
And so it went on for two hours. Plate
after plate. Thank you after thank you.
Until all had been sated.
» For information on how to volunteer
at the Clara White Mission go to its
website at clarawhitemission.org.
People interested in touring the museum
should call the mission at 904-354-4162
to set up a time.
2
10:30 a.m.
Ritz Theatre and Museum
829 N. Davis St.
The building sitting on the corner of
West Union and North Davis streets — just
down the street from the mission — provides
another insight into the French
Quarter-like atmosphere that once existed
in this part of Jacksonville.
For here lived LaVilla — the center
of much of the country’s black cultural
Renaissance. It was where some of America’s
best-known black artists, musicians,
intellectuals and politicians visited or lived
before moving up north to escape the
South’s Jim Crow laws.
The Ritz originally opened in 1929 and
was a stopover on the “Chitlin’ Circuit.”
Black performers traveled throughout the
states but were able to play only at places
open to them due to segregation. Other
theaters within the circuit were Harlem’s
Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater.
Some historians have called LaVilla
the “Harlem of the South,” but given that
this Jacksonville community predated its
Northern cousin, perhaps Harlem should
really be called the “LaVilla of the North.”
Sadly, this once-thriving cultural hub was
mostly destroyed in the name of “urban
renewal” during the 1990s.
Some of the flavor of LaVilla has been
captured within the museum. A “street” of
shops set up within the museum illustrates
what life was like, and ever-changing
exhibits cover facets of that life.
Today, on display is the art of 27 black
mostly Jacksonville artists ranging from oil
on canvas to fiber art. This display will be
at the Ritz until June 8 when it’s torn down
to be shipped to South Africa, where it’s
been requested for a special showing at the
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Museum
of Art.
Adonnica Toler, the museum’s administrator,
said the Ritz has been focusing on
Downtown’s black history for years, and
this display of art marks the 25th year black
artists have had their work showcased.
“There are so many aspects of this story,”
Toler says. “There’s sadness and there’s
tragedy. But there’s also beauty and grace
and hope.
“A facility like this is important because
it lets us know where we’ve come from so
we know where we’re going.”
» The Ritz Museum is open Tuesday
through Friday from 10 a.m. 4 p.m. The
theater housed within the same building
offers a variety of performances. The
schedule can be accessed and tickets
purchased at 904-807-2010.
3
Noon
Sweet Pete’s and
the Candy Apple Café
400 N. Hogan St.
Only blocks away from remembrances
of LaVilla lies the precise center of Down-
BOB SELF (LEFT); BOB MACK (RIGHT)
66
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

LEFT: Now home to Jacksonville City Hall, the historic St. James Building was designed by architect Henry James Klutho and opened in 1912.
RIGHT: One of Downtown’s most unique and historic landmarks is Old City Cemetery, established in 1852 as Jacksonville’s main burial ground.
JEFF DAVIS (MAP); JEFF DAVIS (LEFT); DON BURK (RIGHT)
town and the site of a lip-smacking candy
store and restaurant.
Sweet Pete’s and the Candy Apple Café
were opened in 2014 in a magnificent old
building that had been empty for years.
The new owner transformed the building
into a destination that would make Willie
Wonka proud.
But once it was the Seminole
Club, the spot where
Jacksonville’s white male
elite gathered. It was built in
1903 and once even sported
a bordello on its third floor
for patrons bored with the
more-mundane activity on
the lower floors.
The likes of Presidents
Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight
Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy
visited the social club
during its heyday. However
as the city’s tastes changed,
the club’s clientele dwindled
and it was closed in 1990.
Today it appeals to a
much more diverse group
of people — those who have
come here both to sample its
homemade sweet delicacies
and those who have come here to catch a
bite at its café.
At one table set for five a small group
of Jacksonville residents are ready to enjoy
the meal. Kimberly Robertson is treating
her two children, 6-year-old Sebastian
and 10-year-old Sofia Guitierrez, to their
first taste of the Candy Apple.
“It’s amazing,” Sofia says, biting into
her hamburger. Sebastian, his eyes fixed
on the enormous plate of macaroni and
cheese in front of him, can only muster a
thumbs up before packing his cheeks with
food.
Later as Sofia tours the candy store
where jars of jelly beans of every color fill
12 HOURS IN DOWNTOWN
Davis St.
2
Jefferson St.
ACOSTA
BRIDGE
Broad St.
1
Duval St.
Forsyth St.
Bay St.
State St.
Union St.
Beaver St.
3
JACKSONVILLE
LANDING
ST. JOHNS
RIVER
4
HEMMING
PARK
Laura St.
Main St.
Ocean St.
the shelves, she carefully runs her hand
across the glass. Hundreds of containers
of blue, green, speckled, yellow and even
black beans make purchasers’ mouths
water.
And this downstairs room only houses
a small segment of the sweet offerings
here in the candy store — there’s much
more on the second floor. It’s not only
6
MAIN
STREET
BRIDGE
Liberty St.
enough to make visitors’ mouths water
but is symbolic of the store’s dedication to
sweets.
Even Sofia was obviously impressed.
“They sure spend a lot of time making all
this,” she says, still eyeing the shelves of
colorful candies. “It’s really cool.”
» For information on the hours
for Sweet Pete’s go to its website
at sweetpetescandy.com.
For hours and reservations at
the Candy Apple Café, go to
candyapplecafeandcocktails.com.
5
4
1:30 p.m.
Jacksonville City Hall
117 W. Duval St.
Just a short walk across
Hogan Street is the Jacksonville
City Hall, a massive edifice
with intricately carved cornices
and Gotham-like blue orbs
seated on the edges of its roof.
Once known as the St.
James Building, it was designed
by famed Jacksonville
N
architect Henry John Klutho
after Jacksonville’s Great Fire
of 1901 and considered by many to be his
masterpiece. It opened in 1912 and became
the Cohen Bros. Department Store, later
known as May Cohens.
Most striking for customers was the 75-
foot glass-domed arcade within its center.
The arcade’s floor was once scattered with
showcases displaying various goods and
elevators operated by uniformed atten-
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 67

