Group forms to birddog Mellow Mushroom plans

Group forms to birddog Mellow Mushroom plans

 

By Susanna P. Barton

 

            A group of Avondale neighbors and business owners have formed a new partnership called “We Love Avondale LLC.” The group intends to keep an eye on Mellow Mushroom’s rezoning application process and its plans for a 220-seat restaurant in the Shoppes of Avondale.

            “We won’t be in opposition, but we just want to be aware of the process — we want [Mellow Mushroom] to follow the law,” said Avondale resident and local attorney, Tommy Donahoo.

            Fellow Avondale resident Mark Anderson said many home and business owners in the area have been confused with the lack of communication about the project and the rezoning process. The hopes are to curtail that issue by sharing information through a website or Facebook page, as well as meetings and other communication tools.

            “We just want people to be informed,” Anderson said. “As a grass roots effort, we’ll do our best to keep up with what’s going on.”

            The group began meeting informally after Mellow Mushroom and Riverside Avondale Preservation convened an informational meeting about the restaurant plans in April. Donahoo and Anderson realized during the gathering that many neighbors weren’t just “pizza haters,” but had legitimate concerns about how the project would further complicate a growing frustration with parking, traffic and safety in the Avondale neighborhood. Along with other friends and neighbors, Donahoo and Anderson began having door-to-door conversations with local residents and merchants and later convened for an initial meeting. About 40 people attended that gathering, Donahoo said.

            Simon Keymer, lead consultant in the Keymer public relations, said he has not heard of the group’s formation.

            “Nobody from this new LLC has approached us as yet but we have been speaking to some of the folks we understand to be its organizers since before the applications were filed and have expressed our willingness to meet with them anytime and anywhere to discuss this matter,” said Keymer in an email. Keymer is handling the public relations and marketing needs for Mellow Mushroom’s Avondale plans. He said Mellow Mushroom officials are open to meeting with anyone about the project and plan to continue reaching out to local residents and merchants through public meetings. Keymer added most non-restaurant merchants in the Shoppes of Avondale “overwhelmingly” support what Mellow Mushroom is planning. “We have tried very hard to put two-way communication with the community at the center of what we are doing.”

            He indicated Mellow Mushroom organizers use a blog, www.igetmellow.com to share information about the project with anyone who is interested.

            Keymer said the Avondale Mellow Mushroom site will accommodate 285 seats. The restaurant ownership initially intended to file for 250 seats, but decided to file for 220 seats following discussions with residents and RAP.

            Regardless of the reduction, the capacity and scope of the restaurant’s plans continue to be problematic for a retail area with limited parking options, We Love Avondale organizers explained. Describing Avondale’s parking and safety concerns as “beyond the tipping point,” Anderson said residents and merchants have united with a common voice during recent We Love Avondale meetings.

            Several subsequent meetings of We Love Avondale have drawn crowds of equal size, but each composed of different residents, Anderson said. Banning together has created a new sense of community and friendship that both say has been refreshing.

            But there is more than camaraderie at stake. In addition to watching and communicating Mellow Mushroom’s plans, the group also seeks to address the neighborhood’s big picture and long term issues. Following the initial neighborhood meeting, Donahoo and Anderson met with District 14 City Councilman Jim Love and encouraged him to write a May letter to Planning Director Calvin Burney asking for a six-month moratorium on new development that required zoning deviations in several key commercial areas.

            The group hopes to encourage and potentially sponsor planning studies that might reveal solutions for the neighborhood’s parking, traffic and safety issues.

            “We have put our lives into Avondale and we want it to succeed and continue to be one of the best neighborhoods in Jacksonville,” Anderson said. “It’s a tightrope — we have to have the right balance.”

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