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Hot Week for Downtown Development

Things are heating up on Downtown’s development front this week. Three projects are poised to bring more residents, employees and visitors Downtown.

Shoppes on Riverside groundbreaking
Shoppes on Riverside groundbreaking

Yesterday, January 15, Regency Centers, Fuqua Development, Fresh Market and the City of Jacksonville broke ground on the $15 million Shoppes on Riverside. This 50,000 square foot shopping center will anchor the second of two new mixed-used developments situated along Riverside Avenue in the Brooklyn area of Downtown. Retailers announced to date are a Fresh Market grocery store and a Corner Bakery Café.

Last night, the Downtown Investment Authority heard plans to breathe new life into The Jacksonville Landing. The proposed design by Haskell includes a substantial setback from the river to create a wider Riverwalk and art promenade for pedestrians to enjoy and designates Hogan Street as a focal public space.

The plans incorporate two towers–one to house a boutique hotel, the other to house residential–with space for small business and retail below and throughout the site along with ample parking built into the proposed structure. Finally, the plans call for elimination of the ramp leading from Water Street to the Main Street Bridge on the western boundary of The Landing site. The DIA will now begin its due diligence on the market demand for residential and hotel space Downtown, and will make sure that these plans are included as part of the redevelopment strategy it’s currently drafting.

"Blast-off" ceremony for the Jessie Ball duPont Center
“Blast-off” ceremony for the Jessie Ball duPont Center

And today, January 16 at 10 a.m., the Jessie Ball duPont Fund launched the renovation of the  $20 million former Haydon Burns Library as a center for non-profits to be called the Jessie Ball duPont Center.  When completed in March 2015, the building will house about 250 Downtown employees.

These projects are just the beginning of boom in Downtown development, with several other major projects proposed. They include renovation of a number of historic structures, from the Laura Street Trio to the Barnett Building to the Old Republic Title Building, which according to a January 10 article, was sold last week to developer Mike Langston, who plans to renovate the building into restaurant space.

Stay up-to-date on these projects and more by bookmarking DVI’s website news section.