dants zipped customers up and down the
store’s levels.
Ronnie Brown, who works with Jacksonville’s
Human Rights Commission,
remembers that as a boy his parents often
brought him from his home in Live Oak to
Downtown and Cohen Bros.
“This was a happening place,” he says,
especially during the holidays when store’s
fanciful window displays were a destination
in themselves.
Today the building is still something of a
destination. Visitors are welcomed through
its front doors where they can once again
gaze upward in amazement at the restored
arcade and glass dome.
“I’m telling you, you get people all the
time here taking pictures,” Brown said. “You
don’t get to see this kind of architectural
detail anymore.”
» City Hall is open weekdays from
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for visitors.
5
3 p.m.
Old City Cemetery
Corner of East Union and
North Washington streets
On the northern boundary of Downtown
is historic ground far removed from
the gaiety of Sweet Pete’s or the excitement
that was once Cohen’s. Here, the crowd is
much quieter; in fact you could say their
moods are more grave.
A walk through cedar-lined Old City
Cemetery is a walk through the city’s
history.
Old City Cemetery, its entrance off
East Union Street, was created in 1852
as Jacksonville’s main burial ground. Its
occupants represent the early diversity of
the city.
To the north side lie the early graves of
the city’s black residents. To the west is the
Jewish cemetery. A group of Confederate
graves are near the pavilion in the center.
Whites, Cubans and Minorcan graves are
scattered throughout.
Some have even claimed Native Americans
buried their dead here many decades
before.
There are the graves of numerous
yellow fever victims struck down in the
epidemic of 1889. Nearby are the graves
of French nuns sent to educate black children.
Both black Union soldiers and freed
slaves are buried here.
Also entombed are several governors,
numerous military officers, local politicians
and Jacksonville volunteers in the
The historic Bostwick Building on the corner of Ocean and Bay streets is home to Cowford Chophouse,
Downtown’s newest restaurant. The upscale restaurant also features a picturesque rooftop bar.
Cuban Revolution as well as more recent
luminaries.
Although it’s a quiet respite in Downtown’s
hubbub, visitors with knowledge of
history can almost hear the whispers.
“I missed you after you were gone,”
Eartha White might murmur to her mother,
Clara, who died in 1920, leaving her
daughter alone for the next 54 years of her
life to continue the family’s good works.
“Yes, but I certainly am proud of what
you’ve accomplished, daughter,” Clara
might possibly say in a quiet voice.
The two women’s graves lie side by side
in City Cemetery, bound in death as they
were in life.
» City Cemetery is open to the public
from sunrise to sunset every day.
6
6 p.m.
Cowford Chophouse
101 E. Bay St.
The historic building at the corner of
East Bay and Ocean streets is the final stop
on this 12-hour tour of Downtown. Once
known in Jacksonville as the building
where Jaguars peeked from the windows,
it’s now Downtown’s newest upscale
restaurant.
But decades before the Chophouse,
the 1902 Bostwick Building was the home
of another upscale institution — The First
National Bank, later replaced by Guaranty
Trust and Savings Bank. In later years, it
became an office building and was home
to the architectural business run by Klutho.
The building was lovingly restored by
Forking Amazing Restaurants over a nearly
four-year period. More damaged than
originally thought, it was taken apart brick
by brick then carefully resurrected.
Wood found in the building was
refinished and now covers one side of the
restaurant’s elevator. A silhouette of the St.
Johns River and its tributaries is cut into
the wood and the river’s interior is covered
in gold flakes, remnants of some of the gold
items found within the original bank’s vault
during restoration.
Kassidy Lankford and Trevor Spinks
are on their first visit to the Cowford, a celebratory
meal before catching a showing
of “The Lion King” at the Times-Union
Performing Arts Center.
The couple had just finished plates of
salmon and steak, wishing they had room
for one of the desserts heralded at the
restaurant. But not this night.
“Maybe we can come back here sometime
just for dessert,” Spinks said wistfully,
eyeing a triple dark chocolate torte on a
neighbor’s plate.
Although Lankford and Spinks had to
rush off to catch their evening’s performance,
visitors should not neglect the
Cowford’s rooftop bar, for its splendid view
of Downtown and the St. Johns River.
An unforgettable ending for an unforgettable
12 hours.
» To obtain more information about
the Cowford Chophouse and to
make reservations go to its website
at cowfordchophouse.com.
Paula Horvath is an editorial writer and
Editorial Board member at The Florida Times-Union
and teaches multimedia journalism at the University
of North Florida. She lives in St. Nicholas.
DANIS BUILDING CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
68
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

100%
occupied
Urban Living in
Downtown Jacksonville
Coming Fall 2018

Giving more than
50,000
children
the gift of sleep for
7 years
The Hope
That every child has a clean, unused
mattress set to call their own.
The Dream
A portion of all mattress set purchases at
Ashley HomeStore goes to provide free
bed sets to children in need. Over the
past seven years, Ashley HomeStore –
Jacksonville has donated over 1,500 bed
sets to children on the First Coast.
Know a child with big dreams?
Visit your local Ashley Homestore for more
information or visit ahopetodream.com.
ST. JOHNS TOWN CENTER
4621 River City Drive
Jacksonville, FL
904-642-2347
RIVER CITY MARKETPLACE
13265 City Square Drive
Jacksonville, FL
904-268-2347
ORANGE PARK @ I-295
8151 Blanding Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL
904-221-2347
GLYNN ISLES MARKET
100 Glynn Isle
Brunswick, GA
912-261-1347
preview us online at www.AshleyHomeStore.com

J PARTNER PROFILE
By Barbara Gavan
Christopher Caprio,
President of Ashley HomeStore
Ashley HomeStore
Furniture retailer works to improve Jacksonville’s quality of life
s president of a company concerned with the challenges
A of daily living, Christopher Caprio can easily relate the
needs of the individual to the needs of the community.
“Ashley HomeStores exists to improve the efficiency, comfort
and ease of daily life for our customers,” he
said. “Children do better in school when
they have a good night’s sleep, and to do
that, they must have a good bed. That’s also
true with the community. If we improve the
lives of Jacksonville’s residents, we improve Jacksonville.”
Caprio is relatively new to the city, but visited often before
moving to Jacksonville, and likes what he sees.
“There have been so many changes already,” he said. “Downtown
has received a real facelift; I appreciate the revitalization
throughout the area. There’s so much to do with the sports complex,
entertainment, cultural and dining opportunities. The city
provides a good experience.”
But, he’s also noticed construction projects that need finishing,
dilapidated buildings that should be renovated, and improvements
to the city’s infrastructure that are necessary for the
well-being of its residents.
“We believe that we can aid in this revitalization
by helping people one at a time,”
he said. “After the hurricane, we helped over
20 families refurnishing their homes — three
52-foot semi-trucks full of furniture and mattresses! We also
donated 280 beds to First Coast kids through our Hope to Dream
in 2017 alone. Throughout Jacksonville, Ashley works with over 35
different charitable organizations, including a partnership with
the Jacksonville Jaguars, EverBank and HabiJax, to help put single
moms into homes to better care for their families. This is our way
of contributing to Jacksonville’s revitalization.”
WILL DICKEY
QUICK
TAKES
BUILDING ON PEOPLE
“I believe in building on people. Everything starts and ends
with people. As we improve the lives of Jacksonville’s people
through local charities and through improvements in education,
we’ll improve the entire city. If we take care of the people, the
people will take care of the community.”
HELPING WHERE NEEDED
“It’s not Downtown, but we’re taking steps to help another
underserved area - Regency. We’ll be opening an Ashley HomeStore
Outlet there by the end of May. At a time when other companies are
leaving the area, we feel we can help by bringing more business back
into Regency and, by doing so, perhaps begin a turnaround there.”
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 71

PRESERVING
DOWNTOWN
whEN DEVELOPERS EMBARK ON RENOVATING
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN BUILDINGS, ONE CONSTRUCTION
COMPANY TENDS TO BE AT THE TOP OF THEIR LISTS
BY LILLA ROSS // FOR J MAGAZINE
ILLUSTRATION BY JEFF DAVIS // J MAGAZINE

Some of the Downtown
Jacksonville projects Danis
Building Construction
Company have worked
on include (far left,
clockwise): the Farah &
Farah building, Cowford
Chophouse, the Barnett
Bank building and the
Jessie Ball duPont Center.

