Let’s get it started: 220 Riverside ready to sprout
By Susanna P. Barton – Resident Community News – Local developer Hallmark Partners plans to begin construction on the 294-unit 220 Riverside in early October. The development will be one of the biggest mixed-use projects to be built in the neighborhood in recent years — and one of the first in a post-recession climate. […]
Proposed budget cuts cliffhanger for local libraries
By Susanna P. Barton Resident Community News Next month, the Jacksonville City Council will vote on Mayor Alvin Brown’s proposed $4.6 million budget cut — an event that could mean big changes for neighborhood libraries like Willowbranch, Murray Hill and San Marco. Council members will vote on the budget Sep. 29. Kathy Lussier, assistant director […]
Business owners worry about long term effects of Love’s ordinance
Riverside/Avondale Overlay modification may limit development By Steve DiMattia Resident Community News District 14 Councilman Jim Love’s ordinance modifying the Riverside/Avondale Overlay, which the city council unanimously passed June 24, has quietly gone into effect with little fanfare or public opposition and no community meetings. Ordinance 2012-339 requires all new bars and nightclubs, and new […]
Mellow Mushroom agrees to new site plan
We Love Avondale group says plans still ‘too big’ By Susanna P. Barton Resident Community News Continued summer talks between Mellow Mushroom owners and ruffled neighborhood partnership, We Love Avondale LLC, have yielded a compromise for the Shoppes of Avondale restaurant. But not everyone is satisfied. Mellow Mushroom’s new plans include a monumental concession […]
Shoppes of Avondale parking study in neutral
RAP wants scope to include larger area in Historic District – By Steve DiMattia – Resident Community News – The meter is still running on a parking study for the historic districts. As reported last month, a Scope of Services for Parking Analysis for the Shoppes of Avondale was prepared by Ghyabi & Associates on […]
Burning question – will Fire Station 14 house rescue unit or engine crew?
By Susanna P. Barton – Resident Community News – More than 150 concerned residents, business owners and firefighters crowded the auditorium at FSCJ Kent Campus for a town hall meeting last month hosted by District 14 City Councilman Jim Love and Fire Chief Martin Senterfitt. At issue is a potential asset re-allocation at Avondale’s […]
A century of Eagle Scouts: Scouting leaders have trong legacy in Historic District
By Steve DiMattia – Resident Community News – Eagle Scout Riley Sapora was standing on a mountain summit in Costa Rica with a group of fellow students when suddenly one member fell over a ledge, slipping 10 feet into a crevice where his leg got stuck. Everyone froze. Except Sapora. He climbed down and the […]
Council honors Garden Club’s 90th with proclamation
The Jacksonville City Council recognized the Garden Club …
The New Green: Sustainable renovations and urban agriculture news — GoLo
By Steve DiMattia Historic neighborhoods can be sustained in many ways, from preservation to legislation. One of the easiest and most accessible is to “GoLO” or Go Local – patronize locally owned, locally operated businesses. “When you shop in historic neighborhoods you not only support the local economy but you also promote sustainability because […]
