Councilmember ensures Moncrief improvement plan after residents say they felt forgotten for years

Residents living in the Moncrief neighborhood are tired of waiting year after year in hopes of getting their community upgraded. Promises were made for a $4.2 million Moncrief beautification project in 2019, but it never happened.

We spoke with Jacksonville City Councilwoman Ju’coby Pittman, who represents the area, and said she’s doing everything she can to push this project forward now.

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Neighbors in the Moncrief area told Action News Jax they are in desperate need of upgrades to address bad roads, flooding, and dangerous crosswalks.

“If they want to do something about this, they could have done something 10 years ago,” Moncrief resident Johnny Bryant said.

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“Walking up and down 45th Street every day, I saw a lot of things, but I haven’t seen a lot of improvements,” Moncrief resident Nate Thomas said.

Pittman tried to implement upgrades with a $4.2 million Moncrief beautification project in 2019, which was funded through the city budget, but fell through.

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She said there were a lot of elements for that project that she wasn’t prepared for.

“Yes, originally it did. But I went back,” Pittman said.

Wednesday, she proposed a $1.8 million plan to bring major changes stretching from 34th to 45th streets. It will include trees, lighting, landscaping, safety improvements, a new pedestrian crossing, and a roundabout at the 45th Street intersection.

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“Not only is it a beautification plan but a safety issue. This particular corridor is the third-largest crash area in the city of Jacksonville,” Pittman said.

But Pittman said even if her proposal gets approved, residents in Moncrief will still have to wait to see full results.

“It’s going to take another couple of years for the plan to fully be developed,” Pittman said.

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Pittman mentioned other funds could be used to help some businesses get facelifts .

“So, we have about $1.2 million for the small businesses in the corridor of Myrle Avenue and Moncrief. We have five businesses who are in the queue,” Pittman said.

Pittman said if the proposed plan passes, they will begin the design phase this year and have the project completed in 2027.

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