Renowned architect: Jacksonville Landing site is key to celebrating St. Johns River

Ted Pappas
·2 min read
This is one of many renderings set forth as proposed ways to develop the former site of The Jacksonville Landing, many of which include high-rise projects. While construction has finally begun on the park, a local architect urges the city to keep it just that -- green space for all to enjoy the riverfront -- while developing the rest of the Laura Street corridor.

Jacksonville’s unique identity can be directly linked to the St. Johns River, a world-class waterway extending from its inlet at the Atlantic Ocean, meandering through our city and extending south to the regions around Orlando.

Of equal importance is the fact that there are 600 miles of shoreline within the city of Jacksonville (Duval County). This shoreline includes the St. Johns River, Intracoastal Waterway, Trout River, Ortega River, the Timucuan Preserve and a multiplicity of other waterways and tributaries.

Private residential properties occupy 90% of the river frontage in Jacksonville. The remainder is occupied by industrial, military, city offices and a small fraction of our Downtown Northbank riverfront properties.

Since the creation of consolidated government in 1968, there has been a call for celebrating the river. But where? And why hasn’t this celebration taken place in the last 56 years?

The opportunity is now here. Several years ago, the city of Jacksonville purchased The Jacksonville Landing and demolished all structures on that site. It is now a wide-open 6-acre site on the river on the centerline axis of Laura Street.

Can you imagine a dedicated public park, perhaps like Friendship Fountain that glows nightly and can be seen from two bridges and the Southbank? It would truly be a vibrant skyline.

Historically, the development of Jacksonville’s government center, the cultural center and the commercial center have all clustered along the Laura Street axis. Bordering both sides of the street are some of Jacksonville’s most important buildings, including:

Laura Street is Jacksonville’s new main street and needs to be brilliantly lit in the evenings. Vacant buildings should be repurposed into restaurants and entertainment. The empty Laura Street Trio could be repurposed into theaters and dining.

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Laura Street should evolve as a pedestrian mall with wider sidewalks on both sides of the street. Parallel parking can be shifted to diagonal parking on the east/west cross streets. Additional landscaping and seating will enhance the Laura Street experience.

The 6-acre riverfront park could become Celebration Park (rather than Riverfront Plaza, with a high-rise), dedicated for public use, just as Memorial Park in Riverside has accommodated pedestrians enjoying the St. Johns River for over 100 years.

Is it important that every square foot of rare riverfront property produces ad valorem taxes when the value and positive impact of parks throughout the country are well-documented? With over 840 square miles of land area, can’t this city dedicate 6 acres of land to celebrate our world-famous river?

Pappas
Pappas

Ted Pappas, FAIA, architect

This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Laura Street, old Landing site can be new centerpiece of Jacksonville