JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A proposal from the Downtown Investment Authority looks set to change the skyline of downtown Jacksonville.
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.
STORY: Jacksonville City Council votes to create new taxing district in Baymeadows
The DIA’s board Retail Enhancement and Property Disposition Committee is scheduled to vote on the terms Feb. 11.
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,” DIA’s CEO Lori Boyer said.
Action News Jax told you in July last year when the design firm, Perkins & Will Inc. was selected to develop Riverfront Plaza.
RELATED STORY: Artist behind ‘Jax’ sculpture for One Park Jax says the artwork symbolizes the St. Johns River
It’s the former site of the Jacksonville Landing, which was a two-story shopping mall built in 1987 and demolished in 2020.
“We would always go shopping at the Landing for back-to-school shopping, and Met park for concerts,” Brandi Mathews, a Jacksonville resident, said. “I want to be able to spend the whole day downtown.”
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.
©2022 Cox Media Group
