The Downtown Investment Authority seeks to attract investment, facilitate job creation and increase residential density through capital investment, planning, marketing, and public-private partnerships including the provision of incentives.
Featured News
City seeks tenants for Ed Ball Building's ground floor to boost downtown commercial activity
As part of its efforts to add more commercial activity downtown, the city is looking to lease space on the ground floor of the Ed Ball Building.
The city-owned building at 214 N. Hogan St. has a Quizno's and The Brick Coffee House, but the rest of the ground level retail space is quiet.
This is something the city hopes to change to not only build off the catalytic movement already underway in downtown, but also to activate Hogan Street retail space as the Emerald Trail will run through the main thoroughfare.
Signs have been installed on windows of corner space in the building along Hogan and Adams streets, advertising space for lease.
The corner space is approximately 1,582 square feet and could be either retail or food and beverage.
Activating space in the government building follows the Downtown Investment Authority's business investment and development plan.
“Leasing the retail space in the Ed Ball Building advances BID plan goal number three by increasing and diversifying downtown’s food, beverage and retail options," DIA CEO Colin Tarbert said in a statement to the Business Journal. "Activating this corner of Hogan and Adams supports our mission to create a more vibrant, walkable downtown and complements the Emerald Trail.”
This space joins one adjacent to the Quizno's, the former site of Knotts & Co. Jewelers, which the city has listed as well. This space has approximately 1,200 square feet, including 456 square feet of either office, storage or kitchen space.
Both spots could be eligible for DIA incentives like those for retail enhancement and stand-alone sidewalk cafes.
By Leah Foreman, Commercial Real Estate Reporter
Jacksonville Business Journal
Downtown Development Update Part I: Projects rising
The effort to revitalize Downtown Jacksonville yielded successes in late 2024 and early 2025 in the form of project completions, new construction starts and progress at worksites on the Northbank and Southbank.
Downtown visitors can see crane booms in the air and heavy equipment on the ground from the Sports and Entertainment District to Brooklyn and spaces in-between, including the historic core.
At the same time, headwinds emerged as Citizens Property Insurance Corp. announced plans to move hundreds of workers from Downtown to South Jacksonville, adding to an office vacancy listed by Downtown Vision Inc. at 28% at year-end 2024.
Then came uncertainty over the fate of federal offices Downtown as the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency announced possible closures of office buildings and termination of leases.
Mayor Donna Deegan said her administration was watching the situation closely and was preparing to find offices Downtown for any displaced federal employees.
“Obviously, we want to encourage as many people to be Downtown as possible,” she said.
Here is an update on some of Downtown’s public and private projects.
Four Seasons Hotel and One Shipyards Place
Topping-off was Jan. 17 for One Shipyards Place, the six-story office building under construction by Shad Khan’s Iguana Investments across Gator Bowl Boulevard from EverBank Stadium.
Completion is expected in the first quarter of 2026.
The 10-story Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences building is expected to top off this year and a signature restaurant is in review for the top floor.
Also, work is nearing completion on a bulkhead for the new marina, followed by demolition of the old marina.
The cost for the vertical construction of both structures totals $254.3 million, growing to almost $260 million with the marina support project.
Stadium of the Future
Demolition began in March on EverBank Stadium’s pedestrian bridges, escalators and staircases as the process to transform the facility into the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Stadium of the Future progressed.
The $1.4 billion stadium project is on a timeline for completion in August 2028, with the team playing in EverBank at a reduced capacity in 2025 and 2026 before playing in Orlando or Gainesville in 2027.
Union Terminal Warehouse
The historic warehouse building reopened March 6 as a $73 million mixed-use redevelopment with mixed-income housing, offices and retail units.
Atlanta-based Columbia Ventures spent more than six years bringing the 361,169-square-foot building back to life.
The building, constructed in 1913, is at 700 E. Union St.
Decca Live
After a $3.31 million renovation, the Decca Live music and dance venue at 323 E. Bay St. held a grand opening Jan. 31.
The renovated building features a ground-floor dance floor and bar, a second-floor wraparound walkway and bar, and a rooftop bar.
Former JEA headquarters
In February, JEA issued a request for proposal seeking bids for its former headquarters campus.
The property includes the 19-story office tower at 21 W. Church St., the six-story customer service center and the Adair Building parking garage with street-level retail space.
The selection criteria for the RFP hint at possible office-to-residential use of the property, saying respondents will be rated based partly on economic benefits of their proposals on such factors as capital investment, job creation and housing units.
Artea apartments
A grand opening was held March 11 for the Artea transit-oriented apartment complex near the Kings Avenue parking garage on the Southbank.
The $96.9 million multifamily property includes studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, a 425-space parking garage, a swimming pool and other amenities.
