Southeast Development Group Announces 1.1 Billion Master Plan For Jacksonville’s Riverfront

Atkins with SouthEast Development Group today announced its vision for the Riverfront Jacksonville: a comprehensive, multi-phased, mixed-use plan for the Northbank of Downtown Jacksonville.

The plan, unveiled in a presentation at the Florida Theatre, would include the former county Courthouse and City Hall Annex sites and the former site of the Jacksonville Landing — a total of about 20 acres of land owned by the city.

The proposal by Atkins’ SouthEast Development Group would see a public-private partnership create 15 acres of public green space and 2.3 million square feet of residential, office and retail space along the river between the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts and the Berkman Plaza and Marina.

The plans include a 500,000-square-foot exhibition hall where the City Hall annex used to stand. That facility, which the city would own, would be connected to the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, which Atkins said his development group has been working with.

The first phase of the plan — and perhaps the most ambitious — would see the city create some 3,000 parking spots underneath the parkland fronting the river.

Riverfront Jacksonville will include:

• Public Green Space: Approximately 15 acres of expansive riverfront parks and public spaces designed to incorporate programmed experiences and activity nodes, such as a flexible amphitheater, public art, retail and event plazas, and branded golf greens. Park space will ensure development is set back significantly from the edge of the St. Johns River — aligning with recognized best practices in resilient urban design.
  
• Resilient Design: Resilience is an essential part of the Riverfront Jacksonville sustainability plan, carefully addressed through the design of the park and open spaces, along with underground parking structures engineered to withstand and recover from severe weather events. In coastal storms and flooding, subterranean parking trays will serve as stormwater vaults and pump stations. 
  
• The Bend: Of principal importance to the master plan is the eventual park design on the western parcels.  The Riverfront Jacksonville plan features plentiful public amenities, such as pedestrian walkways, gardens, and larger landscape features, that interface effectively with Buildings One, Two, and Three — ensuring the park is fully activated and accessible to a variety of visitors and populations. “The Bend” follows fluid lines the same way the St. Johns River flows along its banks, with signature monumental artwork made of teak that anchors the park and provides shade for visitors.

Building One: A sustainable split-level, mixed-use building will house 120,000 square feet of next-generation commercial office space with ground-level restaurants and retail. An open corridor design will provide unobstructed views of the river along Laura Street.

• Building Two: A 14-level residential condominium tower will add 100 custom units to Downtown’s housing inventory, all with panoramic views of Downtown and the St. Johns River. The building will include a state-of-the-art wellness center and retail spaces at the plaza level.​
  
• Building Three: A 208-room destination hotel and two-level interactive retail food hall called “30 North” (named for Jacksonville’s coordinates) will connect with a dynamic outdoor space designed to support year-round music and community events.​​​
  
• Buildings Four and Five: Innovative commercial space designed within WELL health safety and LEED certification standards will provide the latest in “Healthy Environment” technologies, including retractable outer glass walls that create versatile indoor/outdoor work environments.​
  
• Building Six: As a future phase, the site of the Hyatt Regency Hotel’s current parking structure would be reimagined as a blend of multifamily apartments and residential condominiums.​
  
• Building Seven: A contemporary, forward-thinking Exhibition, Entertainment & Technology Center will re-energize the convention-oriented Hyatt Regency Hotel. Space will feature flexible design elements, virtual technologies, and adaptive spaces, alongside retail and entertainment orientations on the ground level and rooftop spaces programmed 365 days a year to enhance the ever-evolving visitor experience.

The team SouthEast Development has put together for the proposal includes Goldman Sachs and Piper Sandler & Co., which would handle financing the $536 million in public investment and $559 million in private investment called for by the plan. The Riverfront Jacksonville will be the largest public-private partnership in the history of Jacksonville. It will generate substantial economic benefits and public revenues for the City over the coming decades.

Video Concept below:

To learn more, visit jaxriverfront.com. || www.tridence.com