JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Designers unveiled the final phase of conceptual designs for the revitalization plans of the Metropolitan Park, on Wednesday afternoon.
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The city hired CIVITAS to create the vision.
“We’re showing a refined concept design that’s based on the feedback that we’ve received to now,” CIVITAS principal designer Scott Jordan said. “We want to get confirmation from the community that they like where it’s headed or if they have ideas or suggestions.”
The meeting had interactive stations where folks were learning about the use of the park as well as the next steps in the design.
People had the opportunity to talk to designers, and many said they were excited about what they saw.
“Downtown now, is more so for business and local business and we don’t have a ton of action going on but that’s what Jacksonville is moving towards,” Jacksonville resident Tinesha Tutt said.
Jordan said they are working to try and create a more resilient park to withstand future storms and the flooding that will likely happen in the area.
“We’re creating about a 100-foot buffer along the river’s edge where we have board blocks, we have accessible paths that you can get to the water still, but that whole edge can act as a resilient sponge,” Jordan said. “So as storm surges come in and inundate that area, it can absorb that water and out into the river gradually rather than having it just flash flood across the entire site.”
A total of $13 million was set aside in the city’s capital improvement plan to revitalize the 42-year-old park along the riverfront across from EverBank stadium.
This was all part of the $200 million set aside in the mayor’s budget for the three downtown parks - Riverfront Plaza, Met Park, and Shipyards West.
“I love Jacksonville and I love the direction it’s going in,” Tutt said.
The plans also include more entertainment spaces, which Tutt said she’s looking forward to.
“It’s just going to make Jacksonville a more touristy place and just a place that people would like to live,” Tutt said.
Again, designers are still in the conceptual phase, and there is still more designing left to be done.
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