JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Less than a week after the first proposed redevelopment plans for the Seawalk Pavilion and Latham Plaza in Jacksonville Beach were presented to City Council, local event organizers and Jacksonville Beach residents are voicing their concerns.
At Monday's City Council meeting, those in opposition said they're concerned they will lose event space.
"Over the last five years 904 popup has experienced tremendous growth from expanding to 60 vendors to over 200 vendors and 15 food trucks," said 904 Pop-Up founder Mark Braddock. "We have become North Florida's largest curated popup attracting businesses and new owners all over the state."
A petition started by Braddock demands a stop to new proposed changes to Latham Plaza and Seawalk Pavilion. As of Monday night, the petition has more than 1,159 signatures.
The redevelopment plans for Latham Plaza include added trees, sculptures, shade, seating areas and a large multi-use structure replacing the plaza's parking lot. For Seawalk Pavilion, plans show the grass area near the stage is set to become terraced, creating more seating.
Braddock and many argued that event space for The 904 Pop-Up, Springing the Blues, Deck the Chairs and The Jax Beach Arts Market will be lost during construction, hurting the small business community.
"I encourage you to do the right thing and not destroy this community that we have built," another person told council.
Jacksonville Beach Mayor Chris Hoffman says design plans are still in the works. Two community workshops are planned for June 15 and 27 to discuss the challenges of the redevelopment plans.
"The main priority there will be talking to the business owners as well as the event promoters that utilize Latham Plaza about where we are in the conceptual phase right now before we start to take next steps there," Jacksonville Beach Mayor Chris Hoffman said.
Hoffman says she wants Latham Plaza and Seawalk Pavilion to be used for more than just events.
"We want a downtown that the residents can enjoy as much as our visitors do. What else can we do to make it a great place for both events but also a great amenity for the surrounding businesses and for the workplaces around there," Hoffman said.
Some say they agree with redeveloping the area but disagree with some changes.
"It should not happen at the expense of community events and activities, there needs to be an integration of that into the design," another person told city council.
The opposition of these redevelopment plans comes less than 24 hours before Jacksonville Beach voters will head to the polls to decide on the height of the mixed-use structure replacing the Latham Plaza Parking lot. .
Voting for that portion of the redevelopment project takes place Tuesday.