Neighborhood News

All the latest news from the neighborhoods in our coverage areas.

Bostwick Building: Bringing Back a Sense of Place

Bostwick Building: Bringing Back a Sense of Place

Jacksonville executive and business partners plan to purchase and renovate Downtown building Cats have nine lives, or so the adage says. If true, the Jaguar painted on the river side of the Bostwick Building at 101 East Bay Street in downtown Jacksonville may lend new life to a group of investors planning to purchase the […]

Leadership Jacksonville taps new leaders for yearly program

Leadership Jacksonville taps new leaders for yearly program

Leadership Jacksonville, an organization that develops youth and adult leaders in Northeast Florida, recently celebrated the graduation of its 2013 class, pictured, including area residents Jonathan Cantor, Angela Gieras, Michael Miller, Jamie Shelton, Nicole Thomas and Rollin Isbell. The year-long program brings together approximately 50 leaders from throughout the community to learn about the First […]

Advocates ‘blown away’ by attorney’s suggestion of giving trees, rivers legal rights

Advocates ‘blown away’ by attorney’s suggestion of giving trees, rivers legal rights

Avondale resident Jennifer Virzera expected to hear the latest information about the future of Silver Springs when she attended a recent public forum at the Wyndham Hotel in downtown Jacksonville. What she came away with is a notion that is almost too good for many environmentalists to believe could ever become reality. Virzera and many […]

What’s to like about Jacksonville?

What’s to like about Jacksonville?

New website aimed at residents to spread the good word One of the city’s most enthusiastic newcomers is eager to share his excitement about Jacksonville with everyone. So Paul Astleford, the new president and CEO of Visit Jacksonville, along with Patty Jimenez, Communications Manager, recently rolled out a new campaign that introduces Jacksonville to its […]

Funds appropriated for Northbank Riverwalk Extension

Funds appropriated for Northbank Riverwalk Extension

Much needed cosmetic, structural improvements to be made Riverside and 5 Points residents may soon see an urban park in the area. At the request of the Office of the Mayor, City Council voted, although not unanimously, to appropriate $2 million in Florida Department of Transportation funding and to re-appropriate over $3 million from the […]

St. Johns Avenue development hearings deferred

Developer asking for time to refine plan By Kate A. Hallock Resident Community News After earlier public statements about having to adhere to strict schedules for submission of the proposed redevelopment of the Commander Apartment and the adjoining retail/office center, Attorney Steve Diebenow, applicant on behalf of Chase Properties, requested a two-cycle deferral for the […]

Willowbranch Creek project cited for noncompliance

Willowbranch Creek project cited for noncompliance

Construction dams break one week after warning The city claims “acts of God.” Local residents say it’s shoddy work and lack of compliance with environmental protection standards. On June 26, both of the construction dams blew out at the Willowbranch and Riverside construction project, sending a significant amount of dirt into the creek. “They still […]

RAP, 5 Points merchants plan for city for infrastructure improvements

RAP, 5 Points merchants plan for city for infrastructure improvements

Members of the 5 Points Merchants Association and Riverside Avondale Preservation are joining forces to produce a “concept plan” to bolster their chances of receiving $750,000 from the city to help solve infrastructure problems in the 5 Points business district. The two groups want to use the money to redesign the iconic five-point intersection from […]