Sherry - I thoroughly agree with your insight and the wisdom it offers. As a Landscape Architect for the past 46 years, I love your comment, "Lead with Landscape".
I think we would be well served if the city would hire an experienced, practiced and accomplished LA - preferably to vision, direct, lead (and grow the staff) for future efforts in a reimagined and rejuvenated Parks and Recreation Department. A Department that has voice, authority, responsibility and design oversight - not one beholden to other "powers" - one like NY's that delivered the High Line, Pier 55's Little Island, Long Island City Promenade and other remarkable city parks and open spaces. I think one of the preferred consultant teams that continue to secure plum park design commissions has an "inside" relationship with the COJ due to a key director (I'm not naming names here - you know). That type arrangement continues to feed the parochial nature of the city's approach to many important public realm projects.
I also think that the previous Riverside Plaza design effort winnowed down prospects to 3 highly competent teams. Each were awarded a $125,000 design stipend. The winner was chosen, in large part due to their inclusion of an "iconic" identity sculpture and soft, riverine-styled river edge.
Then - all hell broke loose - the city commenced bulkhead and dock repairs thus fixing the river edge and eliminating one of the features of the awarded design; the city demolished the south Main Street Bridge ramp and its all-important pedestrian link which afforded direct access into the park (to enlarge the footprint area for the residential tower); the first thing that the city's new resiliency officer said was "the park design will change"; the iconic sculpture design stubbed its toe, doesn't have public funding and presumably will be redesigned; one corner will await a signature NY architect's 44 story "midtown Manhattan" residential tower; the playground, presumably to save space, will be built atop a multi-purpose building; the street intersection of Water St/Hogan St/Independent Dr has been recently demolished, presumably to expand the northwest corner of the park (probably for another restaurant) - and now the DIA wants to carve out more space for a riverside restaurant. Let all that happen and we'll have nothing more than a park and dogwalk (synthetic turf anybody?) for the residents fortunate enough to live in the luxury tower plus a series of outdoor dining venues - and you can kiss good-bye to any functional flexibility for civic functions.
In a former life, I've know design teams that would have demanded the city enable a "do-over" after seeing how an awarded design was so substantially changed, before implementation. There's no fairness in that kind of bait-and-switch. Worse, it sends the absolute wrong message to the regional and national design community who look upon Jacksonville as simply not having its act together.
I will strive to keep hope alive and remain optimistic - looking forward to the days when smart decisions are made, decisions are kept and projects get built as envisioned and promised.
Thank you very much - Rick
PS - I do like Mr. Anderson's "Buffoons" - because our current project approaches seem very clown-like.
One other thing regards Riverside Plaza (to accompany my other comment) - since the DIA has said that the 44 story residential tower would not be "due" until 2029 (likely longer) - it means that effectively, the Park will remain a construction site for another 10 years - on top of the 5 years since the Landing's demolition.
15 years to create the City's Central Riverfront Park and Civic Space - and who knows now to what $$$$ extent.
The SIC and DIA would be buffoons to use the green space along the north bank for development, destroying a green buffer that any urban planner will tell you will attract retail/food to adjacent spaces.
Quite simply, the river’s edge needs to belong to and be accessible to all residents and visitors. Look at Brooklyn and the Southbank, public access is disappearing. And as far as resiliency goes, our riverfront parks need to perform a duel function, public recreation and stormwater/flooding management. When asking two key individuals with the DIA and with the Jaguars, their answer to resiliency was to simply ‘build a berm’! Really?
Lenny’s Lawn is the major green space in the historic downtown area.
Put in the Water’s Edge restaurant, and the 44-story building, and the park shrinks and shrinks. And the logical conclusion, if those two are successful, will be a need for more parking. And what could be more convenient than the undeveloped remaining patch of green from Lenny’s Lawn to build a high-end parking garage. DIA could lease it to a parking company and paint a mural on the waterfront side of the garage as public art. I’m kidding of course.
And why would the DIA want to develop and own a restaurant? Doing so is not a core competency of the city; and failure rates for new restaurants are high. And every time we had a flood event, the restaurant would get a makeover at our - the tax payers’ expense. The city would be in the (self) insurance business - again not a core competency.
Sherry - I thoroughly agree with your insight and the wisdom it offers. As a Landscape Architect for the past 46 years, I love your comment, "Lead with Landscape".
