More than $6.5 billion in planned and active projects is reshaping expectations for downtown Jacksonville — and for hospitality operators who have spent years betting on the urban core’s long-promised revival.

While the wait has been long for many restaurant operators, downtown’s bars, speakeasies and nightlife-driven concepts have quietly built a resilient foundation. As cranes rise and residential growth accelerates, those operators increasingly see themselves positioned for the payoff phase.

Downtown hospitality has faced the same pressures seen across the industry, from pandemic-era shutdowns to rising labor and supply costs. But beverage- and entertainment-focused venues have proven more adaptable in a market still building everyday foot traffic. Operators say that resilience has kept momentum alive through the lean years — and created space for confidence to grow.

Rather than a single entertainment strip, downtown remains a series of nodes, with gaps between activity centers. Operators say those gaps represent opportunity, not weakness, as density and connectivity improve.

A downtown gaining gravity

Public and private investment is now translating into visible change. Riverfront Plaza on the former Jacksonville Landing site has begun opening in phases, and new riverfront spaces on the Southbank are coming online as part of broader redevelopment efforts. Residential, office and mixed-use projects are under construction across the urban core.

“There’s a way different feeling to walking down Bay Street or Forsyth or Market three or four years ago,” said Mark Vandeloo, owner of Ruby Beach Brewing.

Vandeloo opened Ruby Beach’s downtown taproom in 2021, expanding from Jacksonville Beach during one of the most uncertain periods in the hospitality industry’s history. The move forced a strategic pivot — toward adaptive reuse, expanded production and event programming — while embedding the business deeper into downtown’s emerging hospitality network.

The two-story Forsyth Street space allowed Ruby Beach to weather slower foot traffic while positioning the brand for growth as downtown activity returned. Today, the taproom is a consistent gathering place for workers, residents and event-driven crowds.

“We found a way to survive through production and build volume through events while we pushed like hell to help downtown grow,” Vandeloo said. “Then you look and see what has happened in the last three years. Downtown is going to just completely blow up. It just feels poised for that awakening to happen.”

Ruby Beach now sits between a more active Bay Street corridor and the broader downtown grid, where operators continue to eye opportunities along Adams, Forsyth and Laura streets.

“We’re miles away from where I was when we started, but it’s still light years to go,” said Paul Compagnon, former general manager of The Volstead.

A nightlife backbone already in place

From Hogan and Adams streets east through Bay Street and into the Elbow District, downtown has assembled a recognizable chain of cocktail bars, clubs and live music venues. While the walk between them still includes gaps, operators say those gaps are shrinking as new projects and public spaces draw people deeper into downtown.

The Volstead has been a fixture since opening on New Year’s Eve 2013. Hidden behind a velvet curtain on West Adams Street, the Prohibition-era speakeasy has built a loyal following over more than a decade, drawing office workers, downtown residents and destination-seeking visitors.

That consistency has helped the business endure through multiple market cycles.

“It’s not as bad as everyone thinks,” Compagnon said. “Most of the time, it’s a ghost town after seven o’clock down here.”

That dynamic is changing as residential growth accelerates. Downtown now has roughly 9,000 residents, up significantly from a decade ago, according to Downtown Vision. Thousands of additional units are planned or under construction, pushing the area closer to the long-discussed 10,000-resident milestone.

Operators say that threshold matters. More residents mean more casual visits, stronger word-of-mouth confidence and the everyday demand that supports restaurants and bars beyond weekend peaks.

Playing the long game

Few operators embody downtown’s long-term bet more clearly than Dos Gatos.

Opened in 2009 by Jay Albertelli and his partners, Dos Gatos has remained open seven days a week, until 2 a.m., year-round. That reliability, Albertelli said, is central to building trust — not just with customers, but with downtown itself.

“The minute somebody comes downtown and you’ve closed early, you’re never going to build sales,” Albertelli said. “We’re going to be here, and we’re open for you. That confidence breeds consistency in our industry.”

Albertelli returned to Jacksonville after operating bars in Los Angeles believing downtown’s nightlife gap represented opportunity rather than risk. Over time, Dos Gatos has helped normalize downtown as a place to go regularly, not occasionally.

“As long as we’ve been open, more and more people are taking the bar industry more seriously here,” he said. “We want locals and visitors to realize there are so many cool places in this cool town doing really neat stuff.”

What downtown needs now, Albertelli said, is a steady, everyday crowd. With residential growth gaining momentum and billions in public and private investment underway, operators say that consistency is no longer theoretical — it is increasingly within reach.

• Laval, Québec, Canada
• Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Atlanta, Georgia, United States
• Tampere, Finland
• Barcelona, Spain
• Parma, Italy

• Study visits in Europe, the United States, and Canada
• Thematic workshops and webinars
• Online and in-person meetings within the housing cluster
• Joint development of a pilot initiative focused on attainable housing solutions

The city of Jacksonville has begun opening a planned string of riverside public parks Downtown, with the intention to not only provide activities for families but spur revitalization of the city’s core.

