Community News

The community news section of The Murray Hill website is really up and running now.  They have been a little dated in the past but have picked up the pace recently.  I suspect that someone from MHPA maintains the site so I can understand why they would be overwhelmed.  Most recently they touch on the need for volunteers for MHPA, First Block improvements, and a recap of Octobers MHPA Meeting last Thursday.  This is one to keep an eye on for those of you interested in Murray Hill current events.

MHPA Meeting Tonight

The Murray Hill Preservation Association is holding their monthly meeting tonight at the Murray Hill Presbyterian Church at 7:00 p.m.  Tonight’s guests are from New South, the contractor that performed the architectural survey phase I for Murray Hill.  They will be discussing their findings from the survey and some history of the homes in Murray Hill. 

Kriss Duckett, the MHPA President will also hopefully have some new information regarding the Murray Hill Town Center project that was slated to begin this fall.  The Hill inquired to the MHPA for some new information regarding the final plan and when construction was supposed to commence.  Hopefully these questions can be answered tonight.

Murray Hill Town Center

The Murray Hill Community Newsletter reveals that the Murray Hill Town Center Initiative will be breaking ground this fall.  MHPA deserves a majority of the credit for this project.  They have pushed and been an intricate part of the process since its inception.  This is why we should all belong to MHPA and do what we can for our neighborhood.  I have read the Town Center Vision Plan Phase I Initiative published by the City of Jacksonville Planning and Development Department in March of 2004.  That is my only reference for this article.  I have put in request for information to see if the initiative has been revised since then and have not received a response so I am writing this under the assumption that the Phase III construction about to commence is relatively unaltered from this Phase I report. The Murray Hill Town Center Initiative is part of the larger Town Center Program backed by the City of Jacksonville and City Council Member Suzanne Jenkins.  It provides support to local organizations in helping to revitalize community areas that have some historic or aesthetic character.  For the main corridor through Murray Hill, Edgewood Avenue, the Murray Hill Preservation Association has sought the assistance of the Town Center Program to redevelop and improve that stretch of Murray Hill.  In late 2002 the MHPA received a grant from the City of Jacksonville for Phase I of the Town Center Program which designated funds to the association for research, analysis, and planning of improvements to the Murray Hill area.  

Phase I is just the first of three phases to the process.  Phase I grants money to gather important planning information from the city, state, and the community to create a vision of the most efficient way to improve the neighborhood.  After site visits and community meetings and workshops to get input from the residents, a perspective plan was created that visually summarizes the Town Center Vision.  The project team then took the plan and created a cost estimate for all of the work involved, thus creating a budget for the project and Performa to take to the City of Jacksonville for funding.  With the help of the professional planners and members of the Planning Department the information gathered during Phase I, the plan and the budget were used to create a comprehensive report utilized when MHPA applied for Phase II funding.  Approval of Phase II and Phase III applications are never guaranteed, each one is evaluated separately from the others but are necessary to the process.  Upon approval of Phase II the City grants funds to create the construction plans for the project.  This involves hiring civil engineers, surveyors, contractors, and keeping the City and the State government agencies that control the roads involved.  After the construction plans are complete, assuming everything in the plan is feasible, the local and state agencies are on board with the project, and the work to be performed is within the approved budget the team can apply for Phase III funding which will grant money to implement the work described in the Phase I report, thus constructing the Town Center Vision.   

That takes me to the vision.  To those familiar with the Murray Hill area, you’ll find that the plan is impressive.  It is solely focused on Edgewood Avenue from Mayflower Street at The First Block to Hamilton Street near Lenox Avenue.  One goal of the Town Center Team was to prioritize the improvements in order to get the most done for the money granted to Murray Hill.  The following is the list of improvements contained in the Phase I Town Center Initiative.

