The City of Jacksonville, FUSE, and LIFT JAX are working together to bring new energy to the commercial corridors that anchor neighborhoods like Historic Eastside, Springfield, Brooklyn, Durkeeville, LaVilla, and Five Points. Several of these corridors have seen decades of disinvestment since consolidation, leaving their economic potential largely untapped. The Emerald Trail, a multi-neighborhood connector inspired by Atlanta’s BeltLine, offers a generational chance to change that in ways that strengthen the communities already rooted there. The City brings tools like facade improvement programs and a strong commitment to equitable investment, while LIFT JAX contributes deep neighborhood relationships, private sector networks, and a proven approach to community-rooted economic development.
In the first 90 days, the Fellow Sydni Sayles will meet with the Mayor’s Office, city departments, council members, business owners and associations, residents, and private and philanthropic partners, and will assess corridor conditions, capital plans, and barriers to accessing city resources. Sayles will then craft corridor-specific revitalization plans covering infrastructure, streetscaping, and small business support, paired with financing strategies that combine city capital, anchor institution partnerships, and philanthropy. By Fall 2027, deliverables will include a corridor conditions assessment, revitalization plans, a multi-source financing strategy, a partnership framework, and five-to-ten-year implementation roadmaps. By Fall 2028, priority corridors are expected to be in active implementation, and the City and LIFT JAX will have a documented, replicable model they can apply to more corridors and share nationally.
