Downtown Vision Inc. (DVI) has released its 2024 State of Downtown Report, reflecting a snapshot of progress in development, revitalization and growth in Downtown Jacksonville across the last 18 months.
This annual report provides a high-level look at various factors impacting the Downtown landscape, from residential development to proposed or in-progress projects to downtown visitors. Other indicators considered in the report include parks and amenities, retail and hospitality, and transportation and infrastructure.
One of the most attention-grabbing statistics featured in the report is the $8.8 billion in the “project pipeline” for Downtown. With $465 million of that completed since 2023, the bulk of that number is either under construction ($2.23 billion), in review ($3.46 billion) or proposed ($2.62 billion).
An interactive map at the Downtown Jacksonville website (www.dtjax.com) provides a rundown of developments, from residential projects to mixed-use to parks and amenities, among other categories.
DVI CEO Jake Gordon said the meaning of that billions-dollar number is contextual depending on the bar against which it is being measured.
“If you say it’s a lot or a little, compared to what? Compared to Miami, no, but then compared to us 15 years ago, expontentially more,” Gordon said. “If you ask me, ‘Hey are we doing better than ever before?’ The answer is uncategorically yes.”
Room for improvement
While the statistics surrounding development and investment speak to the building momentum in Downtown, the report also shows areas where improvement is needed, including office vacancies. Where office vacancy is concerned, though, Build Up Downtown CEO Linzee Ott said Jacksonville is on par with nationwide trends.
“We are comparable to what other cities are experiencing,” Ott said.
Amenities and tourism are other areas where Downtown Jacksonville sees opportunities for improvement with Gordon adding the city is “less evolved in our tourism infrastructure.” That said, however, several projects are currently underway that could change that, including the new, expanded Museum of Science and History (MOSH) coming to the Northbank.
Ott added that the incentives available through Downtown Investment Authority are crucial to helping that expansion of Downtown’s inventory of amenities.
“What do people want to do,” Ott asked. “They want to eat, they want to drink and they want to look at the water. It’s that simple. So public spaces like the waterfront parks that are happening, MOSH – those things are fabulous, they will be catalysts, but it’s all of that: All of those amenities, all those things to do are really important.”
The State of Downtown report, Gordon stressed, is not an “advocacy document,” – it is not created to convince or persuade on any level – rather it is an “agnostic” collection of statistics to reflect, well, the state of Downtown. And Gordon prefers to let the data in the report speak for itself.
“I don’t need to convince you, it’s not advocacy,” Gordon said. “You just open it up.”
No longer a ‘bad word’
Beyond the numbers, though, the report is also indicative of a shift in the narrative where Jacksonville’s urban core is concerned and how it is viewed from within and without.
“‘Downtown’ used to be a bad word,” Ott said. “You did not talk about downtown let alone visit downtown and I feel like that has started to change.”
Jacksonville has begun to ping on other radars as well and the State of Downtown report includes some of the city’s rankings for various reports: Among others, Zumper ranked Jacksonville as its top “City in Florida for College Graduates” (2024); it made Forbes’ 2023 list of “Top 25 Places for Young Professionals;” and in 2023, Travel + Leisure named it “One of the Best Places to Live on the East Coast.”
That Jacksonville continues to attract developers like The Related Group, Gordon said, is another indication that the tide is turning for Jacksonville.
“Now you see that’s a very good sign, that’s the canary in the coal mine of ‘oh wait, there’s this market saturation,” Gordon said.
Becoming a successful downtown
The discussion surrounding the resurgence and renaissance of Downtown Jacksonville is not new and some residents may be experiencing some anticipation fatigue as they wait to see renderings transform into reality. Acknowledging some of that fatigue or impatience, Gordon cautioned that time moves differently in the life and evolution of a downtown.
“Downtowns are built on decades, not years,” Gordon said.
From an urban planning, and even a historic, perspective, Ott emphasized, downtowns have always been vital components of a city.
“For thousands of years, the city center – I don’t care how big or small the city is – the city center is the heart of the city,” Ott said.
With that in mind, Gordon also cautioned that there is still work to be done and there is no “finish line” or “silver bullet” in Downtown Jacksonville’s journey; there is no project or milestone or statistic that serves as the demarcation between a successful and unsuccessful downtown.
For Downtown to be successful, it needs help from its residents as well. Ott said there are several ways people can support downtown even if they don’t work or live there and one of the simplest ways is to spend time downtown.
“Come downtown and see a show there, but also get dinner or drinks before,” Ott said. “Don’t just come from the one thing and leave.”
Another way is to spread the (positive) word about Downtown.
“Try to get on the bandwagon of, ‘Hey, things are actually different this time,’” Ott added.
To read the full 2024 State of Downtown report, visit https://dtjax.com/2024-state-of-downtown-report/.
