JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A group of young professionals addressed city council Tuesday in support of a resolution recognizing the importance of park space in downtown Jacksonville.
According to the resolution, more than 65 acres of riverfront land is currently owned publicly.
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Brandi Mathews, a young professional, believes the public property should stay that way.
“I consider the St. John’s River the heartbeat of downtown Jacksonville — and we need to showcase it more,” she told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant. “I want to spend an entire day there and have a clustering of restaurants and shops and businesses and things to do.”
The resolution calls for a network of parks and green spaces that are enhanced with restaurants and entertainment venues.
Council approved the resolution by a vote of 11 to 6.
The DIA is including the network of parks in its Business Investment and Development Plan.
The plan had its last chance for public comment Wednesday before final changes are made and it goes before city council early this year.
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 plan includes eight different goals, which can be read in detail here.
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Boyer said the primary focuses of the plan include bringing residents downtown and supporting that growth with more restaurants, retail and entertainment.
Part of the plan also works to keep office spaces occupied to support job growth.
The latest report shows 6,830 neighbors live downtown, which was up 9% from the previous year. DIA’s goal is to get 10,000 people living downtown. Over the next decade, the board hopes to bring an additional 7,500 apartment units.
Mathews said she wants “more affordable housing for everyone to call downtown Jacksonville home.”
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