I think we would be well served if the city would hire an experienced, practiced and accomplished LA - preferably to vision, direct, lead (and grow the staff) for future efforts in a reimagined and rejuvenated Parks and Recreation Department. A Department that has voice, authority, responsibility and design oversight - not one beholden to other "powers" - one like NY's that delivered the High Line, Pier 55's Little Island, Long Island City Promenade and other remarkable city parks and open spaces. I think one of the preferred consultant teams that continue to secure plum park design commissions has an "inside" relationship with the COJ due to a key director (I'm not naming names here - you know). That type arrangement continues to feed the parochial nature of the city's approach to many important public realm projects.
I also think that the previous Riverside Plaza design effort winnowed down prospects to 3 highly competent teams. Each were awarded a $125,000 design stipend. The winner was chosen, in large part due to their inclusion of an "iconic" identity sculpture and soft, riverine-styled river edge.
Then - all hell broke loose - the city commenced bulkhead and dock repairs thus fixing the river edge and eliminating one of the features of the awarded design; the city demolished the south Main Street Bridge ramp and its all-important pedestrian link which afforded direct access into the park (to enlarge the footprint area for the residential tower); the first thing that the city's new resiliency officer said was "the park design will change"; the iconic sculpture design stubbed its toe, doesn't have public funding and presumably will be redesigned; one corner will await a signature NY architect's 44 story "midtown Manhattan" residential tower; the playground, presumably to save space, will be built atop a multi-purpose building; the street intersection of Water St/Hogan St/Independent Dr has been recently demolished, presumably to expand the northwest corner of the park (probably for another restaurant) - and now the DIA wants to carve out more space for a riverside restaurant. Let all that happen and we'll have nothing more than a park and dogwalk (synthetic turf anybody?) for the residents fortunate enough to live in the luxury tower plus a series of outdoor dining venues - and you can kiss good-bye to any functional flexibility for civic functions.
In a former life, I've know design teams that would have demanded the city enable a "do-over" after seeing how an awarded design was so substantially changed, before implementation. There's no fairness in that kind of bait-and-switch. Worse, it sends the absolute wrong message to the regional and national design community who look upon Jacksonville as simply not having its act together.
I will strive to keep hope alive and remain optimistic - looking forward to the days when smart decisions are made, decisions are kept and projects get built as envisioned and promised.
Thank you very much - Rick
PS - I do like Mr. Anderson's "Buffoons" - because our current project approaches seem very clown-like.
One other thing regards Riverside Plaza (to accompany my other comment) - since the DIA has said that the 44 story residential tower would not be "due" until 2029 (likely longer) - it means that effectively, the Park will remain a construction site for another 10 years - on top of the 5 years since the Landing's demolition.
15 years to create the City's Central Riverfront Park and Civic Space - and who knows now to what $$$$ extent.
Thank you very much - Rick
The SIC and DIA would be buffoons to use the green space along the north bank for development, destroying a green buffer that any urban planner will tell you will attract retail/food to adjacent spaces.
Quite simply, the river’s edge needs to belong to and be accessible to all residents and visitors. Look at Brooklyn and the Southbank, public access is disappearing. And as far as resiliency goes, our riverfront parks need to perform a duel function, public recreation and stormwater/flooding management. When asking two key individuals with the DIA and with the Jaguars, their answer to resiliency was to simply ‘build a berm’! Really?
Well, now we know their preferred solution and frame of reference - berms.
Thank you, Sherry, you said it all!
Lenny’s Lawn is the major green space in the historic downtown area.
Put in the Water’s Edge restaurant, and the 44-story building, and the park shrinks and shrinks. And the logical conclusion, if those two are successful, will be a need for more parking. And what could be more convenient than the undeveloped remaining patch of green from Lenny’s Lawn to build a high-end parking garage. DIA could lease it to a parking company and paint a mural on the waterfront side of the garage as public art. I’m kidding of course.
And why would the DIA want to develop and own a restaurant? Doing so is not a core competency of the city; and failure rates for new restaurants are high. And every time we had a flood event, the restaurant would get a makeover at our - the tax payers’ expense. The city would be in the (self) insurance business - again not a core competency.
And PLEASE deliver me from another mural
Joe, your "Joke" teeters on reality. It has happened too often. Why not build a restaurant at the bulkhead of Memorial Park. Great view.