When Danis Building Construction Company
began renovating the old Haydon Burns Library,
it faced a unique challenge.
Part of the building’s exterior is covered
in mosaic tiles, and over the years,
tiles had fallen off — and disappeared
into the pockets of passersby.
But one of the goals of the owner, the
Jessie Ball duPont Fund, and Danis was
to preserve as much of the iconic building
as possible as it was transformed
from the Downtown library into the Jessie
Ball duPont Center, which provides
offices for nonprofits and meeting spaces
for the community.
The Italian company that manufactured
the distinctive green and yellow
tile for architect Taylor Hardwick in 1965
no longer made the tile.
“We had heard stories that people would
collect the tiles, so we offered a bounty and
got several thousand tiles from people who
BELOW: When Danis began renovating the Haydon
Burns Library (now the Jessie Ball duPont Center)
at Ocean and Adams streets, they tracked down
thousands of mosaic tiles which had fallen off the
building’s exterior over the years. Later, Danis
incorporated the tiles into the new structure.
had collected them,” said Tony Suttles, vice
president for preconstruction.
That’s an example of the creative
lengths the employees of Danis will go
in the interests of historic preservation.
And one reason Danis is the go-to company
in Jacksonville for people who are
repurposing historic buildings Downtown.
The other reason, Suttles says, is that
Danis, based in Dayton, Ohio, has been
around 102 years. The company learns
something from every project it does,
WILL DICKEY (3)
74
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

Suttles says, especially from old buildings.
“At the end of every project, we go
through the lessons learned. It definitely
helps after you’ve done dozens and dozens,
you learn things someone coming
in cold would never think about,” Suttles
said.
“We do it with new construction but
the lessons from these historic adaptive
reuse projects are really valuable. It
would be silly not to leverage those lessons
and help the next owner, the next
project.”
Suttles said Danis likes the challenge
presented by old buildings. “It’s a giant
puzzle, and you don’t have all the pieces,”
he said. “Our people have to use their
brain power. Big-box retail projects can
be interesting but with old buildings, you
expect to be surprised.”
In addition to the duPont Center,
here’s the Downtown challenges Danis
has taken on so far:
The Jake M. Godbold Annex,
the former Haverty’s building
Farah & Farah Building, the
former Kress building
Cowford Chophouse, the
former Bostwick building
The Barnett bank building,
now under restoration
The Laura Street Trio: The
Marble Bank, the Bisbee building and
the Florida Life Building
FSCJ dorms at 20 W. Adams St., the
“[The Jake M. Godbold
city hall annex] was
a Klutho building that
was in worse shape
than the (Laura Street]
Trio, from what I’m
told, and they put that
one back together.”
Steve Atkins, The Southeast Group
former Lerner building
That’s not just a lot of real estate, it’s
a lot of historic real estate, many of the
buildings dating to the building boom
after the Great Fire of 1901.
It’s that track record that appealed to
Steve Atkins of the Southeast Development
Group and why Danis was hired
to do the Barnett and Laura Street Trio
projects.
He was especially impressed with the
work Danis did on the Jake M. Godbold
building.
“That was a Klutho building that was
in worse shape than the Trio, from what
I’m told,” Atkins said. “And they put that
one back together.”
Every building has a story to tell. Over
the decades they’ve had multiple uses,
multiple owners, multiple tenants and
sometimes multiple renovations, Suttles
said.
And they have surprises galore: The
crumbling foundation of the Bostwick
building and the decorative plaster ceiling
of the Barnett building had been concealed
for decades.
There’s even a secret tunnel.
Back in the day that robbers lurked
outside banks, the Marble Bank had a
tunnel with a trap door in the sidewalk
where carriages could safely drop cash
deposits.
Since surprises come with the territory,
Suttles said Danis likes to uncover
them early in the process. The design
team researches the history of the building,
studies old architectural plans,
drawings and photos.
The Southeast Development Group
wants to restore the original banking
JEFF DAVIS
The Jake M. Godbold City Hall Annex at Laura and Duval streets.

hall on the first floor of the Barnett Bank
building, Suttles said. The original pendant
lights and Corinthian columns are
long gone but were preserved in old photos.
In some cases, people who worked
on the original building are still around.
Danis was able to talk to architect Taylor
Hardwick about his design of the library.
He offered a lot of insight, Suttles said,
and quashed an urban legend — that the
88 “fins” on the exterior of the building
mimicked the 88 keys of a piano. Pure
coincidence, Hardwick said.
Research also is done through “selective
demolition.”
“We are most successful when we are
involved early in the design process before
the drawings are complete,” Suttles
said. “We get in and do some selective
demolition to see what’s behind the
walls and above the ceilings.”
In the Florida Life Building, demolition
revealed the original marble wall
panels. “You assume they tore it down,
but they did the easy thing and covered
it up,” Suttles said.
The latest technology is enlisted as
well. A drone was used to inspect the
fragile exteriors of the Barnett building
and the Laura Street Trio.
“Some of the buildings have been
abandoned and have significant safety
issues,” Suttles said. “We feel like the
“We are most
successful when we
are involved early in
the design process
before the drawings
are complete.”
Tony Suttles,
VP of Preconstruction at Danis
more investigation we can do on the
front end, it helps minimize the surprises,
which can be very disruptive.”
Sometimes, what Danis is searching
for with early demolition is accurate information
about the building, like the
dimensions.
“Everything we do now on new construction
is perfectly square, straight and
level. As beautiful as they are, the old
buildings weren’t built as precisely as we
do today,” Suttles said. “Dimensions aren’t
close to what the drawings indicate.
Some aren’t square, not 90 degrees. So,
in these old buildings, you’re going to
have to make some adjustments.”
Many historic buildings were built
before the era of building codes, or before
they were enforced, and often have
elements that don’t meet current codes,
Suttles said.
“You have to figure out how to strike
a balance between preserving the historic
nature of something like a staircase
while making it safe,” Suttles said. “There
are some interpretations in the code with
historic structures that allow the city and
builders some leeway. You might retrofit
or get a variance or a combination.”
Another challenge is incorporating
modern mechanical and
electrical systems into buildings
that weren’t designed for
things like air conditioning ad
sprinkler systems.
“You can’t just hang
ductwork and cover it with acoustic
tiles,” Suttles said. “Sometimes you need
sidewall vents or floor vents. What might
work on one floor might not work on another.”
JEFF DAVIS
Jessie Ball duPont Center at Forsyth and Ocean streets.

“
Old buildings are unique. They have a place character,
and Downtown is on the verge of losing its character.”
Sherry Magill, president of the of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund
And there’s another balance to be struck between repairing
something with historic value or replacing it.
“If something like a window is too far gone, there are guidelines
for replacement. That’s a big challenge, finding companies
and craftsmen that can do that type of work,” Suttles said.
The Barnett building, for instance, has bronze work around the
arched windows that needs to be restored. The only company that
does that kind of work is in Maryland.
“If you get into ceilings that need plaster repair,
you don’t have a lot of people who do Portland
cement plaster. That’s not something
young people go into. For the Ribault
Clubhouse, we did the plaster work
ourselves because there were no
subcontractors.
“Our goal, especially in Jacksonville,
is to keep everything as
local as possible. When we did
duPont, one of the tile setters
had been an apprentice on the
original project,” Suttles said.
“There are really good companies
and craftsman that do this
kind of work, but they’re getting
harder to find.”
As the redevelopment of
Downtown takes shape, Suttles
said he thinks Jacksonville is beginning
to realize the value of adapting
and reusing its historic buildings.
“They can be phenomenal places to
conduct business,” Suttles said. “These
buildings can be saved and saved on a
Before renovating historic buildings, Danis Building Construction
budget, but it does take the right kind
Company researches as much original information as possible. In
of owner. Historic restoration adds the case of the Jessie Ball duPont Center project, that research
a level of difficulty for everyone involved.”
included the original plans for the Haydon Burns Library.
Sherry Magill, president of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, said she
wanted to build something from scratch in LaVilla 10 years ago,
but that didn’t pan out. But over that decade she said she watched
as old buildings were renovated, and one day in 2012 she was driving
past the Haydon Burns Library and saw the “for sale” sign.
“Serendipity is underrated,” she said.
Several efforts had been made to do something with the mosaic-clad
building famous for its “fins” and floor-to-ceiling windows,
but they didn’t survive the Great Recession.
Magill arranged a tour with owner Bill Cesery.
“When I walked in the building, I fell in love with the lighting,”
she said. “I was predisposed to stay Downtown. The duPont Fund
78 J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018
has always been located on the Northbank. It’s our home, our
neighborhood.”
The trustees were open to the idea of using the building as office
space for nonprofits, and Magill began researching what it
would take to make it happen.
She said she was encouraged by other “adaptive reuses” like the
conversion of an old furniture store into the Jake M. Godbold Annex,
a $10 million project by the Police and Fire Pension
Fund, and the makeover of the Kress five & dime
by the Farah & Farah law firm.
Both projects were done by Danis.
In 2013, the trustees decided that
buying and renovating the old library
“was the responsible thing for du-
Pont to do. It aligned with our values.
We decided to put our money
where our mouth is.”
When the duPont Center
opened in June 2015, the fund
had invested $25 million.
The center is often held up
as an example of what can be
done Downtown.
“Old buildings are unique.
They have a place character,
and Downtown is on the verge of
losing its character,” Magill said. “I
don’t think we love what we have.
We’re never developing it for the people
who live here. We’re always looking
for people outside Jacksonville. I
don’t share those assumptions.”
Magill said she thinks there’s a
shared sense that things are starting
to move in Downtown Jacksonville.
“The Chophouse, the Laura Street
Trio, all of that adds up to something,”
she said.
Suttles agrees. He thinks the Barnett and Laura Street Trio
projects — a combined investment of $90 million — is the most
significant project in Downtown history.
“As people see more and more of these projects getting done,
our hope is that it builds momentum,” Suttles said.
Marilyn Young contributed to this report.
Lilla Ross is a freelance writer in Jacksonville. She worked
for The Florida Times-Union for more than 30 years as a
writer and editor. She lives in San Marco.
THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION

CAN FOOD TRUCKS COEXIST WITH
BRICK AND MORTAR RESTAURANTS?
BY ROGER BROWN // J MAGAZINE
Jack Shad
co-founder of the Court Urban Food Park IN DOWNTOWN
PHOTO: BOB SELF // J MAGAZINE

TURF WARS
Jeriees Ewais
Co-owner of the Zodiac Bar & Grill in Downtown
PHOTO: WILL DICKEY // J MAGAZINE

Over the past several years, food trucks have become increasingly popular in Downtown Jacksonville, where lines of customers are a common sight.
Food trucks.
Traditional, brick and
mortar restaurants.
We want both in Downtown Jacksonville.
We need both in Downtown Jacksonville.
But can both coexist in Downtown Jacksonville?
It is a big deal for Downtown Jacksonville’s
present and future.
PASSIONATE VIEWS
It sure is a big deal to Jeriees Ewais,
co-owner of the Zodiac Bar & Grill.
On this weekday morning, there is an
air of calm preparation as Ewais and some
employees get ready to open the doors to
the Zodiac — a fantastic Mediterranean
restaurant that’s been an 18-year fixture
on West Adams Street — for lunch.
But as he takes a brief break and takes
a seat at a dining table, Ewais’ calm demeanor
steadily become one that’s much
more animated.
Why?
It’s because he’s talking about the havoc
that he says food trucks are wreaking
on traditional brick and mortar restaurants
in Downtown Jacksonville.
“No question, they are really hurting the
restaurant industry Downtown right now
— and what’s even worse, they will keep
new restaurants from deciding to come into
Downtown in the future,” Ewais says.
“If I wanted to open an exciting new
restaurant in one of the vacant properties
we have Downtown — and just look
around, we have a lot of them — why
would I end up doing it?” Ewais adds.
“Why would I do it when I know that
after I spend hundreds of thousands in
investment, there will be five food trucks
set up near me at lunchtime? Food trucks
that don’t invest anything close to what
I do but can still park near me, grab as
much money as they can during lunch
— and then drive away and do the same
thing parked outside a nightclub that evening?”
WILL DICKEY
82
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

Ewais sighs.
“To me, the problem is a pretty clear
one,” he says.
“I don’t know how some people in this
city just can’t see that.”
But there is no problem from where
Jack Shad is standing.
During this windy but sunny weekday
lunch hour, Shad is standing amid a lively
crowd of people.
They’re congregating in the Court
Urban Food Park behind the SunTrust
building Downtown.
They’re lined up to order fare from
the five food trucks — serving everything
from burritos to fusion Asian to burgers to
cupcakes — arranged in a neat row in the
food park.
And the scene leaves Shad — who
served as the director of the city’s public
parking division Office of Public Parking
in former Mayor Alvin Brown’s administration
— wearing a smile.
“You know, when you’re the parking
director of a city, you get used to doing
things that don’t make people happy,”
Shad says.
“But look around at all of these people.
Look at how many of them are smiling.
Look at how many are laughing. What’s
not to love about doing this?”
Shad and business partner Mike Field
are the co-founders of the Court Urban
Food Park, which they opened in February
2017 after reaching an agreement
with SunTrust to rent space on a portion
of bank property located on Hogan Street.
Since then, the food park — which
operates from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday
through Friday — has drawn sizeable
lunch crowds who are able to order from
the ever-changing row of food trucks and
then eat their fare while sitting amid an
eclectic mix of picnic tables, benches and
other provided seating.
“We’re here to provide another food
option,” Shad says.
“It may not be the right option for every
person. Or for every day. But it’s pretty
obvious that lots of people Downtown do
like it. And they like it a lot.”
In fact, Shad says, the clear popularity
of food trucks and the Court Urban Food
Park should make Downtown’s traditional
restaurants feel inspired — and not threatened.
“I absolutely think we can co-exist,”
Shad says.
“I know we can.”
The challenge, as Shad sees it, is for the
traditional restaurants to be willing to embrace
that the old ways of doing things in
Downtown Jacksonville are changing and
fading away before everyone’s eyes — and
the rising tide isn’t going to roll them back.
“I don’t think this reality only applies
to the restaurants when it comes to our
Downtown and I truly respect what they
provide,” Shad says.
“But when a lot of us look at Downtown,
we have this tendency to want to keep doing
what we’ve always been doing — even
when it’s no longer working — because it’s
all we know.”
Adds Shad: “If we’re truly going to
have a successful Downtown, we’re going
to have to do things differently. We’re going
to have to embrace new ideas, even if
not all of them will work. To me, the food
trucks perfectly represent the attitude
of ‘Let’s put ourselves out there, let’s try
something new and make it work.’”
But that still leaves the question:
Can traditional restaurants and food
trucks truly work in harmony in Downtown
Jacksonville?
A SMALL PIE SLICE
One thing is for certain: Downtown
Jacksonville isn’t starved for food options,
whether they are served from food trucks or
traditional restaurant kitchens.
According to Downtown Vision Inc., the
nonprofit that advocates for living, working,
visiting and investing in Downtown,
there are approximately 90 traditional brick
and mortar restaurants within the city’s
center.
It’s not as easy to have an exact number
of food trucks operating in Downtown.
But most weeks the Court Urban Food
Park has as many as 20 different food trucks
rotating in and out of the space each Monday
through Friday.
Now add the regular presence of food
trucks at Hemming Park during weekday
lunch hours and special events.
Then add the other food trucks scattered
at various sites in the Downtown area (like
On the Fly, a sandwich food truck that has
a fixed site in a parking lot on West Adams
and Jefferson streets, near the Duval County
Courthouse ).
OK, but so what?
Shouldn’t everything still work out fine
for restaurants and food trucks alike given
that some 59,100 people work in Downtown
Jacksonville (according to the stats in Downtown
Vision’s 2016-17 State of Downtown
report)?
Shouldn’t there still be enough customers,
money and attention for everyone?
Alas, not really.
That’s because when it hits 5 p.m.
in Downtown Jacksonville, there aren’t
enough people leaving their offices and
staying Downtown to have dinner.
They are leaving their offices and getting
OUT of Downtown Jacksonville, period.
And not enough people are driving into
Downtown Jacksonville after 5 p.m. for dinner,
either.
So that leaves the weekday lunch hours,
roughly 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., as the narrow
sweet spot that Downtown restaurants and
food trucks must hit — in terms of lots of
customers and revenue — to thrive in the
city center.
“If you don’t make a huge segment of
your revenue and business during the lunch
time hours, it’s going to be a challenge for
you to really prosper (as a restaurant or food
truck),” says Jake Gordon, CEO of Downtown
Vision.
“The pie isn’t as big as we want it to be
right now,” Gordon says.
“So that means that everyone for the moment
is getting smaller slices of a smaller
pie.”
It’s a reality that’s hitting home for Downtown
restaurateurs like Ewais.
“I would say that we’ve lost 5 to 10 per-
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 83

