Riverside Avondale Preservation, in partnership with Springfield Preservation and Restoration, Greenscape and The City Beautiful Coalition (formerly JaxPride), sent questionnaires to all candidates seeking the District 14 Council seat. The questionnaires went out last Thursday and were due back yesterday. Today we and the other participating organizations are sharing the answers with our members. (Identical questionnaires also were sent to candidates for the At Large Council seats, and to all mayoral candidates; those answers will be posted tomorrow.
The nine-question questionnaire was mailed to Kendall Bryan, Jill Dame, Shelton Hull, Jim Love, Henry Mooneyhan, and Greg "Hollea" Rachel. Mr. Bryan, Mr. Hull, and Mr. Mooneyhan did not return their questionnaires by the requested deadline; answers provided by Ms. Dame and Mr. Love are posted below for your review.)
Question 1: What are your top three proposals to enhance the visual appearance of the City?
Jill Dame:
1. Proactive code enforcement is critical. Sufficient employees must be assigned to enforcement and not wait for complaints. This may mean flexible scheduling of staff so that enforcement can occur on weekends and evenings.
2. We must be more aggressive in relocating electrical lines to alleys or
below ground. With care to preserve healthy trees, this should be part of all major road and utility work.
3. I would like to see development aesthetics beyond what is required. Perhaps developers receive credits against fees when they infill residential or commercial development that is appropriate to the neighborhood and improves area aesthetics.
Jim Love:
Litter remains a visual detractor and stricter enforcement of current laws as well as additional public trash containers could help keep Jacksonville litter-free. In addition I would encourage more community service groups toward clean-up Saturdays. Secondly I would educate the public on what code violations are and how to report them. These public service announcements would alert the electorate on what is acceptable and help them to keep Jacksonville up to code. Lastly I would continue to enforce the landscaping code for new businesses and ensure that the City follows its own code. I would also encourage native flora that requires no irrigation thus saving our precious resources.
Question 2: The Jacksonville Civic Council has recommended establishment of a Downtown Improvement Authority, which would focus on downtown revitalization, with powers and authority similar to other independent authorities in the City. NAIOP of Northeast Florida has made a similar recommendation. What is your position on this proposed Authority?
Jill Dame:
I believe that a Downtown Improvement Authority is worth considering. Other communities that have successfully revitalized their downtowns have similar organizations and avoid the problems of focus, lack of accountability for progress in downtown, conflicting priorities, and changes in direction with each new administration. The details will be important: cost, funding source, extent of authority.
Jim Love:
If a Downtown Improvement Authority were started, I would recommend a volunteer group with a major stake in Downtown. It could include the councilman from the Downtown area (Don Redman), the director of Downtown Vision (Terry Lorince), land owners like Toney Sleiman, architects like Jack Diamond, Tri Vu, Ted Pappas or Melody Bishop, some NAIOP Board Members (Wyman Duggan, Oliver Barakat, or Erik Sharpe), and Jacksonville Chamber executives (Wally Lee or Jerry Mallot come to mind). I believe a group like this could move Downtown forward.
Question 3: Will you actively resist any attempts to weaken the City’s current sign regulations found in the Ordinance Code and Charter, either at the local level or by preemption legislation in the Florida Legislature?
Jill Dame:
Yes. Our sign ordinance is the direct result of citizen initiative. Our residents have spoken clearly as to how they want this part of our city to look.
Jim Love:
I would only attempt to change the Sign Ordinance in rare situations that may not be addressed in the code. For instance, if the new Downtown Development Authority wanted to replicate New York’s Time Square lighting and signage in a small portion of Downtown to provide a vibrant atmosphere I could be convinced of a one-time waiver with a compelling argument. In 99% of the cases I would want to enforce the code the way it is.
Question 4: In Jacksonville, enforcement of the City’s codes regarding signs, tree and landscape protection and property safety is largely complaint driven, resulting in an inefficient, haphazard enforcement, as code enforcement officers drive past violations to cite the property about which there was a complaint. Do you support a proactive, systematic method of code enforcement?
