DIA proposes high-rise hotel at Riverfront Plaza

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A proposal from the Downtown Investment Authority looks set to change the skyline of downtown Jacksonville.

The search is on for a developer to bring a mid-to-high rise building of more than 15 floors to Riverfront Plaza, next to Main Street.

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The DIA’s board Retail Enhancement and Property Disposition Committee is scheduled to vote on the terms Feb. 11.

The committee is looking for a minimum of seven stories, with the first floor being devoted to a restaurant and shops.

“Restaurant space that spills out onto the plaza that overlooks the park. I think it will be a real asset and amenity to the park,” DIA’s CEO Lori Boyer said.

Action News Jax told you in July last year when the design firm, Perkins & Will Inc. was selected to develop Riverfront Plaza.

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It’s the former site of the Jacksonville Landing, which was a two-story shopping mall built in 1987 and demolished in 2020.

“We would always go shopping at the Landing for back-to-school shopping, and Met park for concerts,” Brandi Mathews, a Jacksonville resident, said. “I want to be able to spend the whole day downtown.”

According to documents, a hotel would “economically benefit the most from, and be the most compatible with the adjacent park.”

The DIA expects the park and hotel to be complete by mid-2024.

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