A.G. Gancarski
On Tuesday morning, a Jacksonville City Council committee mulled the impact of auto repair shops, internet cafes, nightclubs, and liquor stores in certain neighborhoods.
Such questionable businesses exacerbate the city’s pervasive blight issues, legislators agree.
The fix, it turns out, may be in zoning. But there is no clear consensus on what that fix may be. And a comprehensive plan may be as much as 18 months away.
The Neighborhoods, Community Investments, and Services committee heard a presentation from Planning Director Bill Killingsworth and Planning Chief Folks Huxford about the adverse impacts of a preponderance of these shops in certain neighborhoods.
Killingsworth noted that there are zoning tools available to mitigate impacts.
Visual blight from a used car lot or auto repair shop could be mitigated with fencing or parking density regulations, Killingsworth said.
As well, “distance limitations” between certain establishments could be used — but Killingsworth alluded to “challenges” associated with that.
Council members discussed the overuse of planned unit developments.
“We use it for just about everything,” Councilman Bill Gulliford noted.
In Atlantic Beach, where Gulliford was once mayor, an ordinance was passed to restrict PUDs to properties over 7 acres.
“What I fear the most is that if you’re not consistent in application, we’re going to see ourselves … vulnerable legally,” Gulliford added.
Councilman Reggie Brown, whose district is hit with these blighted areas, had his own concerns.
“If you follow the news in Jacksonville, Moncrief, Avenue B, Soutel … pop up as high-crime areas,” Brown said, noting the adverse impact of internet cafes, nightclubs, and pawn shops.
“You take a convenience store — they close down. By right [in zoning], they can become a liquor store,” Brown added.
In a “dark year” period after one business closes, another one can swoop in and exploit zoning.
“Anything that goes to a different owner,” Brown added, “should come to council.”
Brown advocates a common-sense approach, balancing the profit motive with the adverse impact of these businesses.
“I’m looking for some distance between all these things. I’m not trying to violate anybody’s constitutional rights,” Brown said, “but when you see a community decline, this is what you see.”
“The community,” Brown said about his district, “is a food desert. Banking’s out of reach.”
Brown also contended that the JAX Chamber hasn’t effectively marketed his district compared to other areas of the city.
“Let’s look at their plan to see how inclusive it is,” Brown urged.
Councilman Gulliford also wanted to “investigate” potential restrictions on how many liquor stores can open in the county.
Gulliford noted chronic difficulties in getting national grocery chains to open up in these neighborhoods in decline, and suggested that the Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development fund take an existing location, franchise it, and absorb the risk for the corporation.
“To solve the food desert problem,” Gulliford said, “take the risk away. They’re not going to invest millions of dollars to put a grocery store in a [blighted] area.”
Councilman Brown noted that one guaranteed income stream for a grocery chain would be EBT cards.
Customers parking in front of people’s homes and in the city right of way was also identified as an issue.
Understaffing is a problem, said Peggy Sidman from the Office of General Counsel, as well as a “it’s not my job” mentality from people who would enforce parking regulations that are routinely flouted.
