Fall is Party Time

This week we have two great parties in the district. The first is tonight! The merchants from the Park & King Area Association are hosting a Halloween party starts at 6pm. Put on your costumes, bring the kids, call some friends or just come yourself. You'll be sure to make some new ones. It's a safe way celebrate Halloween.

Next up is the 2nd Annual Riverside Harvest Gala. This will be held at the Five Points Theater this Saturday night, November 3rd from 7-11pm. There will be a silent auction, break dancers, and a DJ. The owner of Burrito Gallery Tony Allegretti will be the MC. Tickets are $15 for one person and $20 for two. Each ticket comes with two drink tickets and includes food. All proceeds benefit RADO in continuing their mission of building obtainable and sustainable communities.

Good News for the District

In the past week or so, the District was the recipient of some very good news in spite of what the "news machine" wants us to believe. The 32204 zip code was one of the bright spots in an otherwise typical doom and gloom story. Home prices in Riverside rose 145% in the second quarter with home sales 113% higher than the same quarter last year.

The second bright spot was an article in Money magazine. Riverside Avondale was listed as one of the top places to retire to in the country. Among the reasons cited was the architectures, the Cummer and St. Vincents Hospital. Just ignore the Caribbean photo that accompanies the story. At least they got the story right. Yahoo Finance and AOL also ran the story.

And finally, overheard on the recent Restore Jacksonville tour of the Riverside Avondale district were two skilled restoration contractors up from Melbourne. As they were touring our neighborhood, every other word out of their mouths was . . . "Wow." They kept switching sides of the bus to peer out the window at all the wonderful homes we sometimes take for granted. They were thrilled by our bungalows, open-mouthed at our mansions, and impressed by our diversity. As one of them said to another, "There's so much eye candy here." One of our board members who was there says it best. "It made me very proud to call this place home, and humbled to be part of an effort aimed at making sure our "eye candy" sticks around for the next century."

Wednesday, October 17 – 7:30pm – RAP House

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 – 7:30pm – RAP House

The Board of Directors meet tonight at the RAP house located at 2623 Herschel Street. This month we will be evaluating the many successes of Restore Jacksonville. We will also be discussing the some zoning issues, including 1662 Stockton Street. Other quality of life issues facing the district are design review issues regarding a proposed modern building for the district. Get the word out. Discussions will also include updates on the Crime Prevention Initiative, as well as, Fundraising issues for RAP. The ongoing restoration of the Buckland House, zoning and transportation issues, the financial report and the status of our executive director search will also be among the topics discussed.

This meeting is open to all RAP members.

Help for First Time Homeowners

Tomorrow evening, Tuesday, October 16, Jill Liberatori and Jennifer McCharen will be teaching a brief course for first-time homebuyers at Inertia Records and Books (formerly of Five Points, now located at 1520 Main Street in Springfield).

The class will begin at 7pm, and will cover subsidies and grants available to median income buyers.

Community Meeting – 1662 Stockton Street

Please try to attend a meeting the Zoning Committee is calling to invite residents who live near the proposed new development at 1662 Stockton St. to discuss the design and conditions in the PUD. Mark Rubin will present the project followed by questions and discussion.
The meeting will take place at 6:00pm on Tuesday, October 16 in the River Lounge of St. Vincent's Hospital. This room is located in the hospital building at the very end of King St.--enter on the left. Parking will be available in the parking garage under the new heart center also on King St.--enter on the right.

Hope to see you there.

Restore Jacksonville

Restore Jacksonville starts today but there is still time for you to change your plans and attend!

On-site registration begins at 9am.

Don't miss this wonderful, history-making event!

For more information visit www.restorejacksonville.com

Do You Know Who You Are Living With?

Joel McEachin, Principal Planner, Historic Division, of the COJ Planning Department discusses how to research the “back story’ of your home utilizing FMSF, Sanborn Maps, city directories, building permits, newspaper, property records, and other important resources.

Joel McEachin
Researching Your Home's History: Joel McEachin currently serves as Principal Planner, Historic Preservation Section, of the Jacksonville Planning and Development Department. He helped draft and administer the city’s first historic preservation ordinance, which was the enabling legislation setting up the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission. He also researched, drafted, and administered the establishment of the city’s three historic districts as well as approximately 125 individual landmarks or landmark sites, which together reflect over 8,000 properties under the protection of the city’s design review process. During his time with the city, Joel has been involved with numerous historic surveys that have resulted in the documentation of over 10,000 sites on the Florida Master Site File, a statewide inventory of older and historic properties. These sites predominately represent older buildings, but also include cemeteries, archaeological sites, bridges, and statutes. He holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Anthropology from Florida State University, as well as a Master’s degree in Secondary Education-Social Studies from Florida A&M University.

Restore Jacksonville is a Preservation Education Conference in Jacksonville, FL, Oct. 12th-14th, 2007
REGISTER TODAY!