During a recent Downtown Investment Authority budget workshop, a newly appointed board member expressed interest in understanding DIA’s plans for acquiring additional Downtown parks. DIA’s CEO replied that new neighborhood parks are needed in two locations: the Cathedral District and LaVilla’s Ritz Theater district.

The board member suggested that a Downtown parks board workshop might be in order. Given that four out of eight DIA board members are new to the authority, a workshop on Downtown’s common spaces—especially those located on the Northbank—is a good idea.

No doubt the board member’s interest was spurred by a $1.18 million budget item titled “Park Acquisition and Capital Improvements,” whose description states that “lands for several new neighborhood parks on the Northbank should be located and acquired, or city-owned parcels set aside, and developed to provide missing recreational and park amenities in proximity to residents within Downtown Jacksonville neighborhoods.”

The Northbank Park Plan

Given the budget line-item description, we too wonder about Northbank park plans.

Are parks central? Or are they an after-thought?

Two years ago, DIA engaged planning and engineering firm GAI Consultants to inventory existing Downtown neighborhood parks and develop a plan for activation and expansion, not including parks located along the river’s edge. GAI counted seven existing Northbank parks.

Pocket parks

Most of these are commonly understood as “pocket” parks, or neighborhood parks, which typically encompass little more than a lot or two.

Maybe not small enough to actually fit in one’s pocket, and certainly a nod to the importance of common space, but not expansive. Think James Weldon Johnson in front of City Hall, Main Street behind the library, and Jesse B. Smith across from Florida Theatre.

Little respites.

GAI’s vision included creating new parks—in the Cathedral District and near Ritz Theater—and adding dog runs, multi-purpose lawns, play areas, and shaded outdoor seating among existing and additional pocket parks.

We found no actual designs and no mention of trees or landscaping. Just the idea that Northbank neighborhoods need more park space.

In addition to GAI’s vision, Jacksonville’s Parks Department is presently updating its master park plan, which should be available in June and cover the entire county, presumably including Downtown’s Northbank.

Together, these documents might give us a better sense of where parks fit in our historic Downtown’s redevelopment efforts.

Central or afterthoughts? Distinctive? Or strikingly similar?

Valuing urban parks

Setting aside the bizarre notion that Mother Nature needs justification—seriously, people—numerous city and state studies indicate that urban parks provide economic benefits rarely calculated in prioritizing public dollar investment.

As Jacksonville’s renowned architect Ted Pappas opined recently in The Florida Times-Union, the “value and positive impact of parks throughout the country are well-documented.”

Indeed, Pittsburgh, Birmingham, Louisville, Massachusetts, Illinois, among others, have calculated the economic return generated by public park investments—including investments in smaller downtown parks. For states, returns are in the billions, for cities, they’re in the millions.

Urban parks attract residents, increase property values and taxes, improve physical and mental well-being, lower health care costs, cool heat islands and lower air conditioning bills. Not to mention that spending time in parks—especially parks populated with trees, plants, and water features—renews the human spirit.

Seems we need Mother Nature, even if she doesn’t need us.

Think bigger

While not nothing, the vision of developing only two new Northbank parks is not what one would call a stretch goal. It’s small.

On top of our losing valuable Northbank outdoor natural space to a Riverfront Plaza “water’s edge restaurant,” together with DIA’s continued commitment to develop a mid-to-high level rise building on the former Landing site’s northeast corner, we have precious little acreage devoted to parks in historic Downtown. And this despite their intrinsic and economic value.

Maybe we should be grateful, for it might be a miracle that we have any Downtown parks at all.

What’s next

DIA’s board meets again on Wednesday, April 17, at 2 p.m. in Downtown’s main library.

Come out, ask about the historic Downtown parks plan, individual designs, and completion dates.

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This column appears in partnership with the JaxLookout.