Last month, the public huddled around tables to talk about what worked and what didn’t work for the Jacksonville Landing.
Tonight, they’ll be able to see visions of what the Downtown waterfront venue could become in its next iteration.
The Downtown Investment Authority is hosting a charrette with the public and design professionals, an exercise to discuss and sketch out ideas on what the venue should incorporate and look like.
The team from Pittsburgh-based Urban Design Associates is in town this week to draw up ideas, providing those conceptual visuals. The firm is partnering with Wakefield, Beasley and Associates and developer Tom Senkbeil on the Landing overhaul.
“It’ll be one of the first times sketch artists can hear from the public as they put something to paper,” said DIA CEO Aundra Wallace.
Doris Goldstein, the DIA board member serving as a liaison to the project, compares the environment to a science fair. There will be posters up, with designers working on the spot to explain concepts to the public and receive feedback.
And if someone has a suggestion? Draw it up on the spot to see what it would look like.
“This intensive process is where magic happens and goes in all different directions,” said Goldstein.
The sketch artist and design firms are back in town this week, meeting with private focus groups for a similar exercise.
The meeting tonight at the Landing is the only portion open to the public.
It comes almost a month after the public descended upon the same room for a “dot exercise,” placing indicators on a map of Downtown to identify perceived positives and negatives of the area. It was standing room only, which Wallace said he hopes is repeated tonight.
From that, several themes emerged, according to a strategy sheet from the exercise.
Themes include a mixed-use community of restaurants, shops, entertainment, offices, up to 350 residential units and a boutique hotel.
Having a space that extends Laura Street, the waterfront park and riverfront. And making it a “proper public destination” with flexibility for programming.
All those could be incorporated. Some might not be.
The public tonight can have its opinion heard and see for themselves what it might look like.
The event is 6-8 p.m. tonight in the Landing Blue Room, behind the former Koja Sushi.
@writerchapman
(904) 356-2466