Writer: Liz Palmer
4 min read October 2022 — While Hurricane Ian rolled toward Northeast Florida, the Jacksonville City Council approved Mayor Lenny Curry’s 2022/2023 budget, allocating $100 million toward Downtown infrastructure to address climate change and resilience, parks and recreation and more.
“This budget reaffirms our commitment to neighborhoods, infrastructure, and public safety,” Mayor Curry tweeted Tuesday evening. “As we gear up for #HurricaneIan, we realize, now more than ever, the importance of these investments.”
The budget approval comes after calls to revitalize Downtown Jacksonville as corporate and individual relocations continue bringing people in. “We’re an amazing city, and for a long time we’ve flown under the radar, but the secret is out,” Downtown Vision CEO Jake Gordon told Invest: this summer. “In our Downtown, we have $1.4 billion currently under construction. That is a huge change because 10 years ago there was almost nothing under construction. And there’s also another $2.7 billion in projects in review. Even with everything that’s happened the last couple years, we’re building nearly 1,000 residential units and 540,000 square feet of office space, even when the office market is very challenging.” Gordon said developers and investors are focusing on the riverfront by opting for mixed use construction and revitalizing historic areas.
Also included in the Capital Improvement Plan is $24 million for an additional practice and training location for the Jacksonville Jaguars. When discussing the future of Jacksonville’s Downtown in an interview with Invest: in August, Michael Corrigan, president and CEO of Visit Jacksonville, predicted long-term, dramatic investment. “The Jacksonville Jaguars have a lease expiring in 2030, which historically means either building a new stadium or renovating an existing one,” he said. “There are already talks to renovate. A renovation in the hospitality industry presents a huge opportunity. The development around the Downtown sports complex will be incredible, and I haven’t even mentioned the other 840 square miles of Jacksonville. The beach, the Town Center, the fairs, etc., will be huge for Jacksonville’s hospitality industry going forward.”
Significant projects underway in Downtown Jacksonville include mixed-use multifamily, retail, hotel and park developments, such as One Riverside, JAX River View Plaza, The Shipyards and others.
“All of this growth is driving significant developer interest and investment in Downtown. I used to be able to keep up with all the projects in Downtown, which is only 3 square miles, but now I can’t,” Gordon said. “Jacksonville is in the middle of an incredibly positive transformation with no displacement of all the amazing people who have already lived here for a long time. More new people than ever before has been very positive. There’s this infusion of new excitement and new ideas. I think it’s going to benefit everyone in Jacksonville.”
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