Lofts at Cathedral
A ribbon-cutting was held in December 2024 for the $26 million 120-unit multifamily property at 325 and 327 E. Duval St. The project included a $5.45 million renovation of the YWCA building, which was built in 1949.
RiversEdge
The $693 million RiversEdge mixed-use development continues to take shape, with DIA CEO Lori Boyer reporting that the riverwalk and some of the more than 4 acres of public parks are expected to be completed as soon as April.
Pennsylvania-based Toll Brothers construction began vertical construction on town homes in the development in 2024, and some are now on the market.
RiversEdge is on the former JEA Southside Generating Station power plant site on the Southbank.
Gateway Jax
Construction is underway on Gateway Jax’s first project, the seven-story Block N11 mixed-use building in the block bordered by Pearl, Julia, Ashley and Church streets.
Principal developer Bryan Moll says work will begin in the coming months on two other buildings.
Among other Gateway Jax news, the development group purchased the block containing the Ambassador Hotel and Central National Bank, and announced plans to redevelop Downtown’s NoCo Center with a full-service grocery store.
The Block N11 building is the first tower under construction in the historic core since the new JEA headquarters tower, a private project that was completed in 2023 with the intent of having the city-owned utility as a tenant.
UF campus/Riverfront Plaza
The University of Florida announced in December 2024 that it had chosen LaVilla as the site of its proposed graduate center campus in Jacksonville, setting into motion a plan for the city to provide five properties for the site.
Among them, the city is proposing to swap a 1-acre development pad at Riverfront Plaza and an option on an adjacent parking lot to Gateway Jax, the owner of the Interline Brands Inc. building at 801 W. Bay St., for use by UF.
City Council member Ron Salem has proposed an alternative plan to buy the building outright.
Riverfront Plaza park
Jacksonville’s Haskell design and construction firm continues work on the first phase of plans to transform the site of the demolished Jacksonville Landing into a park.
The initial $32.5 million phase calls for such features as a pavilion building with a rooftop playground, a flexible event lawn and space connecting the plaza with the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts.
By Ric Anderson, Reporter
Jacksonville Daily Record
Downtown Development Update Part II: Cranes up, work in sight
The effort to revitalize Downtown Jacksonville yielded successes in late 2024 and early 2025 in the form of project completions, new construction starts and progress at worksites on the Northbank and Southbank.
Here is an update on some of Downtown’s public and private projects. Part I of this series is here
One Riverside/Whole Foods
Groundwork is underway on the site of the Whole Foods grocery market planned as part of the $250 million mixed-use project under construction by TriBridge and Fuqua Development at 1 Riverside Ave.
Work continues on the $59.9 million, 225-apartment first phase of the project, with completion expected in September.
McCoys Creek Outfall
The city posts a fall 2025 estimated completion date on work to improve McCoys Creek, which for decades ran beneath the Florida Times-Union building at 1 Riverside Ave.
The current construction, which comes with a cost estimate of $66.9 million, includes “daylighting” the creek by rerouting it into an open-air space between the One Riverside project and railroad tracks, widening and deepening the creek, building a new pedestrian bridge providing access to a future riverfront park and rebuilding the Riverwalk overpass.
The T-U buildings were demolished.
Jones Bros. Furniture Co.
The city issued permits in December 2024 for the adaptive reuse of the seven-story building at 420 N. Hogan St.
Plans call for a $9 million, 38,836-square-foot build-out of the 110-year-old building, which Corner Lot Development Group has been working to revive since 2018.
The June
Britt Morgan-Saks, founder of The June private club, says the venture has attracted 150 founding members, who are investors.
The city approved permits in February for the $6.4 million build-out of the club in the historic Federal Reserve Building at 424 N. Hogan St.
Pratt Funeral Home
Work is underway to bring the 110-year-old funeral home at 525 W. Beaver St. back to life as an Airbnb and restaurant
The city issued a permit in November 2023 for the adaptive reuse.
City Council approved a $1.25 million forgivable loan for the project in May 2023.
Rise Doro
Work began anew on the apartment building at 960 E. Adams St. in early 2025, about a year after the structure was heavily damaged by fire.
In September 2024, the Jacksonville City Council approved a $15.45 million incentives package to rebuild the complex, which comprises five floors of wood-frame construction built atop a two-story concrete base and around a seven-story concrete parking garage.
The wood portions of the building were ordered demolished after the fire, and the concrete was deemed structurally sound.
Two-way street restorations
Resurfacing and striping began in February on a project to restore two-way traffic to Forsyth and Adams streets between Jefferson and Liberty streets.
The $4.6 million first phase of the project will include closures of one lane of each street for 60 days, followed by closure of the other lane for the same duration.
The work is designed to slow traffic, make the streets safer for walking, and foster development of street-level dining and retail.
St. Johns River Park
Construction is underway on the $10.4 million park adjacent to Friendship Fountain.
