February 07, 2022 Green Cove Springs looks to the future by preserving its past
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GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Residents, city officials and a consulting firm held three workshops last week to chart a course for the next 20 years that includes revitalizing the downtown business area while highlighting the city’s rich history.
The Downtown Master Plan is part of the 2045 Comprehensive Plan, and it has targeted repair downtown streets, sidewalks and storefronts to provide a bright and lively makeover – all while enhancing the Historic Triangle area and Spring Park.
Other long-range plans include the creation of more cozy bed-and-breakfasts, making storefronts facades along U.S. Highway 17 more attractive, bringing new businesses – particularly restaurants and clubs that will pump new life into nightlife and creating more parking to handle the additional crowds.
“There’s a difference here,” said George Kramer, the Downtown Master Plan project lead with S&ME civil engineering planners. “Something’s happening here.”
The downtown area is defined as the area between Bay Street to the south and up to Gum Street to the north, then west of Green Street on Ferris Street to the west and out to the St. Johns River to the east, according to city Planning and Zoning Director Mike Daniels.
“The Comprehensive Plan is a foundation for how the city will look and how the city will function over a 20-year period. It is a plan that emphasizes what the vision and what the intent is for the city moving forward, but it isn’t as focused on a lot of the details.”
The Downtown Master Plan is focused only on the downtown area. But it shares many of the same goals as the Comprehensive Plan, especially improving the U.S. 17 corridor to make it more appealing and pedestrian-friendly and redesigning Walnut Street to attract pedestrians and restaurants with sidewalk dining.
Another target for the Downtown Master Plan is the area occupied by the Clay County School District near the Historic Triangle.
Erik Aulestia, the lead engineer for the Downtown Master Plan and partner with Torti Gallas and Partners, questioned why some of the lot is used for school bus parking. He said that not only takes away valuable space, but it’s also a distraction for the things the city wants to achieve.
“It’s not the prettiest thing, the way the education buildings are set out, the parking is confusing,” Aulestia said. “At some point, they’re probably going to have to add a program for consolidated uses. We really think that should be part of the identity of Green Cove Springs.”
Kramer agreed.
“We work in places where economic progress has been bulldozed over,” he said. “That hasn’t happened here. We want to restore the historic footprint of the downtown area so we have the ability to unlock the history and character of the city.”
City officials have asked residents to take a brief, nine-question survey, which asks you about your relationship with the downtown area, existing conditions within the community and how you envision the downtown will grow within the next 20 years.