How many people in Mandarin even knew this project existed? Many of us are only now learning about a proposed sidewalk on Brady Road. The City of Jacksonville’s current Capital Improvement Plan identifies the Brady Road Sidewalk from Orange Picker Road to Flynn Road, with $500,000 allocated for construction and an estimated completion date of 2029.  

This Is Not Just a $500,000 Sidewalk Project

Many residents are only now learning about the proposed Brady Road sidewalk, even though it has appeared in the City’s Capital Improvement Program for years.

The $500,000 currently associated with the project is not the full planned cost. City Capital Improvement Plan documents list the Brady Road Sidewalk project at a total planned cost of approximately $3.2 million, with $2.7 million shown beyond the FY 2026–27 budget period.

That distinction matters. Residents deserve to know that we are not simply discussing a $500,000 expenditure. We are discussing a larger sidewalk project for which millions of dollars have been contemplated in the City’s long-term capital planning.

Before additional public money is committed, residents deserve answers: What is the complete scope of the project? How many trees would be removed? How much private property or right-of-way would be affected? Are wetlands involved? What environmental reviews have been completed? What documented pedestrian-safety data supports this project? And, most importantly, who originally requested that Brady Road be selected for this sidewalk project?

Brady Road is one of Mandarin’s remaining narrow, beautiful, tree-lined roads. Its rural and scenic character is precisely what many residents value about it. Once that character is destroyed, it cannot simply be restored.

Pause the Brady Road sidewalk project until the City provides the public with the complete plans, total projected cost, environmental documentation, safety justification, funding history and records showing how and why this project was originally selected.

The project description says it is to be constructed in accordance with the City’s Pedestrian Safety Improvement (PSI) Program criteria. We are being told this project goes back to the City’s capital planning process several years ago. That makes transparency more important, not less. If this has been in the works for years, how many affected residents knew about it? What public outreach occurred? What was originally proposed? Has the scope changed? And is a $500,000 construction allocation still an accurate representation of what taxpayers ultimately will spend? WHO IS WALKING BRADY ROAD — AND WHAT DATA ESTABLISHED THE NEED? Brady Road is a narrow, tree-lined Mandarin road. Two vehicles traveling in opposite directions can already pass remarkably close to one another. Before altering it, show residents the documented need. How many pedestrians currently use this portion of Brady Road? What pedestrian counts were conducted? What Brady Road-specific accident or safety data were used? How many residents requested this sidewalk? Must every road in Mandarin eventually become a pedestrian corridor? Pedestrian safety matters. But a general statement about pedestrian safety does not tell us why this particular sidewalk is necessary on this particular road. THE CITY’S OWN SIDEWALK RULES RAISE MORE QUESTIONS Jacksonville’s Public Works Department publishes specific requirements for proposed new sidewalks under its Pedestrian Safety Improvement Program. The City’s sidewalk page says a proposed project must satisfy four PSI requirements before it is considered for funding. The City also states that, for streets designated residential, after those requirements are met, the requester must submit a petition demonstrating approval from 75% of the affected residents/property owners. The City’s policy further states that sidewalk requests without 75% approval will typically be denied. There is an exception: sidewalks on streets classified as collector or arterial roadways are exempt from the 75% petition requirement, although the City’s PSI criteria still apply. That gives Mandarin residents some very straightforward questions: How is this section of Brady Road officially classified by the City? If it is residential, was the required 75% approval obtained, and where is the petition? If the City considers Brady Road a collector or arterial roadway and therefore believes the 75% requirement does not apply, show residents the official classification and explain which PSI criteria this project satisfied. These aren’t technicalities. They are the City’s own published procedures. City of Jacksonville — Sidewalk Policy and PSI Requirements⁠ WHAT WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED TO BUILD IT? A sidewalk has to go somewhere. Show us exactly where. How many mature trees could be removed or affected? How much residential frontage and landscaping could be disturbed? Are drainage areas or wetlands involved? What environmental reviews have been conducted? Have potential impacts involving protected or threatened wildlife been evaluated? What state or federal reviews or permits, if any, are required? Before construction begins, residents should be able to see the actual alignment and understand exactly what will change. AND IS $500,000 REALLY THE END OF THE COST? The current CIP identifies $500,000 for construction. But many residents are only now discovering a project that has been in the City’s planning process for years. So taxpayers deserve a current accounting. Does $500,000 represent the anticipated total cost of delivering this sidewalk, or only construction? What has already been spent on planning, design, engineering or surveying? What additional costs could arise from drainage, utilities, environmental requirements, tree mitigation, property issues or changes in construction costs? Before another dollar is committed, show taxpayers the current numbers. THEN THERE IS MAPP Councilman Michael Boylan requested the Mandarin Area Preservation Project (MAPP). The City describes MAPP as an effort to preserve Mandarin’s distinct character and natural beauty while involving the community in developing a vision for Mandarin’s future. And what have residents been saying? According to the City’s published results from the first MAPP workshop, trees, natural land and wetlands received the most mentions among the listed area-wide priorities. That sounds like preservation. Yet while residents are participating in a process asking what should be preserved, an infrastructure project capable of altering another narrow, tree-lined Mandarin road continues through the City’s capital program. What is the point of asking residents what they want preserved if projects conceived years earlier continue moving forward without first being reconciled with what residents are saying today? MAPP should not become an exercise where residents attend meetings, complete surveys and talk about preservation while consequential infrastructure decisions proceed on an entirely separate track. Mr. Boylan requested MAPP. If MAPP is genuinely about preservation and community engagement, then this is precisely the type of project that should be examined through that lens before construction—not afterward. WE ARE ASKING THE CITY TO PAUSE AND SHOW US THE RECORD Before the Brady Road sidewalk proceeds, we call upon the City of Jacksonville to provide residents with: * Brady Road’s official roadway classification and an explanation of which PSI requirements the project satisfied; * If the 75% property-owner approval requirement applies, documentation demonstrating that it was satisfied; * The pedestrian counts and Brady Road-specific safety data supporting the project; * Documentation showing the community requests cited as justification; * The precise sidewalk alignment, dimensions and survey; * Identification of trees and landscaping that could be removed or affected; * Information concerning potential impacts on residential property, drainage and wetlands; * Applicable environmental and wildlife reviews and permits; * A complete accounting of money already spent and the current anticipated total project cost; and * A meaningful opportunity for affected residents and the Mandarin community to review this information and provide input before construction begins. This isn’t an argument against pedestrian safety. It’s an argument for documentation, transparency, fiscal accountability, environmental stewardship and preservation before an irreversible decision is made. If the project satisfies Jacksonville’s own criteria, show us. If the community demand exists, show us. If the safety data supports it, show us. If $500,000 will cover it, show us the numbers. And if MAPP is truly about preserving Mandarin, then give Mandarin residents a meaningful voice before another part of its character is changed. PAUSE THE PROJECT. SHOW US THE FACTS. LISTEN TO MANDARIN. THEN DECIDE.