Jacksonville Council approves plans to revitalize downtown with a final vote planned next month

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville is one step closer to revitalizing downtown with hopes to attract more life to the River City.

A plan presented by the Young Professionals Group to add more than 65 acres of parks along the St. Johns River passed City Council Wednesday night.

The resolution calls for a network of parks and green spaces that are enhanced with restaurants and entertainment venues. It’s just part of the Downtown Investment Authority’s bigger development plan.

The board had its last chance for public comment Wednesday before final changes to the projects are made and it goes before city council early this year.

DIA CEO Lori Boyer said the primary focuses of the Business Investment and Development Plan includes bringing residents downtown and supporting that growth with more restaurants, retail and entertainment. The plan includes eight different goals, which can be read in detail here.

The original draft was released in 2014, but DIA CEO Lori Boyer said the board is three years ahead of schedule.

“You get really involved in the little pieces. And when you start to package it together you finally see how everything fits together and integrates,” she said.

The next development comes Friday when the DIA board meets to vote on a potential high-rise building for the Riverfront Plaza. The search is on for a developer to bring a mid-to-high rise building of more than 15 floors to Riverfront Plaza, next to Main Street.

The committee is looking for a minimum of seven stories, with the first floor being devoted to a restaurant and shops.

“Restaurant space that spills out onto the plaza that overlooks the park. I think it will be a real asset and amenity to the park,” Boyer said.

It’s the former site of the Jacksonville Landing, which was a two-story shopping mall built in 1987 and demolished in 2020.

According to documents, a hotel would “economically benefit the most from, and be the most compatible with the adjacent park.”

The DIA expects the park and hotel to be complete by mid-2024.

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