JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Friday marks exactly one year since the Jacksonville Downtown Development Review Board gave final approval to the Shipyards mixed-use project.
It’s set to bring the much anticipated new Four Seasons hotel to the riverfront, residential units, an office building, and other public amenities.
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On Thursday, the city discussed some minor modifications to the project such as redesigning the hotel entrance and other adjustments to the Four Seasons layout, but it serves as a reminder of this huge downtown redevelopment effort ahead. Furthermore, it offers promise for a downtown area that has had multiple failed attempts at revitalization.
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However, Frank Cherry of Jacksonville said this time, something feels different, because of the man behind the Four Seasons project: Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan.
“I think he’s totally behind the city. He’s proven that with the money he’s invested and the high-profile investments that he’s put here,” Cherry said. “Couldn’t be better for the area, which needs not just a small bump, but a big bump. And this is a major development that should transform the area.”
Now, Action News Jax also has an update on when all the new additions should be expected. According to Lori Boyer with the Downtown Investment Authority, the Four Seasons hotel and office building are expected to wrap up construction in June 2026. The park space around it will see its construction underway in mid-2024. Meanwhile, the brand new Museum of Science and History building is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
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Lewis Stokes, a kitchen manager at Ocean Street Tacos in downtown Jacksonville, said the whole area is likely to see a business boom from these additions.
“With them bringing the Four Seasons, they’ll be bringing in tourists from a lot of different areas and this block is a tourist attraction,” Stokes said.
The entire project is projected to cost over $387 million dollars and be 24.7 acres while providing new life to a downtown area some believe desperately needs it.
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