•  Right of way improvements:  Edgewood Avenue from Falmouth Street to Mayflower Street would become two lanes opposed to the current four lane configuration.  This would create room for turning lanes going each way to improve traffic patterns through the main corridor.  This also creates room for a central median that would be landscaped with trees, shrubs, and sod.  This is going to generate a much more inviting atmosphere while driving down Edgewood.  There are plans to continue this two lane configuration all the way to Lenox Avenue, but again the team had to prioritize and there are other items that they felt were more important to focus on towards the Southeastern portion of Edgewood.  The block between Mayflower Street and Plymouth Street has been previously enhanced as part of a separate project also put together by MHPA.            
• Pedestrian lighting:  This is an important part of creating that unique Town Center aura.  We currently have the street lighting that is used for practical purposes, but it not aesthetically pleasing.  Instead of using funding to replace those lights that have to conform to minimum City and Sate standards the team decided to add Pedestrian Lighting to supplement and take the focus off of the Street Lighting.  The budget calls for an estimated 56 new twelve foot posts with globe fixtures to be installed along Edgewood to illuminate the night and create a more pedestrian friendly environment to promote activity in the area.                      
• Sidewalk Improvements:  In addition to new lighting the plan calls for a new four foot sidewalk on the Southwest side of Edgewood Avenue from Hamilton Street leading to the Murray Hill Methodist Church.  I have jogged through that area and it becomes tenuous as you proceed towards Lenox Avenue.  As well as adding the section of sidewalk the condition of all the existing sidewalks will be assessed and repaired as needed. 
• Reduction of Curb Cuts:  As Murray Hill has developed over the years and the codes and ordinances for road construction evolve the curbs and gutters around Murray Hill have become quite inconsistent.   Time has created one long exit off of Edgewood into any one of the merchants along the corridor.  The town Center Initiative will work to reduce the number of unnecessary curb cuts.  It will be evaluated on a case by case basis, but areas with the extra curb cuts such as the Chevron at Post Street and Edgewood Avenue will have those replaced with curbs, sidewalks and landscaping. 

• Street Trees:  In addition to the landscaping in the new medians the plan calls for street trees to be planted along Edgewood Avenue on both sides of the street.  The recommended street trees are Live Oaks, Palatka Holly, and Cabbage Palms to create shade and further promote pedestrian activity.   

• Intersection Improvements:  The intersections of Edgewood Avenue and Falmouth Street, Edgewood Avenue and Post Street, Edgewood Avenue and Trask Street will all get new single mast arm traffic signals, similar to those going up along Post Street and College Street in Riverside.  These intersections along with Edgewood Avenue and College Street, Edgewood Avenue and Antisdale Street, Edgewood Avenue and Corby Street, and Edgewood Avenue and Mayflower Street will get a new eight foot pedestrian crosswalk of red brick pavers enclosed with a concrete header curb.   
• Additional Parking:  New angle parking will be installed on each side of Edgewood between Antisdale Street and Corby Street.  This new parking is mainly provided to facilitate the Florida Christian Home and the businesses across the street. 
• Bus Stop Improvements:  Many of you around Murray Hill recognize the extensive use of City Buses around the neighborhood.  There is most likely someone at every stop whenever the busses are running.  The bus stops along the Edgewood corridor will receive new benches and shelter where space allows.  The plan calls for new bus stops at the corners of Antisdale Street and College Street, Trask Street and College Street, and Mayflower Street and College Street.  They do not show one at the corners of Post Street and College Street which is surprising.  The Jacksonville Transportation Association has developed guidelines for bus shelters and is currently funded for 40 shelters citywide.  They have committed funds to the Murray Hill Town Center Initiative to match funds to install these new bus shelters.   

• Street Furniture:  In addition to new bus shelters the plan calls for forty five new benches and trash receptacle to be installed along the corridor as space allows.  This new furniture will be iron and help keep the neighborhood quaint and hopefully clean providing receptacles for litter.   

• Finally the plan calls for an Entry Monument similar to the one currently at The First Block to be placed in the median at the intersection of Plymouth Street and Edgewood.  Also a display Kiosk will be installed near the Murray Hill Theater to serve as a central information source for community news or flyers as opposed to telephone poles throughout the neighborhood.

