Main Street is complete but lacking businesses

[Diane Melendez]

The long drawn out restoration of Main Street is finally complete. The lengthy road work took it's toll on area businesses. Now it seems that there is a divergence of opinions as to what type of business's will better serve the area. I truly hope that a tug-o-war over the new face of Main Street does not ensue.


Plan In Place To Revitalize Main Street

Some Business Owners Worry Plan Might Do Away With Historic Parts

POSTED: Tuesday, January 12, 2010
UPDATED: 6:21 pm EST January 12, 2010
http://www.news4jax.com/images/structures/buttons/button_enlarge.gif
http://www.news4jax.com/2010/0112/22220622_240X135.jpg (http://www.news4jax.com/news/22218250/detail.html#)Some Springfield businesses are at odds with SPAR in the effort to revitalize Main Street, saying they're being pressured to move.




JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- For seven years, orange construction cones have clogged the main artery of Springfield.As a result, few businesses on the stretch survived."People have commented that now that Main Street's (construction is) done, we can clean these buildings up and get good businesses on Main Street," said Joe Markusic, who owns a thrift store on Main Street.It's a struggle between two opposing visions for historic Springfield being played out on one city street.

For full story: http://www.news4jax.com/news/22218250/detail.html

[CS Foltz]

SPAR has the only vision for that world Ms Diane! A select few run rough shod over the many and I don't agree with them at all! Historical District's are special and I understand about Historical significance and the need to regulate just what take place as to the buildings! But SPAR should have no business dictating just what kind of business is acceptable in Springfield............Springfield should!

[strider]

For real progress to be made, there has to be a recognition that the Springfield Commercial Corridor is much larger than Historic Springfield and that Springfield itself can not provide the support for a successful commercial district.

SPAR Council has been given funds through LISC to work on the commercial corridor, but the people who are in charge have a very closed minded vision of what Springfield should be. The all consuming desire to have Springfield nothing but a single family neighborhood is at odds with the needed density for a successful and walkable commercial district. The Desire for higher end stores and restraunts is at odds with the reality that Springfield is still and will be for quite sometime ahead, a predominately low income community.

If the stores and businesses, including those on the SPAR Council’s “not wanted” list would be embraced and helped equally with the basics and not done so with the hope that a better looking building or completed Main Street will help get that undesirable business replaced with a “good” one, then perhaps the commercial district has a chance.

From what we have heard, this current group at SPAR Council will not be changing how they do business. The only hope then is for another group to step up and take over the revitalization of the Main Street corridor. As an owner of a business on Main Street as well as two other Springfield based businesses, I can only hope that happens sooner rather than later.

[CS Foltz]

strider..........said it before......you guys need to consider an alternate orgainization! I know that will be tough but, numbers of SPAR members do not equal the number of people who live there! Membership is declining and they don't truely represent your neighborhood so what are your alternatives? SPAR needs to be replaced if they can't see the light!

[Ralph W]

What is SPAR's goal? To bring back the look of turn of the century residences only or to help create a true neighborhood where people not only sleep at night in their homes but actually LIVE in their neighborhood, patronizing their businesses, walking their streets, mingling and enjoying their neighbors.

[CS Foltz]

Ralph W.........what you posted and then some. SPAR appears to be tyrannical in nature though.......a lot of people were upset and rightfully so when they appointed Board members rather than electing! They also appear to have definitive goals as to what business's are approved to set up shop in Springfield..........unfourtenetly the neighbohood says differently. I have no problem with guidelines to dictate what a store should or should not look like but to say "That business or this business" is what we want without input from the neighborhood is flat out wrong! The SPAR Board has had issue's with several business's that have set up there and there should not be that taking place..........Springfield has potential, there is no doubt about that but common sense should be part of that control.........not just calling Code enforcement because of heresay or he said, she said. Go to MetroJax.com and look at the neighborhood section and you will get a feel for what has been taking place!