cent of our lunch business over the past year,”
Ewais says.
“I would bet that’s similar to what
other restaurants are suffering in lost
business,” he adds.
“And we’re not even talking
about places like the Bank Bar
BQ (a traditional restaurant on
West Forsyth Street that recently
closed after less than a
year in operation).”
Ewais notes that during
the last few years, the Zodiac
was able to have dinner hours
because it made enough revenue
during lunchtime to
cover the predictable drop in
evening business.
“I really felt it was important
to give people as many dinner options
as possible Downtown, even
though it was a stretch for us to stay
open for dinner,” Ewais says.
But several weeks ago, the Zodiac finally
had to throw in the oven mitt.
It ended its dinner service.
The reason was simple, Ewais says: The 5 to 10 percent loss in
lunchtime revenue has left no cushion to support dinner hours.
“Absolutely, it’s related to the food trucks,” he says of the drop
in lunch money.
“[Going to a food truck] may
not be the right option for every
person. Or for every day. But it’s
pretty obvious that lots of people
Downtown do like it. And
they like it a lot.”
Jack Shad,
co-founder of the Court
Urban Food Park
But Shad suggests it may be overly simplistic
to link any reduction in lunch
business among brick and mortar
restaurants solely to food trucks.
“When I was the parking director,
I’d always get numbers
on what kind of activity we had
going in and out of our Downtown
parking garages,” Shad
says.
“One thing that would always
amaze me would be the
number of people who would
leave one of our parking garages
around lunchtime, be
gone for about an hour or 90
minutes, and then come back
and park back in the garage.”
With a pause, Shad adds: “Do
I know where all of them were going?
Of course not. But you would
have to think a lot of them were leaving
Downtown, going somewhere outside
Downtown to have lunch and then coming
back to work. And there was no food park like this
back then. So I think our food trucks are actually helping to
keep some of those people Downtown.”
Yes, it’s the old the-chicken- or-egg debate.
But this time, there actually are real chickens and actual eggs
on the line.
NOW SERVING
EVENING EATS
100 North Laura Street • 904.802.7745
A Black Sheep Restaurant Group Concept
BELLWETHERJAX.COM
84
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

“They are really hurting the
restaurant industry Downtown
right now — and what’s even
worse, [food trucks] will keep
new restaurants from deciding
to come into Downtown.”
Jeriees Ewais,
co-owner of the Zodiac
Bar & Grill
THE LAW
Currently, food trucks operate in
Downtown Jacksonville under city
ordinance 2014-472, which was
championed by City Councilman
Reggie Brown and approved
in 2014.
Among other things, the
ordinance requires food
trucks to be more than 50
feet away from a traditional
brick and mortar restaurant.
The aim, according to the
ordinance’s language, was
“to allow both the Mobile
Food Dispensing Vendor and
the established restaurant industry
to co-exist without negative
financial impact to the other.”
Obviously, not everyone thinks
that has been the result.
Ewais and other members of the
Downtown Restaurant Association of Jacksonville
— an evolving group of local restaurants
that seeks a greater voice for local eateries in shaping
Downtown’s future — contend the 2014 ordinance is outdated
because it neither foresaw nor reflects the explosion in food
trucks that has happened since it originally took effect.
The group is pushing for revised legislation that would significantly
increase the distance that food trucks
must stay clear from traditional restaurants
— “50 feet is nothing, really,”
Ewais says — and require the food
trucks to be spread out across a
wider area rather than heavily
concentrated in the heart of
Downtown.
“There’s just too many
of them Downtown,” Ewais
says.
“There’s just too many
of them too close to all of us
(traditional restaurants).”
But Shad suggests the
current ordinance is largely
working well by encouraging
entrepreneurship and making
Downtown a more vibrant place
in general.
“I think in reality we have become
an established element of Downtown
— and the city is benefiting from that as
much as the individual patrons,” Shad says of
food trucks.
“The food truck operators are true entrepreneurs. They
have to buy trucks. They have to buy fuel. They have to buy supplies.
They have to pay rent. They have to be innovative to stand
out from everyone. So there is a real sense of energy and boldness
in what they do. And it’s really valuable to have that kind of energy
HOW TOMORROW SUPPLIES
Whether it ends up in your cupboard today or your driveway
tomorrow, CSX moves the essentials of life every hour of every day.
csx.com/essentials
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 85

in a Downtown that’s still figuring out how
to shape its future.”
Adds Shad: “I don’t see food trucks
going away. I don’t see concepts like the
Court Urban Food Park going away. Why
should we?”
MIXED FEELINGS
The most striking thing about the food
trucks vs. traditional restaurant debate is
that it has plenty of city officials admitting
they don’t have some easy, magical answer
to resolve it.
Indeed, Gordon says it’s impossible to
applaud and support the “can do” initiative
of the Downtown food truck operators
who are putting their ideas and business
plans into the free market without also
totally understanding and respecting the
concerns of traditional restaurant owners
— some of whom have been in Downtown
Jacksonville for decades and genuinely
love and care about it.
“It’s a hard thing to figure out,” Gordon
says.
“What I do know is that when food
trucks and restaurants are both succeeding
Downtown, all of Downtown is succeeding.
We want them all to thrive.”
To Gordon, the food trucks vs. restaurant
issue may solve itself if Downtown
Jacksonville is successful in attracting
more economic development and activity.
‘The more development we have going
on Downtown, the more activity we have
in general going on Downtown, the bigger
the economic pie becomes for everybody
Downtown — including our food trucks
and restaurants,” Gordon says.
“That’s the best answer to this that I
can come up with. Let’s grow the pie, so
everyone in every business in our Downtown
benefits by getting bigger slices of
the pie.”
Gordon’s view is echoed with gusto by
City Councilman Scott Wilson.
While chairing City Council’s Neighborhoods,
Community Investments and
Services Committee last year, Wilson
held sessions with food truck and restaurant
operators to hear their perspectives
and explore whether the 2014 ordinance
needed to be dramatically revised.
And what was Wilson’s verdict after
those discussions?
“I came away thinking it was a complex
issue,” Wilson says with a chuckle.
‘I came away from it with really torn
feelings. I could really see both sides of it.
I could absolutely see how the food truck
operators felt and how the restaurant
owners felt, too.”
But Wilson says he didn’t come away
from the sessions feeling that the 2014 ordinance
will dramatically change anytime
soon.
‘I don’t get the sense there’s any great
movement among my colleagues (on City
Council) to do anything,” Wilson says.
“And I kind of go along with that. Do
we really want to try to change something
that’s already in place?’”
Wilson adds that it’s beyond doubt that
“both restaurant owners and food truck
operators are making huge investments in
their businesses. Both add something to
our city. So what I would like to see is both
co-exist and both thrive.”
And Wilson may have come up with
the best way of all to resolve all of this:
“Look, I like to eat good food, whether
it’s at a food truck or in a restaurant,” Wilson
says with a smile.
“And I know I’m not alone in this city
when it comes to that. So just give us good
food to eat, and we’ll find a way to get
there to eat it — wherever it is Downtown.”
Roger Brown has been a Times-Union editorial
writer since 2013. He lives in Downtown Jacksonville.
Established in 1919, we are a family owned,
Jacksonville based company
People
Businesses
Products
1.800.suddath // suddath.com
©2017 Suddath Van Lines, Inc. U.S. DOT No. 29609 Fla. IM No. 1411, Sentry Household Shipping, Inc. U.S. DOT No. 2465888 NVOCC 7434N FF 001124,
Suddath Global Logistics, LLC U.S. DOT No. 2212216 NVOCC 2894NF, Centra Worldwide, Inc. IAC WP94-01116, IATA No. 0119853, Air Land Forwarders, Inc. FF 000548
86
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