Ultimately the MHPA and partners in this project could not fit everything they wanted into the Town Center Vision due to budget constraints.  The estimated cost for the work described above came to $1,094,000.00 at 2004 estimated costs.  Construction materials and labor have gone up quite a bit in the last two years.  Hopefully some of the items do not get cut out because of costs inflation, we will see by the spring when the work is scheduled to be completed.  Some items that were discussed that did not make the cut are still part of the long term vision:

• Moving utilities underground:  not feasible until major water or sewer work is necessary.
• Overhead string lights:  possibly to be funded directly by MHPA to light up the new trees to be planted to create a festive atmosphere year round.
• Overpass wall improvements:  Possible future project to spruce up the Roosevelt overpass with murals or landscaping.
• Pocket Park:  There was no publicly owned land to create this park off Edgewood but there is a parcel at 1020 Edgewood Avenue that is centrally located that was recommended in the Phase I staff report.
• Community Center: Not financially feasible at this point but The Jones College building has been discussed as a location for such a center.
• Building improvements:  Renovations to existing buildings along the Edgewood corridor can be suggested but not mandatory and takes the investment of the property owners.  Regulations can be put in place though that would require certain guidelines be met if any alteration or renovation were to occur.  This goes back to the discussion about designating Murray Hill as a Historic District.   

I again want to applaud the MHPA, the citizens of Murray Hill who participated in the Phase I design, the city council members who helped push through the red tape, and the Planning and Development Department for offering their administrative and monetary assistance.  This Town Center Initiative is just the next step in the revitalization of Murray Hill.

Historic Designation… Yay or Nay?

The monthly meeting for the Murray Hill Preservation Associating is being held tomorrow night, September 28 at the Murray Hill Presbyterian Church at 7:00 pm.  Tomorrow nights guest is scheduled to be Jim Overton, the City of Jacksonville Property Appraiser to discuss how a Historic Designation would affect the neighborhood of Murray Hill.  Local Historic designation is established and monitored by The City of Jacksonville Planning Department.  The City of Jacksonville Planning Department website discusses Historic Designation.

Historic Designation is the process by which a site, structure, or area is officially recognized as having historical, architectural, or archaeological significance.  It is the primary means for identifying and protecting Jacksonville’s historic resources.

Designation for Historic status is different for a structure opposed to an area such as Murray Hill.  For a neighborhood to be designated as Historical the following applies:

Historic District designations recognize multiple properties. Historic Districts must meet at least two of the criteria identified above and the following:

· Its character is a geographically definable area or neighborhood possessing a significant concentration, or continuity of sites, buildings, objects or structures united in past events, or united in culture, architectural style, or aesthetically by plan or physical development.

Currently there are three local areas that are considered Historic: Riverside / Avondale, Springfield, and the St. Johns Quarter, which borders Riverside / Avondale.  There are other areas though where Historic Designation can be obtained on a case by case basis, namely the Downtown District.  After an area has successfully gone through the review and approval process to become Historic it will forever be scrutinized when it comes to construction or demolition within its boundaries.  For any property owner to alter the exterior of their property or demolish any portions of the main structure (detached garages do not apply) it must obtain a COA (Certificate of Appropriateness) from The Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission at the Planning Department.  Most COA’s for minor repairs or improvements can be approved within three days of the application but anything more than minor will have to go before The Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission for a public hearing and review.  This process can take substantially more than three days.  The commission reviews the proposed projects to ensure that they are historically consistent with regards to architectural styles, details, guidelines, and standards.  These COA’s must be obtained by The Planning Department before a zoning administrator will even open your plans for a permit plan review.