[strider]

Ralph W: What is SPAR's goal? To bring back the look of turn of the century residences only or to help create a true neighborhood where people not only sleep at night in their homes but actually LIVE in their neighborhood, patronizing their businesses, walking their streets, mingling and enjoying their neighbors.


I am assuming you are trying to tell us that that is SPAR Council's goal? If so, while it is a nice goal, it actually proves the point I was trying to make. The "LIVE in their neighborhood, patronizing their businesses, walking their streets, mingling and enjoying their neighbors" is not obtainable without the recognition that Springfield does not and can not stand alone. It is not practical without increasing the density and certainly not without the businesses that cater to all who live not just in Springfield, but the surrounding urban core. And further, we need to draw from all of Jacksonville, and so need businesses that have a potential to draw from all over, like the car wash SPAR Council just fought against.

And, while you are trying to make a point by the "LIVE", without those of us who love Springfield, see it's potential and therefore are concerned about it enough to care and to open businesses within it's borders, even if we LIVE somewhere else, your goal is dead in the water.

[CS Foltz]

strider...........I concur!

[jbm32206]

What is SPAR's goal? To bring back the look of turn of the century residences only or to help create a true neighborhood where people not only sleep at night in their homes but actually LIVE in their neighborhood, patronizing their businesses, walking their streets, mingling and enjoying their neighbors.I'm not sure what spar's goal is, other than it having an unrealistic one of what they want vs what will survive in the neighborhood. The new businesses that have opened here within the past couple of years have all survived, and are patronized by those of us that live here...in fact, their reputations have reached out to those who now come from other areas, just to patronize them...which is always a good thing.

Spar has become little more than a small group of board members that have personal agendas, which really seems to clash with the neighborhood as a whole. Their reputation has been circling the drain for a couple years now, and continues to worsen.

As for residents being able to enjoy our neighborhood and sleeping at night, we do that just fine, and it's not all spar's doing...it's our own efforts and diligence to maintain a safe and friendly environment that's conducive to a thriving community.

[CS Foltz]

What you said Ms Joan!

[Prometheus]

Ok this issue is something Ive been watching for a while now. Spar completely is out of its league in commercial development

First things first....

Build on its strengths....follow the money.

Where is the largest employee in the Springfield area? What is the next epicenter of money flowing to Springfield?

Why is the Mcdonalds on 8th st the busiest Mcdonalds Ive ever seen? Because its the only clos place to eat. Why is it so popular? SHANDS SHANDS SHANDS

Ok so why dont we start on 8th st west on Main? Plenty of empty lots to build momentum off of. As restaurants thrive then other retail feeders go near the foot traffic Retail 101.

Next let people who are skilled at creating nightlife make nightlife happen. Events like riverside arts market, artwalk, dogs inthe park show one thing.....people crave for things to do. It just requires organization and initiative. Restaurants during artwalk make 5-10k on a weeknight. Hmm.

Second lets address the ramshod facades of Main st. For inspiration I looked to my hometown. Deland Fl. http://www.mainstreetdeland.org/vtour/vtour/1.html
Take the tour. Very similar issues. Very similar solutions. We run parking one row behind a facade off Main st . With some cut throughs to allow pedestrians from other parts of town to go into stores without clogging up Main st.

Then we target the next great epicenter of money.....downtown. Get the employees to come to Springfield to spend dollars in that community. Henriettas did it. Ole Mexican does it every day. It can be done. Add some gentrification and voila its Riverside or San Marco and every other Urban Core story done right.

Ok Ill be quiet now....I want to listen to feedback.

[johnmeeks1974]

I agree with you, Prometheus. There is a lot of potential for 8th Street to have some more businesses that cater to Shands workers and nearby residents.

[#a1ex$*tm]

i agree too 8th street can get more stores for the residents

[CS Foltz]

SPAR should just stay out of the 'business" aspect of Springfield and stay focused on the historic aspect like they started out! Now that Ms DeSpain is departing, an organization that supposedly represents Springfield (membership around 150 persons) can stay focused on what their primary mission should be! Business's are not their forte but the other 5 Thousand people should be!