A centerpiece ship-shaped piece of play equipment has been installed for the history-themed play park.
Other features will include a wedding venue, picnic areas and interpretive gardens.
Completion is estimated in early 2026.
Autonomous Innovation Center/U2C
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority has begun testing autonomous vans for its Ultimate Urban Circulator along the system’s Bay Street Innovation Corridor.
Work is progressing on the control center for the system, the Autonomous Innovation Center at 650 W. Bay St. in LaVilla. Including the $40.5 million building, the U2C’s costs are estimated at up to $400 million.
Restaurant update
• The city issued a permit in March for Dorothy’s Downtown, a Southern and Creole restaurant proposed in the space of the former Burrito Gallery at 21 E. Adams St.
• In November 2024, Indigo Road Hospitality Group announced plans to open Oak Steakhouse on the ground floor of the Greenleaf & Crosby Building at 204 N. Laura St. in the space previously occupied by Jacobs Jewelers.
• In February, Players Grille opened its Brooklyn location on the ground floor of the Home2 Suites by Hilton Jacksonville Downtown, 600 Park St.
• The Prudential Club restaurant and lounge states on its website that it is opening soon at 1430 Prudential Drive, where an incorporated liquor store has already opened.
• Lily’s Asian-American Food opened in February at 11 E. Forsyth St., former home of Super Food & Brew.
• The locally owned Vantage Point Coffee shop opened in a 900-square-foot space of the Union Terminal Warehouse.
By Ric Anderson, Reporter
Jax Daily Record
Upcoming Meetings
20250917_DIA Board Meeting
303 North Laura Street
Multipurpose Room (located in the Conference Center)
Jacksonville, Florida 32202
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87990789951?pwd=6D95Mq0jlJ1V4PLG9oxpc7UWGLTOSL.1
Webinar ID: 879 9078 9951
Passcode: 062932 2:00 PM
September 10th, 2025
9:15 A.M.
DOWNTOWN INVESTMENT AUTHORITY BOARD
(MEETING HELD VIRTUALLY & IN PERSON)
September 17th, 2025, at 2:00 P.M.
PHYSICAL LOCATION
Jacksonville Public Library-Main Library/Downtown
303 North Laura Street
Multipurpose Room (located in the Conference Center)
Jacksonville, Florida 32202
PLEASE NOTE: The multipurpose room will not be accessible through the Main Street entrance. The Main Street entrance will be closed. Please use the Laura Street entrance to enter the building.
Directions to Multipurpose Room: Upon entering Laura Street entrance to the Library, proceed into the Main Library. Walk counterclockwise around the grand staircase and you will see signs for the public elevators. Take the elevator down to level C for Conference Level. Exit the elevator and follow hallway out. Turn left out of the hallway and proceed through glass doors into Conference Center. The Multipurpose Room is the first room on the left.
VIRTUAL LOCATION
Interested persons desiring to attend this meeting virtually can do so via Zoom (including by computer or telephone) using the following meeting access information:
Join Zoom Webinar
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87990789951?pwd=6D95Mq0jlJ1V4PLG9oxpc7UWGLTOSL.1
Webinar ID: 879 9078 9951
Passcode: 062932
One tap mobile
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keJuzyhyuj
Only individuals attending the meeting in-person will have an opportunity to provide public comments. Persons who cannot attend the meeting in-person, but who wish to submit public comments regarding any matter on the agenda for consideration at the meeting, may do so by sending their public comments via electronic mail to DIAPublicComments@coj.net prior to the start of the meeting. Public comments received prior to the meeting will not be read during the meeting but will instead be forwarded to all DIA Board members for review in advance of the meeting and will remain a part of the permanent record for the meeting itself. You are encouraged to submit public comments well in advance of the start of the meeting to provide DIA Board members with adequate time to read them in preparation for the meeting.
Please contact Ava Hill by telephone at (904) 255-5302 or by email at avah@coj.net if you have any questions regarding this notice or if you experience technical difficulties during the meeting.
If you have a disability that requires accommodations to participate in the above Downtown Investment Authority meeting, please contact the Disabled Services Division at: (904) 255-5466, TTY-(904) 255-5476, or email your request to KaraT@coj.net and we will provide reasonable assistance for you. The Florida Relay Service can be reached at 711. All requests must be received no later than 12:00 p.m. on September 16th, 2025. Requests for accommodations received after 12:00 p.m. on September 16th may not be met.
NOTE: If any person decides to appeal any decision made with respect to any matter considered at this meeting, such person will need a record of the proceedings, and for such purpose, such person may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.
