Jacksonville Beach Moves Ahead With Downtown Vision Plan Implementation

JACKSONVILLE BEACH IS MOVING AHEAD WITH IMPLEMENTATION

OF A MAJOR PHASE OF ITS DOWNTOWN VISION PLAN

In 2007, the City of Jacksonville Beach organized a visioning process to chart the future of its redevelopment efforts in the core of the Downtown Community Redevelopment District. Implementation of the Vision Plan began even before the plan was actually adopted by the City Council when the City and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) teamed up with FDOT to transform 8 blocks of 3^rd Street (SR A1A) into a context sensitive street with landscaped medians, new lighting, bus bulb-outs, and protected parallel on-street parking spaces.

[Jacksonville Beach Downtown Vision Plan with photos]

At the same time, the CRA was working on a complete reconstruction of the boardwalk (AKA the “SeaWalk”) between Beach Boulevard and 3^rd Avenue North. The northern part of the SeaWalk had been renovated at the same time our new pier was constructed, and it was crucial that the rest of it be reconstructed to match. After an arduous year-long struggle to get new, sea turtle-friendly lighting permitted though the FDEP, the Haskell Company, our design-build contractor,  completed this component of the Vision Plan in April 2011, just in time for the Annual Springing the Blues Festival.

To keep the Vision Plan moving forward, the City decided to undertake the reconstruction of North 1^st Street from Beach Boulevard to the new pier, 4^th Avenue North leading from 3^rd Street to the new pier, and Beach Boulevard, the gateway leading to the beach as the next major project.

1^st Street is being modified into a shared use, curb-less destination street.

4^th Avenue North will become a pedestrian friendly, and well lighted and landscaped entry to the new pier. Presently, the dominant feature leading to the pier is a dumpster enclosure, so it wouldn’t take much to improve on that!

The Beach Boulevard rebuild will feature two roundabouts, one fully functional one at 2^nd Street and a second, more decorative one at 1^st Street. the Beach Boulevard streetend will be raised with a ramp leading to the beach for access for the lifeguards and public safety vehicles. It will be heavily landscaped and serve as a primary drop-off point for beach visitors.

The public restroom in the 2^nd Avenue North streetend will be demolished and replace with a new one that has been designed to be less conspicuous and not block views through the streetend to the SeaWalk.

There is much more to this particular Vision Plan project which has been designed and engineered by the team of GAI Consultants, Inc. and AECOM (formerly Glatting Jackson), but you’ll just have to wait to see it when it’s finished.

Written by Steve Lindorff, AICP, Director of Planning and Development

and CRA Administrator, City of Jacksonville Beach