Brentwood residents say promised community center became JSEB business center without notice

Lydia Bell, president of the Metro Gardens Neighborhood Association in Brentwood, told the Jacksonville City Council Special Committee on JSEB on April 7 that neighborhood residents were not notified before a city-owned property previously described as a community center was designated for a JSEB business center.

The matter drew multiple public commenters during the committee’s public-comment period, who said the city has repeatedly promised a community center and then altered plans without engaging residents. "Why wasn't it a planning hearing? Who are these people of JSEB that we know nothing about?" Bell asked the committee.

Why it matters: Brentwood residents said local priorities include a community center, skills training and urgent care—not a business incubator—and they said the decision-making and communication process has…