Cover Town Center Vision Plan Avondale City of Jacksonville Planning and Development Department Town Center Program Phase I Initiative January 2005 Acknowledgments his document was prepared for the City of John Peyton Jacksonville Planning and Development Mayor TDepartment. It was developed through City of Jacksonville input from dozens of local participants. The development process spanned 6 months, from Micheal Corrigan July 2004 through January 2005. We are grateful District 14 Representative to the many community members who partici- Jacksonville City Council pated in the neighborhood workshops and contributed their time, energy, and Visions to this Jeannie Fewell report. Director Planning and Development Department Jennifer Hewett-Apperson, AICP Town Center Program Project Manager Planning and Development Department A special recognition is due i JaxPride, a nonprofit coalition for visual enhancement, for their early and ongoing community visioning activities in Jacksonville. Their volunteer efforts have helped raise community awareness about the importance of having a Vision for neighborhood improvement. Sponsoring Organization Avondale Merchant’s Association Thanks is also extended to Fishweir Elementary Jennifer Riendburg, President School and its staff for graciously hosting the public workshop. Project Consultant This document was prepared by: Prosser Hallock, Inc. 13901 Sutton Park Drive South Suite 200 Jacksonville, Florida 32224 904.739.3655 fax 904.730.3413 www.prosserhallock.com Avondale Town Center Vision Plan Contents 1. Overview ........................................................................... 1 2. Community Vision............................................................ 5 3. Focusing the Vision...........................................................11 4. Expanding the Vision ....................................................... 20 5. Implementing the Vision ................................................. 24 6. Maintaining the Vision .................................................... 29 7. Final Recommendations....................................................31 ii 8. Conclusion....................................................................... 33 Avondale Town Center Vision Plan 1 Overview hat is a town center? The phrase and improve this Town Center through a commu- conjures an image of Main Street, of nity-based initiative and with the help and re- Wactivity and livelihood, of a space that sources of the City of Jacksonville. is historic, active, interesting, and inviting. A Town Center can take several forms. It may be an urbanized area, condensed and pedestrian ori- Background ented, with commercial enterprises that serve the The City of Jacksonville, through the leadership of local community and other amenities such as City Council member Suzanne Jenkins, developed parks and plazas. Alterna- the Town Center tively, it may be a com- Program as a means of mercial corridor that links providing support to several neighborhoods local organizations for together, serving both redeveloping areas of vehicles and pedestrians. town that have served Because they serve as the community and that community hubs, Town still retain historic or 1 Centers should be attrac- aesthetic character. The tive and well maintained. City also recognizes the role these Town Centers This report represents an can serve as Jacksonville effort by the Avondale grows: to provide community to redefine their Town Center with shopping, service, and entertainment alternatives, assistance from the City of Jacksonville. To be support small and local businesses, and create part of the City’s Town Center Program, a Town meaningful and memorable places that define the Center must be at least 30 years old and must City’s cultural and economic identity. have been at one time an established commercial district or corridor at the heart of an existing “ lder communities want their commercial community or neighborhood. Ocorridors that are the front doors to their neighborhood to reflect the character of their The central Avondale business district is a prime community…It’s about the community first example of a Town Center that continues to coming together because the plan has to be put support the local community. Despite many together by the community – not done to them changes in development trends, this area has or for them, but done with them.” begun a new era of improvement and is in an - Suzanne Jenkins, active growth mode. With a renewed interest in Jacksonville City Council historic preservation and rising real estate values, the Avondale community recognizes the value of In the spring of 2004, the Avondale Merchant’s preserving and enhancing its historic, central Association (AMA) applied for and received a district. This Vision Plan is an effort to restore grant from the City of Jacksonville for Phase I Avondale Town Center Vision Plan Visioning as part of the Town Center Program. conducted a series of site visits to walk the area, The focus of this Vision is the small commercial discuss opportunities and constraints, and record district located on St. Johns Avenue, between information. Talbot Avenue and Dancy Street. Once a Phase I Vision is completed, organizations are eligible to After preliminary analysis and information gather- apply for Phase II funding which will enable ing, the Team conducted a public workshop that development of construction plans. Phase I was carefully organized to allow direct input of the recipients, however, are not guaranteed Phase II participants at both a personal and communal funding through the program. Phase III appli- levels. Participants concluded the workshop by cants seek construction funds to apply toward prioritizing projects based on estimated cost and implementation. The Town Center Program is desirability. This input, detailed in the next administered by the City of Jacksonville Planning section, allowed the Team to develop plans for and Development Department. Phase II and Phase III implementations, as pre- sented in this report. Mission The mission of this project is to develop a Vision for Avondale that satisfies the needs and desires of INITIAL PROGRAMMING the local community while incor- GOALS & OBJECTIVES porating the realities of cost, conditions, and other constraints. A neighborhood workshop was 2 conducted on September 23, SITE VISITS and 2004 to gather community ideas DATA COLLECTION and opinions. This final Vision Plan is a direct result of that input. PUBLIC WORKSHOPS Planning Process To generate a Vision, the City formed a Project Team composed of staff from the Planning and VISION Development Department, and DEVELOPMENT professional planners, landscape architects, and engineers from Prosser Hallock, Inc. The Team developed a streamlined process to encourage as much public partici- pation and input as possible. DRAFT REPORT Team leaders initiated the process by meeting with AMA representa- tives to identify key issues in the CITY & ORGANIZATION FINAL area. The Project Team then REVIEW VISION PLAN Avondale Town Center Vision Plan Plan Area and one mile long (from the river to Roosevelt Boulevard)….The area from McDuff Avenue to The Avondale Town Center is the commercial Fishweir Creek is today generally known as “Avon- district along St. Johns Avenue, from Talbot dale.” By the time the Florida land boom fizzled Avenue to Dancy Street. Comprised of various in 1928, virtually all of this area had been devel- shops and restaurants, this district serves as a oped.” (Jacksonville’s Architectural Heritage, primary shopping and entertainment center for 1989) Avondale and the city at large. A map depicting the plan area is shown on the following page. In 1998, Avondale and Riverside were designated by city ordinance as a local historic district. New development and renovations are now subject to Area History meeting guidelines established by Riverside Residential development of Riverside began in Avondale Preservation, Inc., and to final review 1871 with the conversion of Magnolia Plantation and approval by the Planning and Development to residential tracts. By the turn of the century, Department and the Jacksonville Historic Preserva- Riverside had a new streetcar line and was an tion Commission. established upper-middle class neighborhood. After the great fire of 1901, many prominent Along with the Park and King district, the Avon- mansions were build along Riverside Avenue, and dale Town Center (also known as the Shoppes of an influx of ambitious architects created in Avondale) is one of two, small-scale retail districts Riverside what has become the largest variety of in Avondale. Both districts were constructed architectural styles in Florida. primarily in the 1920’s and have continued to serve the local community. In 1920, several wealthy investors led by Telfair 3 Stockton, purchased a large tract of land west of The Avondale commercial buildings have had Riverside for $500,000. This land was developed many tenants since their construction. The most into an exclusive neighborhood and Stockton notable building in the district is located at 3556- chose the name of “Avondale,” based on a subdivi- 3560 St. Johns Avenue and is currently occupied sion in Cincinnati where he had lived before. by Biscotti’s restaurant. This building was de- Avondale was advertised as a “correct” and “well to signed by local architects, Klutho, Cates and Cole, do” neighborhood and sold 402 of the total 720 and constructed in 1927 for a cost of $7,790. lots in its first two years.