April 4th, 2008
Visitors entering Uptown Springfield from I-95 will see new directional signage on the north and south off-ramps guiding them into the Historic District and to the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute. The Proton Therapy Institute was instrumental in getting the older, smaller Historic District directional signage updated and replaced.
Therapy center and neighborhood proponents are now turning their attention to updating the 8th Street signage featured before and at the exits, and visible to drivers heading both directions on I-95.
April 2nd, 2008
Jacksonville didn’t go through an obscene speculation boom, making its recovery cycle far less daunting than other Florida spots. Job growth isn’t outstanding, about average for the cities we measured, but the foreclosure rate is lower than any of the Florida cities we looked at, making the high inventory rate more likely to improve than get worse.
The top ten Housing Bargain cities on Forbes‘ list were:
1. Salt Lake City, UT
2. Raleigh, NC
3. Orlando, FL
4. Charlotte, VA
5. Phoenix, AZ
6. Seattle, WA
7. Las Vegas, NV
8. Jacksonville, FL
9. Richmond, VA
10. Houston, TX
See the complete article.
April 1st, 2008
Downtown Vision, Inc. Receives Recognition from International Downtown Association
Downtown Jacksonville Selected as Downtown of the Month
Jacksonville, FL – The International Downtown Association (IDA), comprised of hundreds of downtown organizations throughout the world, recognizes one Downtown organization each month that has demonstrated success to which other Downtowns aspire.
Downtown Vision, Inc.’s (DVI) significant contributions in creating four new events for Downtown Jacksonville led to Jacksonville’s selection as IDA’s Downtown of the Month. DVI’s yearlong push to create new, annual events for Downtown Jacksonville culminates this week with the launch of Movies at Treaty Oak Park in partnership with JaxParks.
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March 20th, 2008
Behind only Miami and Seattle in the overall ranking, Jacksonville was the only major city with a top 10 ranking in all of the cleanliness ranking categories. See pics and article.
March 6th, 2008
JACKSONVILLE – Wednesday night at the Downtown Art Walk, the Springfield community’s Junior Girl Scout Troop 1215 provided a pleasant surprise to Jacksonville’s art and urban enthusiasts. The troop had a Girl Scout cookie booth set up just inside the door to the Haydon-Burns Library, and greeted visitors with the familiar neighborhood song – “Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?”
Kathryn Bissette, a Springfield resident and mother of a participating scout, helped the troop greet Library visitors. “The girls were enthusiastic to be part of the Art Walk, and to sell alongside local artists,” said Bissette. Her daughter, Ella, agreed – “Springfield is my favorite neighborhood, but Downtown is my next favorite because there are so many exciting things to see and do.”
Shannon Palmer, the troop’s leader, thought having the troop at Art Walk would be an untapped sales opportunity. That thought paid off as the five members of the Junior Girl Scout troop sold more than 70 boxes between 6:00 and 7:30 p.m.
The troop had approached William and Barbara Cesery of Cesery Cos., a partner in the Library’s redevelopment, about setting up in the Haydon-Burns. Cesery Cos. is also the developer of the 3rd & Main mixed-use project in Springfield.
Said Mr. Cesery, “We were happy to have the Girl Scouts at the Library. It’s the first time since the 70’s that I remember seeing Girl Scout cookie sales in Jacksonville’s downtown. Barbara was so excited, she bought a case!”
For more information about Springfield’s Junior Girl Scout Troop 1215, contact Shannon Palmer at (904) 309-0462.
March 3rd, 2008
Photos by Renee Parenteau Photography (www.reneeparenteauphoto.com)
Posted by “jrtmom”: First, thanks to everyone who came out yesterday and made the First Annual Springfield Benefit Chili Cookoff a HUGE success!!!
A couple of interesting stats….
14 entrants representing 6 different charities
2100 chili tasting cups were used (2 oz each)
125 general admission tickets were sold
10 VIP tickets were sold
40 or so people donated their time, their stuff, or both
8 bikes and 2 computers were given to deserving youth by CH2M Hill
You get the idea!! It was a very busy event…9th and Main was packed…many thanks to them for donating the venue and being accommodating to our every request! Everyone pitched in and helped tremendously….from logistics/setup to cleaning up the last drop of chili.
The winning entry was Prudential Realty, with net proceeds of $1502.11 going to SACARC (their chosen charity).
Renee Parenteau will be posting some of the photos from the event to a gallery for viewing. I’ll post some of ours here on the forum later today.
Now that we have the first year under our belts, we have a great opportunity to make this another great annual event in our neighborhood. Thanks to everyone who came out to taste and to volunteer! You made the day one to remember!
February 7th, 2008
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA (January 31, 2008) — The International Council of Shoping Centers (ICSC) and LISC’s Commercial Markets Advisory Service (CMAS) have chosen Jacksonville’s Springfield neighborhood as one of five communities, from a nationwide pool of applicants, to participate in the 2008 Retail Attraction and Dealmaking Applied Training program.
The purpose of the program is to provide the participating communities with the knowledge and applicable tools needed to undertake retail attraction and development for the neighborhood’s commercial corridors.
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February 7th, 2008
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA — SRG Homes & Neighborhoods has posted the link to Zyscovich Architects’ urban visioning online input form on its web site, and is urging community members to visit the forum and provide input.
Zyscovich Architects, based in Miami, Florida, has been hired by the City of Jacksonville Planning Department to do a visioning analysis for Zones 1 (Urban Core CPAC), 2 and 3 in Duval county. An urban visioning community meeting was held on February 6 at the Main Library in an effort to begin the planning process.
SRG will be providing general information regarding its sales in the Uptown Springfield community to the architecture firm and is encouraging all residents, business owners, and those with a general appreciation of Jacksonville’s urban communities to visit the site and give their opinion.
January 15th, 2008
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA — SRG Homes & Neighborhoods has announced they will begin building two new bungalow-style models on lots in Uptown Springfield, or on lots owned by anyone in the First Coast area. The new Benjamin and Klutho models feature the company’s award-winning design, great floor plans and unique features.
“We revisited our best-selling house plans inspired by homes built at the turn-of the-century,” SRG CEO Mack Bissette said. “and these two models are designed for 21st century homeowners who want more affordable homes that feature our high-quality construction.”
The Benjamin floor plan boasts 2,215 square feet in a two-story design with front and rear porches. The first floor has greatroom living and dining spaces as well as a gourmet kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances. The master bedroom on the first floor has a private bath and walk-in closet. There are two additional large bedrooms, a full bath and an optional half bath on the second level. Pricing starts at $245,000.
The Klutho floor plan is the perfect size for empty-nesters, singles or small families and features 1,235 square feet in a one-story, 2-bedroom, 2-bath design with front and rear porches. The master bedroom on the first floor has a private bath and walk-in closet, and pricing starts at $205,000.
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January 10th, 2008
In late October Springfield hosted the Jacksonville Community Council’s “Urban Safari” tour. Approximately 25 JCCI members were informed about the progress and history of Springfield. The daylong event included a neighborhood tour of homes and buildings led by Dan Blanchard; a “Vision of Springfield” panel led by District 7 City Council Representative Dr. Johnny Gaffney; and a presentation of Springfield’s rich history given by Chris Farley.
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