Jill Dame:
Absolutely – as indicated in question one, I believe that this is a top priority.
Jim Love:
Yes, I would support a more proactive, systematic method of code enforcement as well as a fair warning and fining system to help pay for the added manpower needed to enforce the code. In addition I would make it easier for citizens to understand the code and its enforcement through smart phone applications that allow picture transfer and easy form submission of code violations.
Question 5: The City's Tree Protection Ordinance protects certain trees, depending on size, species and location on the property. It also requires mitigation when protected trees are removed. There is also a Tree Protection amendment to the City's Charter, which was passed overwhelmingly by voter referendum in 2000. The City's Landscape Ordinance sets certain minimum landscape standards when property is being developed. Will you actively fight any attempts to weaken the City's Landscape and Tree Protection Ordinances?
Jill Dame:
Yes.
Jim Love:
Yes, I will fight attempts to weaken the Landscape code. Landscaping makes Jacksonville an even more beautiful place. I believe we should make the Landscape Code even stronger by insisting on plants that require far less water and fertilizer thus helping to preserve our St. Johns River and water resources.
Question 6: The City's Ordinance Code and Charter require that when protected trees are removed and replacement trees cannot be planted, a contribution must be made to the City's Tree Protection Trust Fund. This fund is used to plant trees on public property to mitigate the impact of trees removed for development elsewhere. Use of the Fund monies for any other
purpose could put the Fund in legal jeopardy. Will you oppose any attempts to use Tree Fund monies for any purpose other than tree planting?
Jill Dame:
Yes. This is especially important at times like this when there is little development occurring and the Tree Fund monies are low. These monies should be protected.
Jim Love:
Yes, I will oppose using the Tree Fund monies for any other purpose than replacing trees. The spirit of the City’s Tree Protection Trust Fund is to maintain or increase the tree canopy of Jacksonville and to do anything else would be disingenuous.
Question 7: In designated historical districts, should City buildings and properties comply with the design and performance standards and development criteria imposed upon other buildings and properties in the district?
Jill Dame:
I agree that City buildings and properties should meet the same standards and development criteria but believe that this would need to be evaluated on a case by case basis. Some city functions, e.g., lift stations, may be beyond the intended scope of the standards but would still be needed in the neighborhood. In these situations every effort should be made to have the City function blend as carefully as possible into the neighborhood.
Jim Love:
Yes, they should comply. Before future land owners purchase in the historic districts they should be educated on the design and performance standards that have made the community the beautiful place that it is. Though this proper education, following the design and performance standards should be the norm and waivers should be very rare.
Question 8: Do you support the 2030 Mobility Plan prepared by the City of Jacksonville Planning and Development Department?
Jill Dame:
The 2030 Mobility Plan takes into consideration the availability of other types of transportation, mass transit, bicycle, and pedestrian, and establishes incentives for development which has a lesser impact on roads. These fees have the potential to be more predictable and objective and make more sense as part of an overall effort to deal with growth by encouraging alternative methods of transportation. I believe it is an improvement over fair share assessments.
Jim Love:
This 120 plus page document has many good ideas to improve the quality of life through proper mobility planning using a holistic approach. It includes many modes of transportation including auto/truck, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic. The mobility fee, though, is one area that could cause many projects to remain on the drawing boards if is to extreme. In hard times like now this fee should be waived until the economy improves thus helping with the current high unemployment rate.
Question 9: Do you support the continued funding of a position for an historical preservation code enforcement officer?
Jill Dame:
If monies are available and if the work load justifies this special code enforcement officer, I support continued funding. In this difficult budget time I would want to see detailed information about number of officers, relative workloads, and the level of special knowledge needed for this work. If the specialized nature of the work can’t be easily shared with other employees, a better case is made for a separate position.
Jim Love:
Yes, I would continue to support the historical preservation code enforcement officer. In 2010 the Riverside Avondale neighborhood, which is mostly in the historic district, received the American Planning Association award for one of the top ten neighborhoods in America (the only Florida city to receive this award). This award would not have been possible but for the unique historic flavor maintained by the code enforcement. This officer should remain on staff.
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