PREMIER
MEDIA AND
MARKETING
IN GREATER JACKSONVILLE
We can help you reach real customers.
You’ve heard of The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville.com and our other
products because our team at Times-Union Media built our brand. We can do the
same for you. We offer a full suite of digital marketing services and custom
solutions that reach real customers who want to do business with you.
Visit timesunionmedia.com to learn more.
ONLINE ADVERTISING | SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING | CONTENT MARKETING | REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING | SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION | WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
1 Riverside Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32202
904.359.4318
wecanhelp@jacksonville.com

plea
for
Resurrection
DREAMS OF REVIVING
THE ICONIC SNYDER
MEMORIAL CHURCH
COME AND GO,
BUT SAVING THE
LIMESTONE AND
GRANITE BUILDING
WILL TAKE PASSION,
VISION AND QUITE
POSSIBLY A MIRACLE
BY CAROLE HAWKINS
PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF DAVIS
J MAGAZINE

“I certainly believe there will be someone with the
right vision and strategy. We’ve just got to find that
right person who has the financial wherewithal.”
Aundra Wallace, CEO OF THE Downtown Investment Authority
there aren’t many buildings
as beautiful as an
old church, and Snyder
Memorial is no exception.
The 1902 Gothic
Revival just opposite
Hemming
Park, with its rough-hewn granite
walls, crenellated bell tower
and intricate glass rose window,
could double as a fairy-tale
castle.
The biggest problem with a
beautiful old church is it always
looks like, well, a church. It
makes it tough to imagine a
future for Snyder Memorial,
abandoned by its suburbs-bound
parishioners decades ago and
idling on the city’s list of lazy
assets since 2006.
The Downtown Investment
Authority hopes a private partner
will deliver the capital needed to
resurrect the historic landmark.
“I certainly believe there will be
someone with the right vision and
strategy,” said DIA CEO Aundra
Wallace. “We’ve just got to find that
right person who has the financial
wherewithal.”
That vision so far has proven
elusive. Founded in 1870 as Trinity
Methodist Episcopal Church,
Snyder Memorial’s congregation
earned an early reputation as
a social safety net, tending sick
soldiers during a typhoid outbreak
in 1898.
The original church burned down in the
Great Fire of 1901, and the current building
was part of Downtown Jacksonville’s
rebuilding.
COMMUNITY CONSCIENCE
For 90 years, Snyder opened its doors
to the military, youth groups and passing
townsfolk in need of spiritual reflection.
It served as a refuge for 1960s civil rights
The Snyder Memorial Church (seen here in1964) served as a refuge for
1960s civil rights protesters, fed the poor and sheltered the indigent.
protesters, fed the poor and sheltered the
indigent. But support petered out in the
1990s as the church evolved more into an
urban ministry for vagrants than a place of
worship for the faithful.
In 2000 the building was deconsecrated
and sold, first to a band for a
performance venue and later to the city
when the band could no longer afford it.
The city has tried to sell the church once
since then, but received only one
proposal from an under-financed
bidder. The building now stands in
disrepair.
For years, Jacksonville’s pension
woes have kept projects like Snyder
off the budget. But this year the city
set aside $600,000 for the building.
To what purpose? “To be determined,”
Wallace said. It’s possible
it’ll be used for repairs, grants or
other incentives.
But Wallace wants engineers to
evaluate the building’s condition
first. The city has already put
$427,000 into roof and foundation
repairs, but Snyder is leaking
again. By spring, the DIA hopes
to publish a notice of condition,
giving potential buyers a better
idea of what a full rehabilitation
could involve.
Wallace says he’ll then defer
to the market for clues as to what
Snyder’s highest and best use
might be.
CREATIVE CHURCHES
Jacksonville has never seen
a historic Downtown church
adapted for reuse by a private
investor before. But Philadelphia
has. There are 82 historic sacred spaces in
Philadelphia that have been converted for
non-religious uses, according to a study
completed last year by The Pew Charitable
Trusts.
That amounts to about 10 percent of all
FLORIDA TIMES-UNION ARCHIVE
90
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

Light streams through the empty sanctuary at Snyder Memorial Church. The Downtown church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
JEFF DAVIS (MAP); JON M. FLETCHER
Monroe St.
historic churches in the city, compared to 5
percent that stand vacant. The re-purposed
churches have morphed into loft apartments,
mixed-use space, service agencies,
arts venues and schools. Those most likely
to be converted were located in stable
neighborhoods or in areas undergoing revitalization.
Condition, size and layout were
other success predictors, with investors
favoring simple rectangular layouts over
more complex ones.
Snyder’s layout has some challenges,
admits DIA Operations Manager
Guy Parola. Churches can be more
difficult to repurpose than other
types of buildings, because they
aren’t large square boxes. Redeveloping
a complex space demands
skilled artisans, and that raises costs.
“You really have two buildings
there,” he said. “You have a beautiful
open sanctuary that screams for public
engagement, for example, as a restaurant
or art gallery.
The other half of Snyder’s footprint is a
two-story maze of empty offices and classrooms.
That attracts a very different type
of tenant. “The nut everybody’s trying to
crack is which half of the building will pay
for which? You can’t bifurcate that space,”
Parola said. “It’s too connected.”
Alon Barzilay is a Philadelphia developer
who specializes in adaptive re-use
of historic buildings. He’s re-purposed
three old churches, converting them into
loft apartments, creative office space and
events venues.
DALTON
AGENCY
HEMMING
PARK
VISIT
JACKSONVILLE
Adams St.
CITY HALL
Duval St.
Laura St.
CHAMBLIN’S
UPTOWN
JIMMY
JOHN’S
N
MUSEUM OF
CONTEMPORARY
ART
MAIN
LIBRARY
Snyder
Memorial
Church
There are three advantages to working
with historic churches, he says: Federal
historic tax credits can help finance the
project, there’s less competition from other
developers at bidding, and old churches are
gorgeous.
“The number of marketing ideas that
come with an adapted church — it’s just
fantastic,” he said.
LOCATION FIRST
The key to profitability lies in diligent
cost analysis. Zoning attorneys, architects,
environmental scientists and construction
estimators are all part of Barzilay’s investigative
team.
“You can’t do it in a hurry,” he
said. “Very often you spend money
for an analysis, and it just doesn’t
make sense. So you move on. It’s
important to think of it as real estate
project, not as a church, he said.
Location is what determines the
highest and best use, not the building.
A walkable downtown district,
with coffee shops, cafes and art galleries?
It could become creative-class office
space for an architect, ad agency or tech
company — tenants who would be drawn
in by the church’s large open work spaces,
attractive exposed timbers, hardwood
floors and intricate windows.
A neighborhood you’d never want to
develop? Walk away, no matter how beautiful
the church is. “Not every church is a
winner,” Barzilay said.
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 91

