Summer 2019

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207,810 24-27
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DIGITS
The square
footage of a new
nine-story JEA
headquarters
building planned
for 325 W.
Adams St.,
adjacent to the
Duval County
Courthouse.
The number
of months the
Ryan Companies
expect the JEA
project to take.
(PAGE 38)
BRIEFING
By The Florida Times-Union Editorial Board
Thumbs up to longtime
City Councilwoman
Lori Boyer becoming
the new CEO of the
Downtown Investment
Authority. Given Boyer’s
passion, vast knowledge
and proven track record
in addressing Downtown
issues along with her
visionary work in putting
together a bold plan
to reduce the number
of Downtown zoning
designations, her hiring is
a home run.
Thumbs up for Jacksonville
showing up in the
top 10 of Money magazine’s
Best Places to
Live in America list.
The list ranks cities with
at least 300,000 people
that are affordable, offer
promising job growth and
have interesting neighborhoods.
Thumbs down to the
still-sparse number of
Downtown locations
that offer pedestrians
shade during hot
days and cover during
rainy ones. Can’t we all
start grasping the fact
that Jacksonville has a
subtropical climate —
and needs a Downtown
that fully reflects that
fact? And, please, no
more useless palm trees!
HITS & MISSES
Thumbs up to a project
to have 18 tiny
apartments —
made out of shipping
containers — built on
East Ashley Street in the
Cathedral District. Each
unit would be the size
of a hotel room, and
the whole apartment
complex would be a cool
addition to Downtown.
Thumbs down to the
reality that there still isn’t
enough being done to
draw people into Downtown
on the weekends
just because they love the
idea of being Downtown
— and not because they
have come there for
some special event. Case
in point: On one recent
beautiful, 87-degree
Sunday, it was possible to
throw a rock down Laura
Street from the Main
Library to the foot of
the Landing and not even
come anywhere close to
plunking anyone walking
on either sidewalk.
Thumbs up to the recent
upgrades on the
riverwalks, which
include a colorfully
renovated restroom and
benches with shade along
the Southbank and new
wayfinding markers on
both the banks.
FIRST PERSON
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Thumbs up to the
rising home prices
in the near-Downtown
neighborhoods of Riverside
and Avondale, as
well as Ortega. A lively
Downtown must have
healthy nearby neighborhoods
offering a variety
of housing options that
attract high interest on
the market.
Thumbs up the rescheduled
Rolling
Stones concert at
TIAA Bank Field. The
legendary rock group will
now appear July 19. The
original date had been
canceled after iconic lead
singer Mick Jagger had
heart surgery.
Thumbs down to
Downtown
parking that still
isn’t as convenient as it
should be in the center
of a major American
city. St. Augustine is
handing Jacksonville its
lunch when it comes
to making downtown
parking easy and
hassle-free. St. Augustine
is moving toward
an app-based system
for parking in the city
center; in contrast, our
Downtown still has too
many outdated parking
meters.
“We want a very well designed public space that draws people in.
It will become a more open public space that excites people
and provides a way for families to enjoy the waterfront.”
DIA Interim Director Brian Hughes ON THE FUTURE OF THE LANDING (PAGE 30)
SUMMER 2019 | J MAGAZINE 11