The City of Jacksonville is set to take over the Jacksonville Landing, but first they have to help relocate the remaining tenants.
Mayor Lenny Curry's Chief of Staff Brian Hughes is also the interim chair of the Downtown Investment Authority, and he tells our partner Action News Jax he's confident the transition will take less than the 45 days allowed to take over control.
After the City Council approved a plan to take over the Landing on Tuesday, the focus now is on talking to the tenants.
"If they're a vibrant and successful retailer and they want to stay downtown, we're going to do everything we can to keep them here," Hughes says.
He says he also doesn't think it will take the City the full 45 days to make the transition as the new owner.
The wheels are already in motion to demolish the building, and Hughes says city leaders hope that in the future you'll be able to see the river from more of downtown.
As for what happens once the Landing is knocked down, Hughes says a rendering released last year by Curry is one option. It shows a park with room for development.
"That rendering represents the possibility of two or potentially maybe three or four additional areas where you can do development but not interfere with the riverfront activation," Hughes says.
He says the City is open to other ideas for the space.
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