I'm not surprised. You don't spend billions on constructing I-295 East Beltway, SR 9B, Gate Parkway and associated infrastructure with no long term vision for development. It isn't a matter of if. The question has generally been when.
All those roads plus JTB got built at the behest of the Hodges, Davises, Skinners and Peytons. Just follow the money. Those 4 families are almost the exclusive Round 1 beneficiaries of all these roads.
Paul Harden has the Council under his thumb. Just another example of the Council's lack of backbone or concern for the general community. All about special interests, particularly developers. I would love the next election to clean house, from the mayor's office to most of the City Council.
I recall the thread below a while back, inspired by Ken Burn's documentary on our national parks, and sad to see this development instead of that suggestion. But, no surprise as the City has no proactive plan for our future, only what is good for developer pockets today. And, developers have almost no desire to give back in a big way to our community, just take favors and incentives from it. Mostly, a one way street (no play on words intended
).
J.E. Davis National Park, Jacksonville's Best Idea?
https://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,6223.0.html