Trail connecting 14 neighborhoods could be built in Jacksonville

The community got a sneak peek at a planned trail that promises to link 14 Jacksonville neighborhoods together.

Proponents of the 19-mile Emerald Necklace Trail say it would stretch as far Lackawanna and Phoenix, connecting communities in between.

Tuesday night, people got that sneak peek at the FSCJ downtown campus.

In Atlanta, the Beltline promises people 33 miles of trails.  The overall project has led to billions in redevelopment in the area.

“I think it’d be great [for Jacksonville],” said Emily Wiseman.  “It’d be fun to walk and ride bikes and it’d be nice to have all of our neighborhoods connected.”

The nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville wants to make that happen.

It’s likely years off, but the route would utilize the S Line and the Riverwalk, and connect 14 historic neighborhoods.

“We need more wild places,” said Denise Sahni.  “Especially in Mandarin, where we live in Mandarin, everything is getting bulldozed and houses are being built, and I know people need places to live, but the reason people like certain areas of town is because of the trees and the wilderness, and we need a lot more of that.”

Groundwork Jacksonville says it’ll cost roughly $2 million per mile, and they’re hoping the city can help with that in addition to private donors and grants.

They want to present plans to the city council in September.

Cox Media Group