[jbm32206]

DeSpain is leaving, that's true...but some of those board members are still there, the ones with the attitude that has been killing the trust and support of spar for years.

[strider]

jbm32206, you are very right that a few more on the SPAR Council's board need to move on. But things are looking up and hopefully moving towards the needed change.

A few new lines of communcation have been openned by a couple of new people involved with SPAR Council. They are talking to a few of us who have been the most vocal against SPAR Council and trying to find some common ground. They are asking questions of those on the SPAR Council board as to why things have been done and are forming positive ideas for the future. With luck, they can turn things around and put SPAR Council back on the preservation track it should be on.

[MarriedBro]

I have a good buddy that has lived in Springfield for years, and he says that SPAR "thinks" they represent the interest of the ordinary resident to the COJ. Is that true, are they the voice of Springfield?

My buddy thinks that they are something out of the segregated 50s.

[sheclown]

I have a good buddy that has lived in Springfield for years, and he says that SPAR "thinks" they represent the interest of the ordinary resident to the COJ. Is that true, are they the voice of Springfield?

My buddy thinks that they are something out of the segregated 50s.

During SAMBA's February meeting, Audrey Moran spoke to the crowd assembled. Someone in the audience asked her if she were elected, if SPAR could be looked to as The ONLY Voice for Springfield, (one of the oddest statements I've heard in a public meeting, given it was a SAMBA meeting and leadership of the Women's Club was there as well), she stated that Springfield was too diverse in nature and needed a variety of voices to be heard.

So, SPAR has lost its position as The Voice for Springfield, IMHO, with at least this mayoral candidate.

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,6739.15.html

Additionally, it lost its battle against blocking the car wash on 4th Street unless the appeal is successful. The city went directly against SPAR's request.
(look here for further info)

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,7174.0.html

Its last election had only 39 voters and really was more of a slate approval than a traditional election:

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,7335.0.html

The city hasn't really taken SPAR seriously, IMHO, for quite some time. And it won't until they begin to focus on truly representing the majority of residents. After all, that is their job.

[JaxDiva50]

I have a good buddy that has lived in Springfield for years, and he says that SPAR "thinks" they represent the interest of the ordinary resident to the COJ. Is that true, are they the voice of Springfield?

My buddy thinks that they are something out of the segregated 50s.

How can a total of 50-100 people be the voice of well over 500? Did we miss that election? When and where did that election take place that they are the "Voice" of anyone? In truth, last time I went to the poll to vote, I never recall voting for anyone that could speak or make decisions for me, aside from City Council, President of the United States, etc...I missed SPAR on the ballot.:shocked:

[sheclown]

There are over 1800 homes in Springfield and the population numbers are anywhere from 3000 to 5000 people.

[Prometheus]

OK Ive personally suggested to Louise Despain the following:

I have personal references to the following: Deland, FL:

Small downtown relative to the mall phenomenon tried to bring people downtown again and failed until they adopted some strategies that are similar to our problem:

uniform facade ala : whatever decade you wish

parking: store frontage on main with row parking in rear behind building with alleys in between frontages every 30' or so.

businesses: bars, restaurants at first then retail. Then professional.

Deland had the same problem then they adopted a "main st" philosophy ala 1920; Made facades ala 1920 per architectural review board then drove business on strengths.

for your review on how others did it go here:

http://www.mainstreetdeland.com/

[Swamp Fox]

Springfield is alive with business, just not legal ones. Drug activity is higher there than ever before.

[JaxDiva50]

When businessmen were complaining about their businesses were suffering because of the construction...their complaints seemed to have gone totally unnoticed. Just as long as the contractors were paid it appeared that nothing else mattered. It appeared they were just interested in getting that money allocated and spent before Dr. Gaffney got into office and gave no concern to the existing businesses at all. GOB club got the money again.

[CS Foltz]

Diva........about right! Main Street does look better but still has issue's ....like turns where needed! FDOT decided where the turn lanes are at based on current rules yada yada............can't turn when you want to, have to go to the lights then do a Uie! That doesn't help what business's are left!