JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — If you drove past the Rail Yard District, you might have missed it.
It’s nestled west of I-95 and north of I-10 with neighborhoods that include Brooklyn and New Town.
Rail Yard District Business Council, a new non-profit, is working to freshen up the area and put it on the right track.
Greg Tison has been the general manager of the Jacksonville Farmers Market for nearly 10 years, selling everything from tomatoes to watermelon and even fish.
Tison told Action News Jax the farmers market has been around since 1938 but has shrunk over the years.
“Got a lot more competition with grocery stores and things like that,” he said.
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That’s why Tison says he is hoping the Rail Yard District Business Council, a non-profit aimed at reviving the community, can help bring in more people and increase their sales.
“You go to other towns across the country and you see how they repurpose the old buildings and that’s some of the interest of this business council is to repurpose this district,” said Tison.
Neighbors, like Robert L. Jones Sr. who was born and raised in the area, say they would like to see improvements.
“Crime is still high but we’re working on it. We need more jobs, something for the kids to go to and play with, they don’t have anywhere to play,” said Jones.
On Tuesday, the council members met to talk about how they plan to continue growing the community in the next year.
Action News Jax told you last month when the group had their first meeting.
The non-profit says the area is already booming with nearly 350 businesses operating. It has brought in around $3 million in sales.
Tison told us businesses are working together to help revitalize the area and bring in more people.
“You got businesses right back here behind us on the other side of the railroad tracks that are doing things so it’s kind of like Jacksonville’s best-kept secret,” he said.
The Rail Yard District Business Council will host their next meeting in August.
On Thursday, FSCJ will host a job fair at its Beaver Street Enterprise Center at 10 a.m. to help hire more people in the Rail Yard District.
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