Summer 2019

More documents

Recommendations

Info

es with the National African-American Museum and South Africa. This cultural appreciation would extend throughout LaVilla. n Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School of the Medical Arts, which in its early incarnation as the Cookman Institute included A. Philip Randolph as the 1907 valedictorian. The Emerald Trail’s model mile extends to the current S Line trail behind UF Health Jacksonville. The third great asset involves LaVilla’s proud history. Its sense of place is ready to be utilized as an authentic feature of any redevelopment plan. As Mick Cornett, the former mayor of Oklahoma City, wrote, every city has a story to tell. LaVilla once was a city, incorporated in 1866 with 1,100 residents, 70 percent of them African-Americans. As James Weldon Johnson wrote in his autobiography “Along the Way,” long after Reconstruction, Jacksonville was known as a good town for African-Americans, with blacks occupying important civic positions. That changed, sadly, with the rise of Jim Crow policies. Johnson, by the way, held various jobs at The Florida Times-Union, including as assistant to Editor Charles Jones. Nevertheless, many cities have celebrated neighborhoods far less than LaVilla’s, yet Jacksonville until now has failed to promote its history as part of its civic story. That has contributed to an identity crisis. But the story of LaVilla is so much more. There were the black former Union soldiers who were stationed in Jacksonville and settled here. There are Chinese settlers who set up businesses there. And a Cuban community. And there were racy elements including a red light district and the story of author Stephen Crane and his paramour Cora Crane. Tours of James P. Small Park PARK ST. KINGS ROAD Florida C. Dwight Memorial Playground N 95 Brooklyn Park RIVERSIDE AVE. LEE ST. DAVIS ST. ACOSTA BRIDGE 8TH ST. Darnell-Cookman Middle/ High School of the Medical Arts Relocated Brewster Hospital Regional Transportation Center LaVilla with professional storytellers, multimedia productions for smart phones and other devices can capitalize on the wonderful history. The Rummell-Munz report gets practical as well. The big driver for any development involves people living there, not passing through as commuters. The draft report notes that living units have sprung up for low-income residents, supported by governmental incentives like tax credits, while on the high end there are residences for high-income people. HISTORY VITAL TO LAVILLA’S FUTURE 95 JEFFERSON ST. Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park McCoys Creek A. Philip Randolph waiting room BROAD ST. WATER ST. Hogans Creek The Ritz Theatre & Museum Genovar’s Hall Clara White Mission Klutho Park STATE ST. UNION ST. BEAVER ST. Old Stanton High School ADAMS ST. FORSYTH ST. BAY ST. St. Johns River A way needs to be found to add housing for what the draft report calls “the missing middle.” This could mean townhomes. But some sort of incentives will be needed to start, perhaps marking down land prices with a “land trust.” Other residential opportunities could involve ground-floor retail with residences on upper floors. With more residents with money to spend, more retail will come to serve them. The Rummell-Munz report doesn’t envision a major revival of retail, though developments in nearby Brooklyn are encouraging. What Downtown’s six Florida State College Hemming Park MAIN ST. BRIDGE identifiable neighborhoods need — Brooklyn, LaVilla, the Cathedral District, the Central Business District, the Stadium District and the Southbank — are ways to easily connect them that doesn’t involve parking, something like a Downtown trolley. The Ultimate Urban Circulator being proposed for Bay Street would use the Skyway and driverless vehicles at grade to make a connection. Someday they might be traveling throughout Downtown. New research finds that young adults are moving away from driving. These Downtown neighborhoods can be among the first in the nation to use an innovative mass transit network. Turning LaVilla into a walkable neighborhood also means narrowing the roads, called “a road diet.” Currently, most of the streets in LaVilla are designed for pass-through