JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s an area that desperately needed some revitalization and now it’s getting the investment needed to make that happen.
A third brewery is now opening its doors and city plans for a trail are already in the works. The Rail Yard District is becoming a new destination in Jacksonville for locals.
RELATED: Rail Yard District looking to add more businesses, jobs to help revitalize area
Lemon Street Brewing Co Owner Joe Maez said, “I thought, what would be better than to find an area that’s depressed and make some investment in it and see what would happen?”
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Maez, a Jacksonville native, opened Lemon Street Brewing Co. in the heart of the Rail Yard District nestled between downtown, Brooklyn and Riverside.
Downtown resident Justin Jett said, “I usually go over to the Brooklyn area but this part I didn’t even know was over here. So it’s nice to come over and find new areas with new things that are here.”
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Which is exactly why Maez invested $1.1 million into his buisness, because he’s seen breweries come in before and completely transform the area.
“In Miami, the turnaround that you saw in an area that’s surrounded by poverty but it’s now leading into those areas and lifting up those neighborhoods,” Maez explained.
And with the Emerald Trail project connecting 30 miles of Jacksonville together, it’s giving some locals a chance to better explore places in areas like the Rail Yard District.
“I think it’s pretty cool. I live downtown so there’s a lot going on Downtown, so I think it’s pretty cool to pull me out of that area to bring me over to a new area that I never knew existed,” Jett added.
It’s an investment that many we spoke to today believe will be well worth it; a move that will keep neighbors staying local.
Jacksonville local Kenya Goodley said, “It’s definitely needed to keep the people entertained, so they’re not just driving all the way to the beach.”
“The kind of thing that Jacksonville needs were you have an influx of tourism that spends money here instead of spending money elsewhere,” added Maez.
Cox Media Group
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