EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) has developed several bus rapid transit lines that connect communities with job centers in Downtown Jacksonville. One of these bus rapid transit lines is the First Coast Flyer Green Line running nearly 10 miles from the Armsdale Park-n-Ride facility in Northwest Jacksonville to the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center (JRTC) at LaVilla in Downtown. The Green Line consists of 18 branded stations, transit signal priority, specialty Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, with 30 minute service 7 days a week.
The study’s vision and strategies reflect insights from a study of market conditions, an analysis of the built environment against key principles of TOD, and conversations with key community stakeholders. This revealed the following key insights: • The corridor has been left behind creating areas of concentrated poverty and growth is going elsewhere; more people and households are in distress; fewer services and amenities are locating here. • There is strong economic activity at both ends of the corridor. Downtown Jacksonville and major hospitals lie at the south end of the corridor and a logistics and retail hub lie at the north end. But there is limited growth and activity between, creating a dumbbell pattern of activity and growth along the corridor. • Better transit service is needed to best realize the potential of the corridor. The Green Line connects activities at either end of the corridor and can leverage much needed investment to the areas in-between with improved transit access. • Station areas outside of downtown need more urban, walkable patterns of development. Walkable street grids around transit stations can both enhance non-auto access along the corridor, and create a stronger, more legible framework for TOD. • Underperforming retail in the corridor with lower density patterns present notable opportunities that could encourage infill with upgraded retail and redevelopment to bring more households within walking distance of transit. • The lack of coordinated public and private investment in the corridor has left the area lagging behind other parts of the community. Catalytic investment strategies involving the coordinated efforts of public agencies, community organizations, and private firms can reverse the trend. • Strong regional housing demand can serve as a catalyst to build a diversity of new homes within the corridor. This in turn help boost additional demand for services and retail. • There are some strategically located publicly owned lands within the corridor that could be leveraged to attract new investment. • The corridor lacks a targeted strategy for job growth. Many existing residents travel elsewhere for work, yet the corridor is well positioned for continued job growth around health care, hospitality, construction trades and logistics. The issues and opportunities identified through conversations and analysis yielded a set of themes, presented on the next page, that guide the recommendations in this study and will guide future planning and TOD design efforts in the corridor. Links: Northwest Jacksonville Connects (www.jaxconnects.com), a TOD video Learn about Transit Oriented Development, and a custom video about the Green Line study efforts, JTA NW Jacksonville Connects.
The Green Line corridor is in the northwest Jacksonville area, a historically underserved community. This area has a deep African American history, culture, and current population. Despite significant regional growth in the Jacksonville area for population, jobs, and new development, this part of the city has not seen the same levels of investment and reinvestment from either the public or private sector. The purpose of the Northwest Jacksonville Connects study is to identify how the First Coast Flyer Green Line can foster sustainable growth in northwest Jacksonville through innovative Transit Oriented Development (TOD).
The TOD Study team works with residents at a public workshop at the YMCA at Baptist North Medical Center.
GREEN LINE CORRIDOR
Capper-Armsdale Subarea
JTA NW Jacksonville Connects video features local interviews and tells the story of this project.
Lake Forest & Riverview Subarea
Gateway Subarea
Key station areas, like Gateway Mall, offer significant opportunities for TOD and infill redevelopment.
UF Health/Shands Hospital Subarea
Downtown Subarea
Green Line Corridor: Northwest Jacksonville Connects TOD study area
Residents share ideas about TOD at a public workshop at the Bradham & Brooks Branch Public Library.
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Northwest Jacksonville Connects: Green Line TOD Study Final Report | Jacksonville Transit Authority
Northwest Jacksonville Connects: Green Line TOD Study Final Report | Jacksonville Transit Authority
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