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One of Mayor John Peyton’s campaign promises was to streamline the permitting process. However, this streamlining was yet another improvement geared for large scale developments, not for the small business owners.
National bagel retailer Einstein's Bagels opened weeks late because their legal department could not figure out Jacksonville's permitting maze.
This is something that is troubling to see downtown, especially when you have organizations like Downtown Vision (DVI) and the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, whose job it is to promote business growth, and in the case of DVI, to specifically promote it downtown. What’s more troubling is that in the case of Einstein’s and Fuddruckers, these are national chains that can afford to pay people to deal with the city’s red tape. If these corporations, who have people dedicated to the task, can’t figure out the city’s maze of retail business permitting requirements, is there any hope for small businesses?
Local businessman Ron Chamblin, owner of Chamblin's Bookmine on Roosevelt Blvd, is in the process of opening his second location, Chamblin's Uptown. The location was originally scheduled to open in November 2006. As of April 2007, significant work remains undone.
The fact that business after business has failed to open on time due to permitting issues is a result of one or more of the following problems:
1. The city requires permits for ridiculous things (or things that don’t require permits in other parts of town).
2. The process to open up a business downtown is not clear.
3. Different people are giving different answers to the same questions.
One tidbit that may help: In the Downtown Development flowchart on the city's website, COJ.net, it may help to list the names of people that actually work for the city.
As of April 26th, the following document contains the names of contacts no longer in their stated positions: http://www.coj.net/
Why is it that we turn something so simple into something so complicated? We always talk about these big ideas and all these parks and open spaces and all of these riverfront improvements, yet if small businesses and merchants can't get a permit to open up shop, it's all for nothing.
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vicupstate
April 26, 2007, 07:02:31 AMHow about some interviews with these folks. What specifically have they run into? How about sending an unidentified 'reporter' through the process.
clayton bixby
April 26, 2007, 09:01:15 AMa complicated permit process ensures job security for those city bureaucrats whose livelihood depends on that process. It makes perfect sense, in the bizzaro world of big government that we have today.
JJ
April 26, 2007, 01:39:37 PMAre city leaders and clueless. They don't care about downtown. And when they try, they manager to screw it up. This city goverment blows!
JJ
April 26, 2007, 01:40:15 PMI meant "our" not "are" but I am sure the grammar police will let me have it,
BagLady
April 26, 2007, 11:50:20 PMI agree with vicupstate. Send in someone, an 'unidentified' reporter to investigate, someone posing as a business person.so that we can get further insight on the problems.
As the other poster (Clayton) said, "a complicated permit process ensures job security for those city bureaucrats whose livelihood depends on that process."
This is the root cause! ---Finally, JJ, don't worry about the grammar, because your comments were right on point!
It's not fair or right that our city leaders, when they seek election or re-election, they make so many promises that they know won't be kept. We need new businesses downtown. I'm old enough to remember when we had a lively, thriving, downtown. It wasn't Madison Avenue or Rodeo Drive, but there was enough "Southern bustle" in the downtown area for the residents to feel proud.
We had May Cohen, Furchgotts, Ivey's, Woolworth's, Kreskge's, WT Grant's, JC Penneys, Diana Shop, Mangam's, Young Men's, Rose's, various furniture stores, others that I can't remember. I very rarely go downtown any more as there's just not too much there any more. Parking is a mess downtown, so that discourages visiting and too many simultaneous one-way streets one, two, and three before there is another street going in the opposite direction.
If there are "illegal" mis-spellings here, and there probably are--it's been so long since those stores I mentioned were here---I think I'd better apologize to the Spelling Police before I post my comment. :-
joey
April 27, 2007, 08:57:29 AMCan someone please explain to me why our downtown has a parking issue? on every corner there is a parking station (which I never use because there is always a spot on the street). I just don't get why people complain about this all of the time. In my experience our downtown is very accsessable by car and should be a non issue when it comes to attracting customers to downtown stores. There may be a problem with the amount of parking garages taking up prime real estate but not the amount of parking spots. If you want to see a parking problem go to SoHo on the weekend. That's an issue.
NeoUrban
April 27, 2007, 11:23:18 AMPermitting issues also caused problems for the Springfield Farmer's Market. Specifically, the Duval County Tax Collectors Office (who gives out permits and licenses) does not communicate with the Historic Preservation Committee. When zoning codes downtown contradict with the zoning overlay in the Historic District, they defer to the Downtown codes which do not necessarily apply to Springfield. We need a strong City Councilperson in our District who will push for TND ordinances AKA "SmartCodes" that will boost mixed-use friendliness rather than the current constrictions. See links like http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/landuse/tools.shtml for more info.
mtraininjax
April 28, 2007, 12:39:13 AMGo get 'em Kevin! What is next to take on, perhaps the Ski Slope overlooking Queen's Harbor?