JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Project leaders developing the 30-mile Emerald Trail were looking for the community’s input for one of the final segments through several historic Jacksonville neighborhoods.
Residents of Durkeeville and New Town were invited to share their feedback Monday at the Beaver Street Enterprise Center as planners finalize designs for Segment 7 of the urban trail network.
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For Groundwork Jacksonville’s CEO, Kay Ehas, she said she valued community feedback as a priority in the development.
“We feel like communities are our key partners, even more so than the city,” Ehas said.
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The meeting was part of a broader study by Groundwork Jacksonville, the City of Jacksonville, and Jacksonville Transportation Authority focusing on segments 4, 6, 7 and 8 – the last portions of the transformative infrastructure project.
“Our goal was to connect the urban core neighborhoods to each other, with the goal of creating a 30-mile transportation network that you can get around without a car,” Ehas said during the meeting. “It’s reconnecting neighborhoods that have been disconnected because of the highways and other large roads.”
The final segments will connect 10 urban core neighborhoods to schools, parks, transportation hubs, healthcare facilities and businesses, strengthening the community fabric of Jacksonville’s historic districts.
Jacksonville Housing Authority CEO Cheron Corbett Waller, who was at the meeting, shared concerns about protecting the Oaks at Durkeeville as the clients JHA serves.
“We want to ensure that we preserve not just the social and cultural aspects but also the overall safety of our residents/clients, Therefore it’s important that the Emerald Trail does not cut through the Oaks at Durkeeville. It’s important that we preserve this community as well.”
Residents like Karen Richardson expressed wanting better communication about the project updates. Questions were also raised about local small business owners being a part of the conversation.
Ehas said there are initiatives in mind to include them.
“So, we have gas tax dollars, and hopefully, fingers crossed, a federal grant,” she said. “There will be a gas tas legislation [to] require a certain amount of gas tax to go to local to go to local JCEP businesses.”
Groundwork and JTA have also met with local small businesses to inform owners about the project and receive input on how they could become involved in the project.
Ehas said most of the feedback they’ve received was positive, but there wasn’t as much agreement in the feedback for Segment 7.
Design work for the final segments is scheduled to begin in late 2025, with construction starting in 2027. The entire trail network is targeted for completion by 2031.
