Live blogging DIA

[thelakelander]

DIA will have a special meeting to discuss the mobility plan moratorium in advance of the Feb. 26th public hearing.  Meeting date and time TBA.  I think I know where we all need to be.

[thelakelander]

Jim Robinson, director of Public Works, provides the DIA with an update on the Southbank Riverwalk.

$15 million is set aside for the project. Construction will start this summer.  Construction to be a sequence of "demolish-build" starting at the Friendship Fountain moving towards the School Board Building.

[thelakelander]

- Shade structures will be installed in front of the Crowne Plaza garage and Gate Riverplace (old Gulf Life Tower).

- There is consideration to eliminate the existing riverwalk near the school board office to stop fishing and illegal parking. If this happens, it would be built in a way to where it could easily be extended at a later date.

- June/July start date. Should take a full year to complete.

- Project will not result in better connection with the Main Street Bridge. The two museum structures on either side of the museum will be removed.

[thelakelander]

JTA's new CEO Nat Ford, who started on Dec. 3, is now speaking.  He fills the DIA in on the details of his recently announced reorganization plan. Learn more about the plan here:

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-jan-jta-unveils-major-reorganization-plan-

[thelakelander]

Ford mentions that he is a resident of downtown Jacksonville now. Speaks of his experience running San Francisco's system and offers to be a resource to the DIA for multimodal transportation planning and development in downtown.

[thelakelander]

Oliver Barakat and Tony Allegretti mention their support for the skyway and question the duplication of service by the proposed BRT project.

[thelakelander]

Hemming Plaza situation update:

- HART of Jacksonville - a proposed non-profit organization to run Hemming Plaza.  They have a video with Transform Jax Hemming Plaza white paper quotes leading it off.

- Hemming Arts Recreation Team (H.A.R.T.), named after Isiah Hart. 

- A 501C, HART would program events in Hemming and form partnerships with other groups to enhance Hemming.

- Louis Kahn Park (Philly) and Denny Park (Seattle) used as examples.

- Target date or HART would be having it established by One Spark Festival.

Unfortunately, this is the end of my live blog.  My meter time is up.

[tufsu1]

I believe they decided to study Hemming a bit more....which means HART is unlikely to be up by One Spark

[Noone]

- There is consideration to eliminate the existing riverwalk near the school board office to stop fishing and illegal parking. If this happens, it would be built in a way to where it could easily be extended at a later date.

This is not good.

[xplanner]

A lot of time, money and energy has been expended in planning for the redevelopment of the JEA Southside Generating Station, which is the rightful easterly terminus of the Southbank Riverwalk. The failure to extend the Riverwalk in "front" of the School Board Building in this new design potentially jeopardizes the success of that redevelopment, in that it may remove an offsetting pedestrian mobility feature that was envisioned in the Downtown Concurrency Exception Area. DDRB will need to vet these design changes against previous commitments and may have to remind the DCSB that they are obligated to abide by the same legislation as their private sector neighbors.

[dougskiles]

^I am equally concerned about these changes to the riverwalk design, and apparently with no community input.

I also heard them say that there will be NO connection from the east side of the Main Street Bridge to the riverwalk simply because the hotel doesn't want too much activity behind their property.

In this case, someone walking (or running as I did yesterday right after the meeting) on that side of the bridge will see the riverwalk and have no perceivable access to it.  They would either have to go to Riverplace Blvd and then all the way down to the Strand/Peninsula to cross (which has it's own issues - lack of signage, sidewalk) OR cross back under the expressway, go back up the bridge, and use the sidewalk to Friendship Fountain and then back under the bridge.

And again, these decisions are being made with no community input and because of ONE private property owner.

I understand everyone is anxious to get these projects started, however, these are decisions we will be stuck with for many years to come.  If they need another 6 months to get this right, by all means, take it.

[Noone]

^+1

[comncense]

Pretty impressed to hear that Mr. Ford is a downtown resident. Hopefully this will shape his ideas on how transportation downtown can vastly be improved.

[xplanner]

It is a head-scratcher that we mandate as part of new development approvals along the river the participation by private landowners in the continuation and construction cost of Riverwalk elements, while caving-in to existing property owners who choose to "opt-out" of government-funded improvements to government-owned infrastructure that in fact adds to the value of those properties that are getting the free public ride. Fortunately the DDRB is obligated to review the new Riverwalk design and they do have the authority to reject all or part of the design.The opportunity for public input on these significant functional changes is not lost. 

[dougskiles]

Here is what I'm talking about (scroll right to see the entire image):