JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Local businesses are raving about the newly announced plans for the UF Graduate Campus coming to Downtown Jacksonville.
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Local business owners say it is a huge deal, as it will draw more people and businesses to the downtown area, which city leaders have focused on rebuilding for years.
“...it’s needed for the progressiveness, to make us a metropolitan city in the likes of Miami, Tampa even, Orlando, so I’m excited about it," says Spencer Jones, owner of Indulgence Southern Bistro.
With the upcoming Stadium of the Future, Emerald Trail, and now the UF Graduate Campus in the Lavilla area, many business owners are excited for what is to come.
Groundwork Jacksonville CEO Kay Ehas, who oversees the 30-mile Emerald Trail project, is set to connect over 14 urban core neighborhoods. She says that the new Graduate School will be transformative for the city.
"I think the city when they demolished Lavilla wasn’t thinking it was just going to be sitting there vacant for two decades, so I think we’ve been waiting for it to happen for a long time," says Ehas.
While the campus is still in the planning phases, the board is set to make its official vote tomorrow. Project leaders hope to start construction next year.
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