Historic Designation doesn’t have to be all gloom and doom though.  In 1992 the State of Florida passed a bill that mandates that local governments provide a partial tax exemption to properties that are deemed Historic by the appropriate authorities.  The City of Jacksonville enacted this by approving an ad valorem tax exemption for locally historically designated properties that go through substantial renovations.  This tax exemption was designed to encourage people to become historically designated, purchase historic properties and improve them, as well as inspire existing owner’s to improve their historic property.  This tax exemption can be quite lucrative.  A property that is locally Historically Designated is eligible to deduct 100% of the ad valorem tax assessed by The City of Jacksonville for the portion of the improvements made to the property for the exemption period, which I believe is 10 years.  That could amount to tens of thousands of dollars.  All those crazy people in Springfield buying pieces and fixing them up don’t look so silly now huh?

The question though to be assessed by Jim Overton is would this be good for Murray Hill?  It is a yes and no.  My personal opinion is it would be good for the area south of Edgewood Avenue.  On that side of Murray Hill there seems to be more affluent home owners that would relish in “Living in a Historic Area” thereby making it that much more attractive to prospective buyers.  On the north side of Edgewood there is still quite a bit of renovating to be done.  This would be good for people seeking the tax exemption, but many owners and buyers could perceive the designation as more of a deterrent than attractor.  Before the housing market slow down in the past 4-6 months people in Murray Hill were flipping houses left and right with each one making their own little improvements.  This would not be nearly as easy with Historic designations requiring anyone who even wanted to paint the exterior of their house having to get a COA.  It would in my opinion slow the housing renovation drive in Murray Hill.  Not to mention all those who are improving their property without the require permits, but hey improve away as long as it does the same to my property values.  For me though, I like the idea.  I wouldn’t mind taking the extra time and care to navigate the COA and permitting process to improve my property, but I can’t speak for those around me who I hope are planning on improving theirs soon.  But long story short…..Imagine NO VINYL SIDING ALLOWED.  Sweet

MHPA Meeting Thursday Night

When I first talked to the gracious organizers for the MHPA they informed me that the meetings would be held on the last Thursday’s of each month.  Unfortunately this month it is being held a little early, perfectly conflicting with the Neighborhood Watch Program meeting.  This Thursday, August 24th at the Murray Hill Presbyterian Church on the corner of Post Street and Talbot Street the MHPA will have Gary and Joel Miller from the Miller Appraisal Group come to talk about the real estate bubble and how it is affecting our neighborhood and the City of Jacksonville. 

A hot topic right now for both home buyers and sellers.  The housing market is cooling off around the country with the slow rise of interest rates, but the “bubble” has not burst and I personally don’t think it will in most parts of Jacksonville and especially in Murray Hill.  Though I’m not an expert in the real estate profession I feel that Murray Hill will continue to be a great value for home owner’s in the years to come.  With interest rates leveling off for the time being home buyers should become reassured in the market and pick up the pace on home purchases.  Only time will tell, but I have made my investment in Murray Hill and feel confident in doing so.

MHPA Meeting Tonight

Reminder that the July MHPA meeting is tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Murray Hill Presbyterian Church on the corner of Post and Talbot.

Murray Hill Newsletter

The MHPA publishes a newsletter each month for it’s member’s.  A copy of which can be found at www.jacksonville.com where MHPA is a “community group“.  The Hill will do it’s best to post that newsletter each month.  Another periodical….it just took a little looking. 

MHPA Meeting Location

The MHPA meeting to be held on Thursday the 27th will be at The Murray Hill Presbyterian Church on the corner of Post Street and Talbot Avenue.  The actual address is 949 Ingleside Avenue.  The meeting is set to start at 7:00 p.m.  This will be the first of hopefully many MHPA meetings for The Hill.

You have to start somewhere.

First order of business is the announcement of the Murray Hill Preservation Association (MHPA) monthly meeting on Thursday July 27.  The location will be posted soon. 

It should be troublesome to those in Murray Hill that MHPA seems to lack any organization or direction.  That may be an ignorant assessment but we will see soon at the meeting Thursday.  Murray Hill needs the MHPA to be a successful, respected voice of the neighborhood, similar to SPAR and RAP.