The parks are a key part of the Downtown Investment Authority’s strategy to improve the quality of life Downtown and create more activity in the center of Jacksonville.

If the approach works, it will spur an influx of new residents Downtown, which in turn would attract new restaurants, retail establishments, mixed-use developers and companies looking for a place where their employees can live close to work.

Photo by Ric Anderson

Speaking Nov. 24 at the opening of public parks in the RiversEdge development on the Southbank, Mayor Donna Deegan said the idea behind the collection of Downtown parks is “to turn our riverfront into a true front porch for the entire city.” 

“RiversEdge will also connect seamlessly with our broader riverfront park system, from Friendship Fountain on the Southbank to the new parks on the Northbank like Riverfront Plaza and Shipyards West.

“As we cut this ribbon today, I hope you’ll look around and imagine what this place is going to look like in five years, 10, 20 years from now. Children who aren’t even born yet having their first picnic here. Festivals and 5Ks becoming beloved traditions. Art, music, food trucks and community events filling these lawns and walkways, and a skyline that reflects a city that believes in itself.”

Some City Council members have expressed concerns over the cost of the parks, particularly increases that have occurred amid rising construction costs and evolving designs.  

“There’s no concept of, ‘Can we afford this?’” Council member Ron Salem said during a Council committee meeting in 2024, telling city officials he expected them to set a budget and reduce amenities if needed to hit the target. “It seems like if you’ve got $60 million, the cost is $60 million and you’ve got to scale back.” 

With new parks recently opening and construction on others underway, here is a snapshot of the projects heading into 2026.

City of Jacksonville

Riverfront Plaza

The $32.5 million first phase of the park on the former site of the Jacksonville Landing is nearing completion, and a soft opening was held Nov. 29 as part of the Holiday River Fest. 

Park features include a playground on top of a pavilion building, an event lawn, new bulkhead, improved Riverwalk and plaza space connecting to the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts.

The city’s I Dig Jax website says construction of the second, $46 million phase will begin by the end of 2025. Plans for it include a beer garden and rain garden, plus a bicycle and pedestrian connection to the Main Street Bridge. 

Music Heritage Garden

Construction is underway on the $6 million Northbank park stretching from Water to Hogan streets along the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts.

Plans include walkways shaped like musical notes, playable recordings of music connected to Jacksonville and a Walk of Fame dedicated to local musicians.

The city expects completion in spring 2026. 

Shipyards West Park

In October, the city unveiled designs that were 90% complete for the 10-acre park planned between Catherine Street and Hogans Creek on the Northbank.

Planned features include a two-story gallery and event pavilion, a beach, a cove with pedal boats, a fishing pier, multipurpose flex lawn and more.

The total cost of the park is listed at $74.7 million in the city Capital Improvement Plan.

The Jacksonville Fire Museum and USS Orleck floating naval museum are adjacent to the park. 

Metropolitan Park

Design work also is underway for a revamp of this Northbank park at 4110 Gator Bowl Blvd.,  east of the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences now under construction.

Latest designs show such amenities as boardwalks, an elevated walkway, splash pad and a redesigned performance lawn providing greater visibility from Bay Street.

The city estimates the cost of the project at $28.5 million and says funding for construction will be available beginning in the fall of 2026. Construction is expected to take 12 to 18 months. 

Photo by Ric Anderson

RiversEdge

The $693 million RiversEdge mixed-use development includes four parks that opened Nov. 24.

Features include winding walkways, a yoga lawn and a playground with such equipment as swings, merry-go-rounds and high-tech touch-activated games. 

The city issued a site-clearing and horizontal development permit July 17, 2024, for the RiversEdge parks and recreation area, for installation of hardscape and landscape, on 4.1 acres at a project cost of $35 million.

City of Jacksonville

Other parks and projects

• In October, the city reconnected McCoys Creek to the St. Johns River in a rerouted channel between the One Riverside development and the Acosta Bridge.

• The city said the $107.6 million project was designed partly to facilitate greater recreational use of the creek, which had previously run beneath the former Florida Times-Union building.

City of Jacksonville

• The revamped Friendship Fountain opened in February 2024 on the Southbank, and work continues on the St. Johns River Park neighboring the fountain to the east. The city expects to complete the park in spring 2026. Features include a history-themed play park, a wedding venue, picnic areas and gardens.

• Design work continues on a revamp of James Weldon Johnson Park, the square south of City Hall. The nonprofit Friends of James Weldon Johnson Park is partnering with the city on the project, which is under design by Hood Design Studio of Oakland, California. The studio also designed Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park in LaVilla, which opened in June 2024.

Photo by Ric Anderson

• The $8.8 million Artist Walk and skate park opened in August 2024 under the Fuller Warren Bridge. The skate park features include ramps shaped like the letters JAX, plus rails and stairs. The park and Artist Walk plaza are between Riverside Avenue and Park Street.

By Ric Anderson, Managing Editor
Jax Daily Record