Since I’ve been on Council the past 17 months, we have seen some beautiful new redevelopment in the downtown area, such as Oaxaca Mexican Restaurant, Jekyll Island Brewing, and Springhill Suites. Just recently, we approved the redevelopment of the western half of the block behind Mango’s, which promises to greatly enhance that area with some mixed-use and restaurant space. I think such smart redevelopment greatly enhances our downtown central business district and attracts the patrons, both residents and visitors, we desire. A thriving central business district will only help drive away and eliminate the contingent that has brought crime and violence into our downtown area.
That being said, we certainly have some parking challenges in this area. On busy weekends and holidays, parking spills into the neighborhoods west of 3rd Street, which introduces various safety concerns. A well-thought-out public-private partnership structure on the existing asphalt parking lot between Sneakers and Latham Plaza has the opportunity to expand some parking capacity as well as introduce some mixed-use and dining options that would look onto Latham Plaza from the south side, nicely complementing the new additions to the north of Latham Plaza (Oaxaca/Jekyll Island).
I favor such smart development, again, that will further activate this area and help drive away an undesirable contingent.