JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There's more signs of life in downtown Jacksonville, where several stores are planning to open in the near future.
According to the non-profit Downtown Vision, two 7-Eleven convenience stores are coming soon. Five other businesses are opening. The complete list is below. Two other businesses have already opened in the Jacksonville Bank Building. The popular restaurant, Midtown Deli and Café moved from the Southside to the ground floor of the bank building. BodyPlex Fitness also took over the former Gold's Gym location at the Jacksonville Landing.
"I think a lot of things have been happening over time," says Terry Lorince, the executive director of Downtown Vision. "Quietly, there have been more restaurants and more nightlife activities that have been coming here."
Downtown Vision has been dedicated to helping to revitalize downtown Jacksonville for the last 13 years. The non-profit represents downtown property owners. Lorince says the biggest challenge is turning downtown into a destination for locals, not just a place to work or go to concerts and sporting events.
"There are people that haven't been here for a while and just don't know what downtown has to offer," says Lorince. "We just need to get the word out to people on all that is happening down here and make sure people feel more comfortable when they come downtown and that's something we're working on."
A lot of money has been spent to revitalize downtown. Downtown Vision reports that $1.4 billion has been spent on investment projects. Half of that money is private investment. The city has also spent millions on projects including reconstruction of Laura Street, installing new bus shelters, making improvements to Friendship Park and constructing new floating docks near the Riverside Arts Market, among other projects.
People who work downtown are encouraged by all the changes and the new stores that will soon open.
"It definitely is a good thing for the city," says Marilyn Bentley, who works downtown. "As you have more businesses in the city, more people are likely to lease space down here and that's just overall a good thing for the economy."
