Downtown Parks: Bay and Ocean Pocket Park

[fsujax]

Jason, I agree with your assessment. there has got to be some sort of better connection between the Landing and the activity on Bay St.

[Steve]

so are the taking away this ramp?

That would suck because that is the way I use to get to Springfield when I go down by the Landing, other wise you have to keep going to the Hyatt and turn there.

No - the signal at Bay and Ocean is going to be redesigned, similar to Broad and Bay.

[Captain Zissou]

I like TPC's idea of calling them pocket change parks.  The only possible plus is if that guy with the sax starts to play here instead of under the Main Street east of the Landing, that would be quite pleasant.  Unless this park is extremely well lit, safe, and inviting, I think people will continue to use whatever route they previously used to get from the Landing to Bay Street. 
Out of curiosity, how many people actually go from Bay Street to the Landing??   

[Doctor_K]

I haven't seen that sax-player guy in like months.  Is he still playing 'neath the Main St. Bridge?  I think he should get two jazz buddies and set up a trio and play in this new pocket-change park as a regular establishment.  Would be phenomenal.

[Captain Zissou]

I saw (heard actually) him two weekends ago on Saturday afternoon.  I have actually talked to him at length once or twice.  He and the rapping/bike trick homeless man are my two favorite outdoorsmen downtown.

[JaxNative68]

Green spaces in cities are highly underrated, even if they are under utilized by people the do soften the surrounding area and promote better air quality.  Besides I would rather have 100 pocket-change parks than abandon foundations of building that have been demolished as we have now throughout our downtown landscape.

[copperfiend]

Out of curiosity, how many people actually go from Bay Street to the Landing??  

Not many that I know.

[chris]

I met with the director of JEDC for a project I've been working on for school and he mentioned this, the MetPark redesign, and the resignaling of Bay Street for gameday traffic as some sort of redesign of the entire Northbank. Seemed like an awful lot of money to throw at an area that still has safety concerns.

BTW, that ramp is and has been closed for quite sometime. As I understand, it will remain closed as part of the intersection redesign regardless of whether or not this park is built.

[hanjin1]

Yea, I am patiently awaiting the opening of that ramp, as I use it a lot.

[Ocklawaha]

I love it, one more place to put our streetcars should we desire to run them up Ocean. Otherwise, a good entry to transit on Independence Drive. BTW, Am I the only one that has a probblem with double named roads? Why not decide either Independence or Water Street? Ditto for the Southside corridor with 100 names, imagine being an out of town executive and trying to find the right office, in the right office park, and the freeway has 100 names! "JTB 1 mile", "J.T. Butler, 1 mile", "Turner Butler, 1 mile", "J. Turner Butler, 1 mile", "Butler Blvd, 1 mile" etc... Boulevard? more confusion, it's another EXPRESSWAY! Sucks to be the executive looking for a Boulevard.

It's worse then the "OCKLAWAHA RIVER" which the State continues to misspell as "OKLAWAHA" on about 1/2 of the bridges and maps. How about those expressway directional signs in Northern St. Johns County that read "Jacksonville 17 Miles," and within the next mile one passes another sign, "JACKSONVILLE CITY LIMITS - AMERICA'S LOGISTICS CENTER." Logistics? Hell Tallahassee or the Federal DOT doesn't even know where the city is, imagine the job they'll do on our High Speed Rail!

OCKLAWAHA

[Jason]

I couldn't agree more Ock.

[Captain Zissou]

Ock, I think I read on here that those "Jacksonville 17 mile" signs are in reference to the courthouse.  Apparently that is the universal system of measurement on interstates, to the courthouse..... Maybe.. 

[tufsu1]

the ramp where the park will be was officially closed by curb and gutter at Bay Street just this week....and the retooling of the signals sahould be semi-operational within a few weeks

[Basstacular]

Out of curiosity, how many people actually go from Bay Street to the Landing??  

Not many that I know.

I am sure I am the minority, but me and my friends make that jump nearly every weekend.  Most of the time we get started at Dive and wind up wanting to get a little country in us at Mavericks.  Just last weekend I thought how nice it would be if that area was a little more lit and pedistrian friendly.

Just letting you know some would appreciate it.

[archiphreak]

I'd love to have a smart ass remark in response to what the City Proposes, but honestly at this point I'm just all out of words.  The City is taking away a road to put in a "pocket park".....a park next to an off ramp at the Main Street Bridge....tucked between an off ramp and a big tall building and surface parking lot.....Do City Officials go around thinking of ways they can screw up the city by and large or is this really all accidental?