The Jacksonville Landing is no longer in line for a facelift- it’s now looking at a total overhaul.
“We came back to the drawing boards and just started planning more and more,” says Jacksonville Landing Owner Toney Sleiman.
Several months ago, Sleiman came forward with a proposal to add on to the existing structure with hotels, retail space and more. Over the weekend, he released a new plan which would completely redesign the area, including 300 apartment units, more than 950 parking spaces, and up to 60,000 sq ft of restaurant and retail space. Public access to the river would also increase from about 20,000 sq ft to 90,000 sq ft and Sleiman expects to have a “high end boutique hotel” anchoring the project as well.
“We’re going to jumpstart Downtown, to take it to another level,” he says.
The Mayor’s budget proposal includes a request for $11.8 million for Jacksonville Landing revitalization. Jacksonville’s City Council is still working through the borrowing proposal to weigh all of the projects which have been submitted.
Sleiman says they need $1 million initially, and want to keep $10.8 million “locked away” to use when the project formally begins. He is waiting for a funding commitment before moving forward with soliciting bids for the project. Including planning and construction, he believes the project could be completed about two years from when the funding is lined up.
He says Downtown is already long overdue for a big change to happen, and that’s part of the reason they are now moving forward with this model instead of prior ones. These rendering reflect what Sleiman saw while traveling to other big cities, like Atlanta and Charlotte.
“This is the shot in the arm Downtown needs,” he says.
The expanded public space would stretch from the St. Johns River to Laura Street, rather than centering on the current “bowl” design in the Landing. An “urban, landscaped plaza” would also be created from the Hogan Street cul-de-sac. Additionally, the plans includes improvements to make the area under the Main Street Bridge more pedestrian friendly and a direct link for the City’s entire Northbank.
A press release from Sleiman Enterprises says the $11.8 million investment from the City would be an “initial investment to create the public improvements”. I asked Sleiman whether he would be seeking even more public money to create the end result, and he said that’s not clear at this time.
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