JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Five Points Business Improvement District has appointed its first few members.
On March 10, the Jacksonville City Council unanimously appointed Andre Green, commercial development manager for Corner Lot; Cheryl Croft, the owner of Edge City; and Dori Thomsen, co-owner and operator of Soluna Yoga + Spa, to the board. They also appointed two alternatives: Alonzo Walton, who owns the investment firm Challen Capital Inc., and Ashley Kendrick, the founder of Malachi’s Ice Cream Bar.
“I feel like the business improvement district is really going to give us an opportunity to make some really lasting impact changes for our community,” Croft said. “There’s really only about five sorts of shopping type areas in our Jacksonville community, and if we’re not careful, these all go away.”
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Croft became the owner of Edge City off Park Street in 2023. She’s been an active member of the Five Points Association for two and a half years and was appointed to its board six months ago.
“Our neighbors, our merchants, our property owners—everybody should benefit from what we do with this BID,” Croft said. “I just want us to be a beautiful and safe place for people to be able to come congregate as a community.”
The legislation that created the Business Improvement District was introduced by City Council Member Jimmy Peluso of District 7. He told Action News Jax that community members of Five Points can expect to see change as soon as the next few months.
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In year one, Peluso says safety and cleanliness are the priority. But in the coming years, they’ll be able to shift their focus to community engagement, events and possible business initiatives to help small businesses stay in Five Points.
“A business improvement district is meant to do one thing really well, and that’s improve business,” Peluso said.
The BID includes almost 100 commercial properties located on Post Street, Riverside Avenue, Copeland Street, Lancaster Street, Memorial Park Drive and more.
Peluso says that because of Five Points’ centralized location, the Business Improvement District can serve as a template for addressing similar issues in surrounding neighborhoods as well.
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