traffic. If a four-lane street has under 20,000 cars per day, then it’s a candidate for a diet. Beaver Street, for instance, has about 10,000 cars per day. On Water Street in front of the Federal Reserve, there is capacity for 35,000 cars per day, but just 3,500 cars per day use it. Another sign of neighborhood traffic involves fewer two-way streets. Adams Street offers an opportunity for a kind of Main Street area and not as an extended ramp to the interstates. The Rummell-Munz report sees some office opportunities there, though the huge Duval County Courthouse did not spur much nearby office development. Mike Field, a two-time citizen member of the Times-Union’s Editorial Board, suggests the creation of streetscapes that are unique to LaVilla. He also suggests development that gives non-white entrepreneurs a chance to open new businesses, JEFF DAVIS 74 J MAGAZINE | SUMMER <strong>2019</strong>
GROUNDWORK JACKSONVILLE A proposal to construct a “road diet” on Park Street as part of the Emerald Trail would create a pedestrian walkway on the viaduct over McCoys Creek. thus avoiding the pitfalls of gentrification. He sees more retail opportunities than the report. Brooklyn Station is leased up, and there are other businesses planned there. In short, Field says Brooklyn is healthy, so there is no reason that LaVilla can’t do the same. Speaking of links, waterways are never far from anything Downtown. LaVilla would need links to both a revitalized McCoys Creek — funding is already committed for it — and the St. Johns River. Once devastated by urban renewal, LaVilla is poised to make a comeback in grand style. Mike Clark has been a reporter and editor for The Florida Times-Union and its predecessors since 1973 and editorial page editor since 2005. He lives in Nocatee. Excellence in motion. yesterday Dames Point Bridge today Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla tomorrow Ultimate Urban Circulator autonomous vehicle jtafla.com
Page 1 and 2:
THE MAGAZINE OF THE REBIRTH OF JACK
Page 3 and 4:
Urban Living in Downtown Jacksonvil
Page 5 and 6:
Serving Jacksonville for over 40 ye
Page 7 and 8:
BEHIND THE SCENES: Looking for fun
Page 9 and 10:
FROM THE EDITOR Berkman II sham end
Page 11 and 12:
«««««««««««««««««
Page 13 and 14:
NEWNAN FLAGLER SPRINGFIELD MARKET N
Page 15 and 16:
WINTER 2018-19 | J MAGAZINE 57
Page 17 and 18:
architecture ◆ engineering ◆ co
Page 19 and 20:
The quest for Downtown family fun r
Page 21 and 22:
The next time you find yourself in
Page 23 and 24: As more people choose to live Downt
Page 25 and 26: From Bellwether to Cowford Chophous
Page 27 and 28: Watch the video at suddath.com/jack
Page 29 and 30: SUMMER 2019 | J MAGAZINE 29
Page 33 and 34: CITY OF JACKSONVILLE “It was the
Page 35 and 36: food trucks, a pet therapy zoo, and
Page 37 and 38: We know Jacksonville. Times-Union i
Page 39 and 40: The new JEA headquarters will be lo
Page 41 and 42: “We have a successful track recor
Page 43 and 44: “There’s a general belief if yo
Page 45 and 46: Enjoying a cup of coffee and some d
Page 47 and 48: Pilar Langthon Downtown connection:
Page 49 and 50: intriguing downtowners SUMMER 2019
Page 53 and 54: Dimitri Demopoulos The Downtown Con
Page 60 and 61: POLISHING A CROWN JEWEL The new CEO
Page 62 and 63: January 2018. And he was impressed.
Page 64 and 65: THE BROOKLYN REVIVAL HOW ONE DOWNTO
Page 66 and 67: ooklyn Plans for a Brooklyn food ha
Page 68 and 69: LEFT: When the Brooklyn Station sho
Page 70 and 71: \\\\\ T R E N D I N G ///// F O O D
Page 72 and 73: REIMAGINING A VIBRANT LAVILLA BY MI
Page 76 and 77: TINY HOUSE VILLAGE WILL BENEFIT VET
Page 78 and 79: “We researched [tiny houses]. It
Page 80 and 81: The Downtown Urban Rest Stop on the
Page 82 and 83: PREMIER MEDIA AND MARKETING IN GREA
Page 84: Reporting the truth for more than 1
Page 87 and 88: Good Evening Continued from page 21
Page 89 and 90: BOB SELF (2) performance space. Jus
Page 91 and 92: which in my opinion has gone downhi
Page 93 and 94: 70 PORTS 23 STATES 1 HOMETOWN CSX i
Page 95 and 96: law firm in Springfield. She fell i
Page 97 and 98: soon. Why not promote our ‘Downto
Page 100: WE’RE PROUD TO BE NAMED ONE OF TH
show all

Summer 2019

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?