“The city needs to move this thing
forward and activate it ASAP,
while the economic cycle is still
strong. We should stop waiting.”
Oliver Barakat, DIA BOARD MEMBER
In Downtown Jacksonville, location is what tempted local
businessman Jacques Klempf to convert the Bostwick, a historic
bank circa 1902, into a high-end steakhouse. The building, which
sits at the corner of Ocean and Bay streets, is one of the first things
commuters see driving into town across the Main Street Bridge.
From Cowford Chophouse’s rooftop bar, customers can take in
Jacksonville’s Southbank skyline, bridges and the St. Johns River.
“That location, the visibility, gave credence to us moving forward
to do what we did,” Klempf said.
Snyder’s location at Jacksonville’s civic square excites Klempf
less. There’s the Museum of Contemporary Art nearby that could
help draw customers for a trendy shop or restaurant. But with
larger buildings all around, there’s no scenic view.
“It’s hard to get people to want to come Downtown,” he said.
“You’ve really got to create a good experience, something they’re
not going to get anywhere else.”
Historic renovation doesn’t come cheaply, either. Klempf
figures it’s about three times the cost of new construction. And
there are always surprises. The Chophouse’s foundation turned
out to be so compromised contractors had to erect a new steel
frame structure within the building and attach the historic walls
to it.
Still, Klempf says he would do it all over again. “I really feel
really good about preserving this for Jacksonville,” he said. “The
building is beautiful. I’m very proud of it.”
Snyder Memorial isn’t nearly as challenged by its condition as
the Chophouse was, said DIA Board member Oliver Barakat. And
he believes it’s at a marquee and underutilized location.
“The city needs to move this thing forward and activate it
ASAP, while the economic cycle is still strong. We should stop
waiting,” Barakat said.
The city can offer two programs to tempt a private investor:
an enhancement grant for retail stores and creative offices, and
a historic trust fund. But Snyder isn’t waiting on incentives or
inspections, really.
It’s waiting for a creative vision of what a beautiful old church
can become if it’s never going to be a church again. On this, the
city comes up short, sidling its hoped-for private partner with the
larger portion of risk. That’s a shame. The church which, through
the ups and downs of Jacksonville’s history, cared for so many
others perhaps deserves a similar fate for itself.
CGC1521832
CAROLE HAWKINS is a freelance journalist. She lives in Murray Hill.
92
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

SICK OF YOUR
BIG BANK’S FEES
PECKING AWAY
AT YOUR
MONEY?
The change will do you good.
Your money means a lot to you, so when big banking fees start pecking away at your hard-earned savings,
it’s frustrating. At Jacksonville’s member-owned and operated 121 FINANCIAL CREDIT UNION,
we don’t add-on unnecessary fees or overwhelm you with red tape.
Make the change today at 121fcu.org/ChangeNow.
WE CARE ABOUT YOU BECAUSE WE ARE YOU.
Call: 904.723.6300
Visit: www.121fcu.org
Email: ask121@121fcu.org

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
By Roger Brown
Future coming fast
for transportation
A reimagined Skyway and driverless
vehicles and are just two Downtown
projects on JTA’s front burner
WILL DICKEY
N
at Ford became the CEO of the
Jacksonville Transportation
Authority in October 2012,
and in the five-plus years that have
followed, he has given new meaning
to the phrase “transformational
figure.”
During that time, Ford has:
n Completely overhauled JTA’s once
badly outdated
NAT FORD
WORK:
CEO of the Jacksonville
Transportation Authority
FROM:
New York
LIVES IN:
East Arlington
transit route
system — a
step that has
dramatically
increased the
daily on-time
rate for JTA
buses to
80 percent.
Before Ford
arrived, the on-time rate was a mediocre
65 percent (or worse).
n Launched the Blue and Green lines
of the popular First Coast Flyer system,
which features environment-friendly
buses equipped with Wi-Fi that travel
extended distances from Downtown to both
Jacksonville’s Southeast and North sides with
few time-consuming stops.
n Advanced the community conversation on
whether the automated, overhead 2.5-mile Skyway
can have a role in a future Downtown Jacksonville
(it can), and started work on how to make it a
relevant player in tomorrow’s Downtown.
n Began work on the Jacksonville Regional
Transportation Center — an idea that had been
dormant for years until Ford arrived — in the
LaVilla neighborhood. The first phase of the $58
million transportation center is the construction
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 95

Nat Ford watches as riders disembark from an autonomous vehicle at JTA’s test track near Metropolitan Park. The vehicles would eventually circulate Downtown.
of a new Greyhound Bus terminal, which
opens in March. By the end of 2020, the
regional center will also house the JTA’s
new administrative headquarters, the
main bus transfer facility, an area for niche
intercity bus services like the Megabus, a
pedestrian bridge, an enclosed passenger
waiting area, public restrooms, a bike storage
area and much more.
n Started work on pursuing a potential
autonomous vehicle service, with a test
track already in place to develop driverless
vehicles that would circulate around the
Downtown core and connect riders to key
Downtown spots and neighborhoods. And
that’s just some of the stuff Ford has gotten
done.
Clearly, Ford embraces the idea of being
a change agent who isn’t afraid to think big.
And Ford’s engaging “we can do it” spirit
was clearly on display during a Q and A
session with J Magazine.
What should be the JTA’s role in shaping
the future Downtown?
It’s critical that the JTA step up and have a
large role in Downtown’s success.
Look at the cities that are generally
considered our peers — and have
downtowns that are really successful:
Charlotte, Nashville, San Diego, Seattle and
Portland.
They all have public transportation
systems that obviously help people get to
and from work. But they do more than that.
They also provide even greater mobility for
people once they’re within the downtown
area.
They play a big role in creating the high
levels of activity that those cities have in their
downtowns.
They are a big reason why those
downtowns are so vibrant.
That’s what our challenge is at the JTA.
It is to build a robust transit network that
doesn’t just move people into Downtown
but, more importantly once they are
Downtown, moving them quickly from one
activity to the next, one location to the next,
one venue to the next.
That’s how we can add to the vibrancy
of the future Downtown Jacksonville, and
we’ve been working very hard in that regard.
It started with the (overhaul of the route
system).
Then we introduced the first two legs of
the First Coast Flyer to provide a premium
bus line service from and to the north and
south.
And at the same time, we began our
study into what to do with the Skyway —
should it stay? Should it be torn down and
turned into something else?
The fortunate thing is that on all of these
issues, we’ve been able to pull together all
of the stakeholders — from the educational
community, the business community,
elected officials, the Downtown Investment
Authority, our citizens.
What’s an example of how that partnership
has made a real difference in shaping the
future Downtown Jacksonville?
Well, for example, just from all of us
working together, it became really clear
that when you look at the development
taking place Downtown, we are really
going to need some type of conveyance
BRUCE LIPSKY
96
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

