Hogans Creek Park Master Plan

[Metro Jacksonville]

Hogans Creek Park Master Plan



After years of neglect, the City of Jacksonville, Project for Public Spaces, and HDR, Inc. are teaming up to develop a master plan that brings life and activity back to Jacksonville's original "Central Park." Today, Metro Jacksonville shares a few of the concepts being considered by park planners.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-nov-hogans-creek-park-master-plan

[Charles Hunter]

Interesting.  This will be very costly, beyond the enviro remediation - relocating the Health Department, and an open, apparently viable business (Warren Motors) on State Street.  If Federal funds are proposed, removing the historic Klutho features may be a big stumbling block.  Have these features (the balustrades, for example) been recognized "historic" by any agency, like State Historic Preservation or the City? 

[fsu813]

#1 - The money is there through various resources.

#2 - I hope they've been deemed offically 'historic'. If not, that was a big oversight.

#3 -New Kluthlo balustrades are planned, if i'm not mistaken. The old ones would be disregarded for continuity and cost reasons. If there is any way to at least consolidate and rehab the ones that aren't in that bad of shape into one strech, that would be great. I conceed that rehabbing every single balustrade regardless of condition is probably out of the question.

[thelakelander]

Any idea of what happens with the health department?  If forced to relocate, do they plan to leave Springfield or go to a site that can help continue the commercial revitalization of the area?

[thelakelander]

Looking at the Confederate Park rendering, it looks like the front half of Klutho's Claude Nolan building (Main & Orange) has been chopped off to make room for a right turn lane and island on Orange.  The small Klutho warehouse behind it is also gone.  If those two go, they should probably go ahead and tear down the middle section as well.  Also, is the city assuming that they will take over the Park View Inn site? 

[sheclown]

"micro grocery"?

A new convenience store in Springfield --

[sheclown]

Sounds a bit like we are knocking down our historic heritage in favor of World Golf Village.

I don't love Springfield for the soccer fields (there are enough of them in the city) I love Springfield for the historic components. 

[fsu813]

"potential micro grocery" actually.........basically the guy was just trying to think of what may be a useful, popular use there.

It could have said "Ice cream stand", etc.

I do think some of the designs are bit too modern as well. Probably not that hard to address.

Again, this was just the first rough draft.

What specifically takes away from the history/heritage and makes it feel too "wordl Golf Village" in your eyes?

 

[NthDegree]

The master plan looks highly conceptual, but then, this article assumes I know a lot about this project already. I wish I had a little more background on the project's objectives.

[thelakelander]

Here is some background info:

Push to revive Hogans Creek gathers steam

Jacksonville Business Journal - by Christian Conte

Once a scenic haven on the edge of Downtown Jacksonville, the parks that straddle Hogans Creek are now crumbling and polluted.

But a grass-roots group backed by the city and private companies says the area has the potential to be the figurative and literal bridge between the city’s core and surrounding neighborhoods and a catalyst for economic development.

That’s why the group, led by City Councilman Johnny Gaffney, Springfield residents and representatives from various corporate entities in and around Downtown, have come together to help create a master plan for the 27-acre neglected city parks that stretch from Liberty Street to Eighth Street.

Jacksonville-based HDR Engineering Inc. is leading the $100,000 project paid for with city funds to determine the best uses for the parks, which date back to the late 1800s.

The project has included several community and stakeholder meetings with HDR and its partner on part of the project, Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit group in New York City that provides consultation services for what it calls placemaking for communities.

During a Sept. 15 stakeholders’ meeting, Project for Public Spaces Vice President Phil Myrick said by designing destinations, uses and activities for the area, you could create an atmosphere that people want to return to after work and on weekends.

“You can start to turn your city around with a project like this,” Myrick said.

Other cities that have created spaces to draw residents back into the downtown area have been successful, Myrick said.

Discovery Green, a 12-acre park in Downtown Houston that opened in spring 2008 includes a lake, interactive water features, a playground, an amphitheater, dog runs, green lawns and several restaurants. That park cost $41 million to build, but raised $80 million in private funding and has created $850 million in new construction investment, Myrick said.

The Hogans Creek park system,­ which includes John N. McPherson Park, Klutho Park, Armory Park and Confederate Park, has a long history in Jacksonville. The Springfield Development Co. deeded a portion of what would become the park system to the city in 1898.

The city hosted a U.S. Confederate Army reunion at what was later named Confederate Park in 1914 and architect Henry Klutho designed a beautification of the park system in 1929 that included bulkheads, bridges, sidewalks, decorative balustrades and light fixtures.

Over the years, however, Klutho’s designs were damaged or removed and the park system fell into disrepair.

Ray Beeson, an investment analyst for Regency Centers Corp. (NYSE: REG), was among the 40 to 50 attendees at the meeting. Others included representatives from companies such as Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. (Nasdaq: WINN); Regions Financial Corp. (NYSE: RF); Wachovia, a Wells Fargo company; and Foley & Lardner LLP.

“When the numbers make sense, any developer would look at being a part of this area,” Beeson said. “But right now, you have to take on a huge risk coming here.”

There have been other attempts to revitalize the Hogans Creek system, said Jennifer Holbrook, a board member for the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council. What makes this project different is its holistic approach that includes determining the uses and resolving environmental and infrastructure problems.

http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2009/09/21/story5.html

[BridgeTroll]

I am not in favor of returning the creek to its "natural state".  This is now an urban waterway.  Refurbish and renew Kluthos design.  Dredge and clean the canal.  Institute flood and flow measures.  A return to a "natural state" will promote a marshy, muddy, inaccessible creekside promoting mosquito's and stagnant polluted water.

[thelakelander]

Here is a photo tour of the park system's current condition.

The Ruins of Jacksonville: Hogans Creek


http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-jun-the-ruins-of-jacksonville-hogans-creek

[fsujax]

I want to see the whole park system restored and made as interactive as possible. We should strive to maintain all historical elements as well. Imagine being able to ride a gondola from Shands all the way to near the stadium, how cool would that be?

[strider]

While many details are missing from this initial plan, I do agree that to return the creek to something more "natural" seems like a mistake.  Perhaps we should not have done what we and other cities did years ago to the various creeks and waterways that run through our cities, but we did it and to go back now seems to require eliminating the cities around the waterways themselves.  Anything less seems destined to end up with failure as it will only be a half measure at best.  The creek must be addressed for what it is now, a canal through an urban area.  

Kultho had a good plan that seemed to work.  Perhaps it needs revisited to some degree as we have most likely added more runoff and such as the development of the area went forward, but his plan was sound and it is unique and historic.  Rebuilding the park in that image seems like the best solution.

Also, I do believe the Health Department was built on land donated to the city for the exclusive purpose of being permanently a park.  They city found a way around it and built those buildings.  Loosing them would not be a bad idea.  By the way, the city wanted to give up more of the park not that long ago for the Walgreens to be built there.  Obviously, HSCC fought that and we still have a Walgreens.

[sheclown]

"potential micro grocery" actually.........basically the guy was just trying to think of what may be a useful, popular use there.

It could have said "Ice cream stand", etc.

I do think some of the designs are bit too modern as well. Probably not that hard to address.

Again, this was just the first rough draft.

What specifically takes away from the history/heritage and makes it feel too "wordl Golf Village" in your eyes?

 

I'm all for convenience stores.  I was being sarcastic. (attempting to at least)

Getting rid of the balustrades "takes away from the history."  Getting rid of the canal "takes away from the history."  There are many natural creeks and streams in Jacksonville, not many Klutho canals.