March 8, 2011:  Springfield Has a New Voice at the Urban Core CPAC

SAMBA has applied to become a member of the City of Jacksonville’s Urban Core Citizen’s Planning Advisory Committee, and representatives have attended the past several monthly meetings.  Two items of particular interest to Springfield area residents were discussed at last night’s CPAC meeting as a direct result of SAMBA participation.

Jim Green, a representative of the Florida Department of Transportation, was present and provided excellent follow up to two questions raised by SAMBA at the previous meeting.

In February Ron Barton (Executive Director, Jacksonville Economic Development Commission) was asked about the possibility of Main Street returning to two-way traffic between State and Union, something we believe would greatly improve connectivity between downtown and Springfield. Barton seemed to dismiss the idea, suggesting that Laura Street was a satisfactory connection with Springfield.

FDOT told us last night that they would proceed with a study regarding the feasibility of two way traffic on that section of Main if the City of Jacksonville would simply make that request. The CPAC then made a unanimous resolution that Main Street be returned to two way traffic. This resolution will be forwarded to the appropriate City department with a request for action. Although there are no guarantees that the City will respond to the resolution, this is a step in the right direction.

FDOT also responded to a SAMBA question from last month’s meeting related to FDOT’s planned improvements to the Newnan/Hubbard Klutho bridge at Confederate Park. FDOT was not aware before SAMBA brought this matter to their attention at the February CPAC meeting that the City’s vision plan for the Hogan’s Creek greenway includes a proposal to close that bridge to automobile traffic, creating a pedestrian crossing. If that occurs there will be no need to improve the bridge, saving taxpayers many thousands of dollars. FDOT contacted the City and learned from the Parks department that there is no current funding for the proposed Confederate Park improvements.  Therefore, studies regarding the bridge will continue. However, these studies are preliminary and any construction would be several years from now.

We have an opportunity to coordinate City and State efforts to save money and improve our quality of life, as implementing this portion of the Hogan’s Creek vision plan would lead to traffic calming on Hubbard Street as well as a much improved recreational facility, with better connectivity between the existing dog park, the proposed playground and the rest of Confederate Park.
Closing Hubbard and Newnan Streets at the Klutho Bridge is a matter that merits additional conversation, as there are certainly positive and negative impacts to be considered.  Combining the proposed closure with a return to two-way automobile travel on Main Street between Union and State could lead to increased traffic on Springfield’s commercial corridors and reduced traffic on our residential streets, a definite win-win for the neighborhood.

To:          Ms. Wight Greger, Director

Housing and Neighborhoods Department

From:    Springfield Area Merchants and Business Association

Date:     February 14, 2011

Re:         NSP 3 Substantial Amendment, City of Jacksonville, Florida (Duval County)

A significant portion of the target area identified for this most recent phase of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program is a nationally recognized historic district.  The Springfield Historic District was added to the U.S. Register of Historic Places in 1987.  Therefore, the City must be conscious of and make accommodations for the special needs of an historic district when implementing this program.  With that in mind, the Springfield Area Merchants and Business Association submits the following comments to the NSP 3 Substantial Amendment proposed by the City of Jacksonville, Florida (Duval County) in January 2011:

Supporting Rationale for the Target Area Selection; Definitions and Descriptions

According to the Amendment, “Systematic demolition of unsafe structures will greatly enhance the neighborhood’s marketability.” Page 8 of 35

While there are properties in the target area that may be appropriate candidates for demolition, demolition should be discouraged in the Historic District.  Any decisions about the demolition of historic properties should be made under the supervision of Jacksonville’s Historic Preservation Commission and the City’s historic planners.

The Amendment discusses “Housing Rehabilitation Standards” (pages 10 and 11 of 35) and acknowledges that the target area contains portions of an historic district and that historic preservation standards must be enforced.  Historic properties must not be excluded from the program because of the additional costs associated with their rehabilitation.  The City must be flexible in its guidelines for administering this program, seeking waivers from Federal authorities where appropriate, to allow for those additional costs to be funded.  If necessary, the City should allow additional “gap subsidies” for historic properties.  Rehabilitated historic properties add significant value to the target neighborhood and the City will only achieve the goals of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program if historic properties are included.   Further, the City must be careful to select only consultants, inspectors and contractors who are familiar with historic restoration and must direct those consultants to make historic preservation a priority when making their recommendations.  For example, lead inspectors should allow for preservation rather than removal of historic trim, doors and other features whenever possible.

SAMBA is pleased to see that NSP 3 now requires “Vicinity Hiring”, as described on Page 11 of 35 of the Amendment.  We would like to provide assistance to the City in identifying small business firms located within the target area appropriate for participation in the various phases of the program.

Activity 1 – Acquisition/Rehabilitation/Resale

SAMBA reiterates that historic properties must not be excluded from the program because of the additional costs associated with their rehabilitation.  The City must be flexible in its guidelines for administering this program, seeking waivers from Federal authorities where appropriate, to allow for those additional costs to be funded.  If necessary, the City should allow additional “gap subsidies” for historic properties.  Rehabilitated historic properties add significant value to the target neighborhood and the City will only achieve the goals of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program if historic properties are included.   The City must be select only consultants, inspectors and contractors familiar with historic restoration and must direct those consultants to make historic preservation a priority when making their recommendations.

The City should also follow the recently expanded definitions of “abandoned” and “foreclosed” provided by the federal government when implementing and approving properties for inclusion in this program.  We understand that the City may only be considering properties where foreclosure has been completed or where a tax deed sale is scheduled.  The revised federal guidelines clearly allow a much greater range of properties to be included and this program will only be successful in the Springfield Historic District if the City follows those expanded guidelines.

To maximize the positive impact on the target area, the City should consider encouraging Developers to concentrate their efforts on “model blocks” to increase potential sales prices and create momentum for private investment.  There are several areas within the historic district that include large numbers of qualified properties (both vacant and developed), such as the portion of 3^rd Street East between Hubbard and Liberty Streets.

Finally, the City should encourage Developers to consider mixed use projects in the target area’s commercial districts that would include privately funded commercial or retail spaces beneath NSP3 funded residential units.

Activity 2 – Demolition / Clearance

SAMBA recommends that the City’s efforts within the Springfield Historic District focus on board-up or “mothballing”.  We are aware that the City’s Planning Department, Historic Preservation Commission, and Office of the General Counsel are currently preparing mothballing legislation designed, in part, to preserve historic properties.  The Housing and Neighborhoods Department should carefully coordinate with the Planning Department to insure the success of the proposed mothballing program.

Paragraph g) on page 17 discusses the “Hiring of Employees/Small Businesses in Target Area Vicinity” in connection with this activity.  Again, SAMBA offers its assistance in locating small businesses in the target area.

Activity 4 – Financing Mechanisms

Paragraph g) on page 22 discusses the “Hiring of Employees/Small Businesses in Target Area Vicinity” in connection with this activity and encourages Partners to “work with community based organizations in the area to identify local residents and small businesses for current and future employment and procurement opportunities.” SAMBA is a community based organization prepared to offer this assistance to NSP3 Partners.

Activity 5 – Redevelopment

Paragraph g) on page 24 discusses the “Hiring of Employees/Small Businesses in Target Area Vicinity” in connection with this activity and requires Developers to “work with community based organizations in the area to identify residents for employment opportunities or existing small businesses to work with.” SAMBA is a community based organization prepared to offer this assistance to Developers.

Thank you for allowing the Springfield Merchants and Business Association to provide comments to the NSP 3 Substantial Amendment.  If you have questions or would like to discuss these comments further, please contact SAMBA officers Jason Fisher or Christina Parrish.