system to take people from, say, a Downtown neighborhood like
Brooklyn to a major venue like EverBank Field.
And that led us to determine that while the Skyway may not
have been as robust in the past as we may have liked, it’s definitely
going to be necessary in the future Downtown Jacksonville.
We’ll have to expand it somehow. We’ll have to stretch it
somehow. But we will need the Skyway.
So these are the kind of decisions that we’re going to keep
making working in partnership with all of the other stakeholders
working to build our future Downtown.
What is the biggest transportation challenge facing the future
Downtown Jacksonville?
The biggest challenge would be with the rapid development
that’s occurring Downtown, there will be traffic congestion issues if
people do not have alternatives for transportation.
Look at the Laura Street Trio site that’s now being redeveloped.
Look at all the other once-dormant buildings Downtown that are
being put in play and put back on the market to redevelop.
These are all sites that are going to be eventually filled up with
office workers and new businesses, all in our central core.
Now, if every one of these employees is driving into Downtown
Jacksonville every day in a single-occupant vehicle, we will have the
alternative problem of prosperity — which is traffic congestion.
So we have got to be smart. We have got to manage that.
What I’m excited about is that we feel that we — the JTA — are
ahead of the curve on this.
The work we’re doing with the (autonomous vehicle) test track,
the work we’re doing to transform the Skyway and make the
conversion to getting it to street level, we’re not starting from
scratch in coming up with solutions to address the potential
problem of traffic congestion in our Downtown.
So, yes, we do feel we are well ahead of the curve in terms of our
planning.
We’re more in “Let’s execute what we need to do” mode than in
“What will we need to do?” mode.
And that’s a good place to be.
A year from now, what do you hope to point to and say, “This
is what the JTA have accomplished that’s made Downtown
Jacksonville a better place than it was last year”?
Well, one, the Greyhound Bus terminal will be totally relocated,
and it will be operating out of a state-of-the-art location.
We’ll be a year closer to opening up the full regional
transportation center, which is going to be a great thing in the
ongoing revitalization of LaVilla.
We will be even farther along in the process of making a decision
on what kind of vehicle we want for our (autonomous vehicle project)
and moving forward on our plan to build the system.
The East Line of the First Coast Flyer — the Red Line — will be up
and running.
And we will be continuing our outreach to get folks out of their
cars, and to give us a chance and try our system.
It seems pretty clear that you feel really good about where the JTA
is heading.
Well, it’s an exciting time for the JTA. And it’s an exciting time for
Downtown Jacksonville.
Roger Brown has been a Times-Union editorial writer since 2013.
He lives in Downtown Jacksonville.
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 97

THE FINAL WORD
Investments needed
for Jacksonville to
become a great city
PRESTON
HASKELL
PHONE
(904) 791-4507
EMAIL
preston.haskell
@haskell.com
great city is characterized by a
A thriving Downtown, superior roads
and public transportation, extensive
access to parks and natural amenities, quality
education for all, accessible libraries and
broadband, low crime levels, aesthetic beauty,
high levels of human and social services, quality
arts and cultural institutions and, correspondingly,
high per-capita incomes.
These are not simply abstract or aspirational conditions.
Cities with these characteristics provide a superior
environment for earning a living, raising a family,
starting or expanding a business. Such higher quality
of life attracts smart and educated people and supports
thriving business enterprises who invest in their
businesses and pay superior wages. In this environment,
the economy thrives, personal incomes go up, property
becomes more valuable — in short, everyone benefits
from a high level of economic activity and prosperity.
In Jacksonville, we have not made adequate investments
in economic development, infrastructure,
social services, neighborhood beautification, arts and
culture, and other attributes essential to achieving this
level of quality of life. Indeed, we have operated our city
government on the cheap: lowering the millage rate year
after year, making it well below our peer cities, refusing
to consider new taxes and even eschewing the continuation
of existing taxes. We are only meeting essential
operational needs, not investing in our future.
We have become not the best city in Florida, but the
cheapest.
Our peer cities in Florida have not taken this self-destructive
route. Orlando/Orange, Miami/Dade and Tampa/Hillsborough
have invested far more, on a per capita
basis, in public safety, infrastructure and environment,
parks, social and children’s services, arts and culture,
and libraries than we have. Their property tax rates are
higher, but their vibrant downtowns, superior infrastructures
and comprehensive social services and intellectual
resources have resulted not just in better quality of life
but also higher per-capita incomes.
Raising taxes is never pleasant or uncontroversial.
But if so doing will return benefits to the citizenry well
beyond the cost, we should, thoughtfully and boldly, set
out to do it. We should begin by funding the Downtown
Investment Authority at a level that will enable it to
attract significantly more housing, retail and entertainment
venues to our city center.
We must invest in public transportation to make
neighborhoods and downtown more accessible and
slow the rate of suburban sprawl.
We should maintain our parks, recreation venues and
river accesses at a higher level.
We must increase services to children and resources
for education.
We must improve conditions of the indigent, homeless
and underemployed with a view toward making
them productive and secure members of our society.
We must make resources like libraries and broadband
accessible to all.
We must increase support for public safety, our arts
and cultural institutions, and for the beautification of
our city and neighborhoods. And we can do this and still
remain a relatively low-tax city.
Transformation of our community in this manner
will require thoughtful and resolute leadership from
our elected officials, particularly the mayor. It will also
require commitment from our civic leaders, business
leaders, nonprofit institutions and the private sector generally.
These forces, under the mayor’s leadership, must
join together in crafting and communicating a vision for
a more prosperous and higher-income community — a
vision that people will believe in, will support and will
implement because they know that it is in their own
best interests and the best interests of their children and
grandchildren, to do so.
We already enjoy a distinct combination of natural
assets in our ocean and beaches, river, climate and
nature. If these features were accompanied by adequate
investment in infrastructure and services, it would create
a city known throughout the U. S. as a highly desirable
place to move to or invest in. This, in turn would create a
virtuous cycle of ever-increasing economic activity supporting
a higher quality of life, which in turn increases
economic activity — a dynamic that will perpetuate itself
far into the future.
If we do all of this, we will make Jacksonville one of
the finest and most desirable cities in America.
Preston Haskell is founder of The Haskell Company
and a leading Jacksonville philanthropist. He and his
wife live in Jacksonville’s Ortega neighborhood.
98
J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018

DAILYSPLACE.COM
DAILYSPLACE.COM
DAILYSPLACE.COM
@DAILYSPLACE
@DAILYSPLACE
@DAILYSPLACE
UPCOMING EVENTS
APR
APR APR
15
APR
APR
20
MAY
MAY
04
MAY
MAY
13
STEELY DAN THE STEELY DOOBIE DAN &
BROTHERS
&
THE DOOBIE BROTHERS
MAY
MAY
A ODESZA
2018 A A MOMENT APART TOUR
A 16 ODESZA
2018 A A MOMENT APART TOUR
JUNE
JUNE
TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND
TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND
29 JULY
JULY
01 JULY
22 AUG AUG
AUG AUG
17 BIG SEAN WITH PLAYBOI CARTI,
SHY BIG BIG GLIZZY SEAN AND WITH
WITH GASHI
PLAYBOI
PLAYBOI CARTI,
CARTI,
SHY SHY GLIZZY GLIZZY AND AND GASHI GASHI
THOMAS RHETT
THOMAS RHETT
SKILLET AND
FOR SKILLET KING AND
COUNTRY
FOR KING & & COUNTRY
WITH DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS && THE & THE THE MARCUS KING BAND
WITH DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS && THE & THE MARCUS KING KING BAND
BAND
THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS
THIRTY SECONDS TO TO MARS
CHICAGO & & REO REO SPEEDWAGON
05 O.A.R.
WITH MATT NATHANSON
WITH
WITH MATT
MATT NATHANSON
NATHANSON
JASON MRAZ MRAZ WITH WITH BRETT BRETT DENNEN
DENNEN
FOUNDING FOUNDING PARTNERS: PARTNERS:
FOUNDING PARTNERS:
BACKSTAGE BACKSTAGE PARTNER PARTNER
BACKSTAGE PARTNER