Jacksonville Neighborhood called a "Top 10" (Boca Raton, Springfield: best neighborhoods, real estate)

[fsu813]

Riverside & Avondale was just named a Top 10 neighborhood in the nation by the APA (American Planners Association)

http://jacksonville.com/timothy-j-gibbons/2010-10-12/story/historic-area-named-one-years-10-great-neighborhoods-us#comment-315298

Citing Riverside-Avondale’s historic residential properties and abundant parks, the American Planning Association named the area one of the year’s 10 great neighborhoods.

“We’re looking for outcomes: This is what can happen with good planning,” association spokesman Denny Johnson said. “It was pretty easy to see this was an outstanding neighborhood. It had a lot of the quality and characteristics that make it worthy of the designation.”
The neighborhood, which the city has named a historic district, features a mix of architecture, including the Prairie Style rarely seen in this part of the country.

One of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the city also contains a diversity of people, said Stephen Tocknell, a Jacksonville planner who suggested the neighborhood to the American Planning Association.
“There’s some very wealthy houses in the midst of very affordable houses,” said Tocknell, chairman of the local planning association. “A neighborhood won’t thrive and prosper if it doesn’t accept diversity.”

Since the American Planning Association began identifying great places three years ago, it has given 40 neighborhoods the designation, including Park Slope in Brooklyn and Pike Place Market in Seattle.
This is the first year any Florida neighbood. Plaza Real in Boca Raton was also listed.

Pointing out examples of good planning is important because it shows other cities what such foresight can bring about, Johnson said.
“We’re trying to inspire people to take an interest in their community, their neighborhood,” he said. “It’s worth fighting for and hanging on to.”
That fight for Riverside-Avondale included the city adopting a zoning overlay designed to protect its historical nature and the city and federal government granting it historic status, something Riverside Avondale Preservation long sought.

“Having a strong group that represents the neighborhood to make sure growth is done in a good way is key,” said Carmen Godwin, executive director of Riverside Avondale Preservation. “It’s difficult for a single person to make their voice heard. It’s easier with a group.”
The Great Neighborhood designation, the planner said, stands to show other neighborhoods what they can accomplish if the residents work together.

“This is a way to show Jacksonville as a place where great planning happens,” Tocknell said, “and to show Jacksonville that we have something right here that’s a model for other cities.”



This comes on the heels of the London Financial Times showcasing the neighborhood: FT.com / House & Home - Perfectly preserved

And Money Magzine, a few years back: Best neighborhoods to retire - Jacksonville, FL (19) - Money Magazine

and other smaller publications.

It's quite simply the best neighborhood in Jacksonville.


Oh, and another national historic district in Jax was recently named a Top 10 Up & Coming neighborhood too: The South's Best Neighborhoods - Photos - SouthernLiving.com , the Springfield Historic District, which is following in Riverside & Avondale's footsteps.

Jacksonville has unique, eclectic, diverse, historic, and vibrant neighborhoods - at affordable prices. And these, along with San Marco, will be the showcase "it" neighborhoods in Jacksonville in the next 10-25 years, even more so than they already are.


That's why Riverside & Avondale, San Marco, and Springfield are my favorites areas in Jax, and becomin everyone else's too. And thus I have a ton of information & photos & links about them, should anyone be interested in those areas.

[jsimms3]

Awesome news. Other neighborhoods on the same list:

Boston's Back Bay
Oak Park, IL's FLW Historic District
Lower Downtown, Denver, CO
DOwntown Frederick, MD
Hyde Park, Cincinnati, OH

and a few more

MetJax has a great photo collage of the neighborhood to celebrate:

Riverside Avondale Collage

[fsquid]

cool

[fsu813]

oh I know I loooooooove riverside and Avonale too!! we thought about moving there when we bought our Jacksonville house last year but didnt.
it was a very close runner up!! riverside avondale has officaly arrived being metnioined with all those toher faboulius neighborhoods!!!
next up is SPR!!

[Robyn55]

FWIW - this is the fourth annual list of 10 neighborhoods - but this is the first time any neighborhood in Florida has made the list. Here's a link to the areas mentioned in previous years:

Great Places in America

Robyn

[FlyiMetro]

Grided Streets will do that, way better than the one way in one way out dead end suburban neighborhoods they have now. Pure crap. Id like to see the other neighborhoods on the list??

Riverside is a train station short of being perfect. They get a Skyway station to post & park by the duck pond across from the church and its perfect.

[fsu813]

it wont get a train station but street car is coming to riveside, avondale, spirngfield, and downtown with in the next 10 years for sure. thhe city already has routes, land, and pick up-drop off points in mind. that will set these areas on fire. san marco will have street car too but since it has to go over the river i think it will take longer

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

Grided Streets will do that, way better than the one way in one way out dead end suburban neighborhoods they have now. Pure crap. Id like to see the other neighborhoods on the list??

Riverside is a train station short of being perfect. They get a Skyway station to post & park by the duck pond across from the church and its perfect.

I gave the link above. Presume you know how to use it.

Just FWIW - fire laws preclude "one way in one way out" developments - except for very small ones. And it is possible to like X without thinking that Y is crap. There are a lot of families with kids who love my block (it's a "C" off a through road with almost no traffic - so kids can play in the street - everything from touch football to lacrosse practice). They can ride their bikes safely to our neighborhood park - tennis courts - pool - or just ride for fun. Different strokes for different folks...

Robyn

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by Jax Questions

it wont get a train station but street car is coming to riveside, avondale, spirngfield, and downtown with in the next 10 years for sure. thhe city already has routes, land, and pick up-drop off points in mind. that will set these areas on fire. san marco will have street car too but since it has to go over the river i think it will take longer

What does "on fire" mean? Riverside/Avondale currently have about 5% of the JAX population - and will never get more unless there is more development. Which seems unlikely in light of restrictions on development. Robyn

[jsimms3]

True the neighborhoods are already built up and their value won't necessarily "skyrocket" until we become a larger metro and the desire to live in town in an old established neighborhood is through the roof. That being said, having street cars in the older neighborhoods will only help these neighborhoods and put Jax on the map for certain federal funding programs. It's kind of like settling your first RE transaction (once you've done one, people will know you can and they will be knocking on your door).

In most cities real estate near a transit station (other than bus) has a higher value.

The thing we should be doing is trying to make Avondales/Riversides/San Marcos out of other neighborhoods. We need to focus on in town improvements, town center initiatives, continue to strive for federal funding for transit, and create better master plans for the suburbs. All of this is happening on some sort of degree or another, but it can all be done better with more effort and more seriousness.