Jacksonville Beach slows pace of Urban Trails project over neighbor concerns

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Jacksonville Beach slows pace of Urban Trails project over neighbor concerns

After living 50 years in Jacksonville Beach, Don Jacobs has come to appreciate the type of trail he loves most: the one made by Mother Nature.

“We have an ocean. We walk along it all of the time,” Jacobs said, “We go up and down, and it’s quite well maintained.”

Jacobs is among the longtime locals of Jacksonville Beach who would rather use this trail than see one built through his neighborhood, such as the city’s Urban Trails project.

“It’s a lot of money to spend just to make it look pretty and for somebody to feel good,” said Jacobs.

Jacobs lives near Penman Road, which he says is usually busy with traffic.

He is concerned about what may happen if too many people start to move next to or across the street as a result of the Urban Trails project.

“The benefit doesn’t outweigh the safety,” Jacobs said.

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Jacob’s insights on the project, along with perspectives from others such as Doodle Cinotti, owner of Cinotti’s Bakery in Jacksonville Beach, are part of the reason why the city is changing its approach to the Urban Trails.

“People want a safe community, a safe place to walk, but nobody wants it to take over the city,” Cinotti said.

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During a city council meeting earlier this week, the City of Jacksonville Beach turned down a $200,000 grant to fund the completion of the segment of the trail on 4th Avenue North from Penman Road to the Jacksonville Beach Pier.

The city tells Action News Jax that this was done so it would have more time to get community feedback before continuing with that section of the trail, and says they are more cautious with the project than before.

The city also laid out an update to another segment of the trail, saying the design of the portion on South Beach Parkway to Jacksonville Drive, stopping at 3rd Street, is close to being finalized, and final designs will be provided in the next 2-3 weeks.

The city confirmed with Action News Jax that city leaders will begin reworking which parts of the trail it wants to prioritize, agreeing to firstly focus on the segments near schools.

We are told the city is exploring more ways to get community feedback on the project, even if some go completely against it.

“Do we want an upgrade? Yes. Do we want safety? Yes. Do we want lights? Yes. But don’t be bringing in all this stuff that we don’t want,” Cinotti said.

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