Art committee rejects proposed alleyway mural, tells staff to work with applicant on a more visible site

The Jacksonville Beach Art Committee voted on two linked recommendations Tuesday after discussing a facade grant application for a mural on the Ocean Craft building.

The committee rejected the current proposal to place the mural on the building's southern wall facing a grassy alleyway adjacent to the Best Western and unanimously directed staff to work with the applicant and artist to bring a revised proposal for a visible wall — likely along First Street or the street end — to the committee's February meeting.

The committee and staff said the mural's artist and price were acceptable but that the alley location does not justify committing roughly $19,000 of CRA facade-grant funds to a site that is private, unlit and provides limited pedestrian access. Staff said the application follows the program's 2-to-1 contribution formula but that visibility, pedestrian safety and maintenance access were the overriding concerns for this specific placement.

Staff described the cost breakdown in the application as roughly 1,200 square feet at about $20 per square foot, with the total project cost listed at about $27,500 and the applicant seeking a grant-sized contribution in the $19,000'$20,000 range under the facade-grant rules. Staff noted the 2-to-1 match requirement that applies to the facade program and said the art budget has not been spent this fiscal year; they recommended funding out of the art budget rather than the incentives line if the committee approved a mural in a visible location.

Committee members raised safety and operational access concerns tied to utilities and backflow preventers in the alley, said additional lighting would be restricted because of proximity to dunes and local sea turtle ordinances, and questioned whether investing public dollars into a privately owned, grassy alleyway met the committee's responsibility to award grant funds responsibly.

After discussion the committee put two recommendations to a vote: reject the current alleyway placement and, separately, authorize staff to work with the applicant to propose a relocated mural that is pedestrian- and vehicle-visible for the February meeting. Committee members indicated unanimous support for both recommendations; staff will follow up with the applicant and the artist ahead of the February CRE/CRA meeting.

The committee also discussed alternatives for the Ocean Craft building, including selecting portions of the building that face First Street or the street end, breaking the design into visible elements rather than one long stretch, or using a creative repaint/base-coat solution if a full mural is not feasible on another elevation.

Committee discussion noted prior facade and public-mural work downtown and emphasized that while the committee can provide input for private projects that request public funds, the ultimate balance is between preserving artistic variety in private murals and applying public-funding criteria for visibility and public benefit.

The committee did not specify a dollar amount to offer as a partial contribution; members said doing so risks inconsistent precedent and that a returned application with an alternate site should illustrate whether the facade-grant match is still appropriate.

Staff said they will notify the applicant that the present proposal was rejected due to location and will request a redesign for a more visible wall for consideration at the February meeting.