A recording of this meeting will be available upon request by emailing avah@coj.net after its conclusion.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION VIA ZOOM APPLICATION
1. If you have already registered for the Zoom application on your computer, enter the link below in the address line for Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge Internet Browser.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87990789951?pwd=6D95Mq0jlJ1V4PLG9oxpc7UWGLTOSL.1
Webinar ID: 879 9078 9951
Passcode: 062932
Public Comment
Verbal public comment is only available to in-person meeting attendees and not available to those attending virtually. However, written public comment may be submitted prior to the start of the meeting pursuant to the instructions above.
2. If you have not already registered for the Zoom application on your computer and wish to access the meeting, follow these instructions:
Sign up for the Zoom application by typing – Zoom.US – into Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge Internet Browser.
Enter the Zoom Webinar ID and meeting password listed below:
Webinar ID: 879 9078 9951
Passcode: 062932
Public Comment
Verbal public comment is only available to in-person meeting attendees and not available to those attending virtually. However, written public comment may be submitted prior to the start of the meeting pursuant to the instructions above.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR JOINING A ZOOM MEETING BY DIAL-IN PHONE ONLY
Dial: +1 (646) 558-8656. International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keJuzyhyuj
Enter the Zoom Webinar ID and meeting password listed below:
Webinar ID: 879 9078 9951
Passcode: 062932
If you join before the meeting has started, you will be prompted to press # to wait.
If you call using your mobile telephone or device, you will be prompted to enter a unique participant ID. Press # to skip.
Public Comment
Verbal public comment is only available to in-person meeting attendees and not available to those attending virtually. However, written public comment may be submitted prior to the start of the meeting pursuant to the instructions above.
Downtown Investment Authority
20251009_DDRB Meeting
20251015_DIA Board Meeting
20251113_DDRB Meeting
20251119_DIA Board Meeting
Latest News
Lineup for 2025-26 Third Thursday Sip & Stroll features music, creative activities, fashion and more
After its annual break from the mid-summer heat, Third Thursday Sip & Stroll returns Sept. 18 on the Downtown Southbank.
Downtown Vision Inc. announced Sept. 4 that the event, presented by PNC Bank, will feature its usual mix of live music, food trucks and carts, a picnic area and riverside bars spanning Friendship Fountain to the Chart House restaurant.
The event is 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Attendees can purchase and drink alcoholic beverages in branded Sip & Stroll cups along the event route.
After the event ends, other activities include music and light shows at Friendship Fountain and a free silent disco on the pool deck of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Jacksonville Riverfront.
The lineup is as follows:
Sept. 18: Rhythm and dance with Rio Latino Jax.
Oct. 16: Creative activities by local organization Playdate Jax.
Nov. 20: Soul music with Larry Love.
Dec. 18: Holiday celebration with visits from Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Jan. 15: S’more Sip & Stroll, with fireside treats and hot chocolate.
Feb. 19: Kollect Jax fashion and merchandise.
March 19: Sip & Stroll into Spring, with gardening and floral focused programming.
April 16: A National Poetry Month celebration with spoken word, storytelling and literary magic.
May 21: Cultural showcases and performances celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, curated by Grace Bio Art and UnderSiege360.
Jake Gordon, CEO of Downtown Vision Inc., said in a news release that this year’s version of Sip & Stroll would elevate the series “by spotlighting the rich cultural diversity that makes Jacksonville so special.”
Chris Kalin, PNC regional president for North Florida, said the event enriches “Jacksonville’s cultural and economic landscape by generating energy, excitement and activity along the riverfront, bringing the arts directly to the community in a way that’s vibrant, accessible and uniquely Downtown.
By Ric Anderson, Reporter
Jacksonville Daily Record
Publix confirmed for Downtown Jacksonville store in Pearl Square
Publix confirmed it will open a 31,000-square-foot grocery store in Downtown Jacksonville under an agreement with the Gateway Jax development partnership.
In a Sept. 3 news release, Gateway and Publix announced they had signed a lease for the grocery chain to occupy ground-floor space in Gateway’s Block N7 mixed-use development at 119 W. Beaver St.
That project is part of Pearl Square, Gateway’s $750 million, multiproperty development in the NorthCore area of Downtown.
“A grocery store is the heartbeat of any neighborhood,” said Bryan Moll, CEO of Gateway Jax, in the release.
“The addition of Publix, already well-known and loved, is a game-changer for Downtown and an incredible step forward for Pearl Square. It brings everyday convenience and reinforces our commitment to building a complete, connected community that reflects the energy of Jacksonville.”
The release described the store as “full-service" but offered no other details other than its size. In response to questions, a media representative for Gateway confirmed that the store would have a pharmacy.
According Build Up Downtown, the store will have a deli and bakery.
Publix would be part of a building that would include a 15-story residential tower with about 250 apartments and integrated parking with 400 spaces.
Build Up Downtown said construction is anticipated to begin in 2026 with the grocery opening by 2028.
Project site
The project is planned on the site of the former First Baptist Church main auditorium, which would be demolished to make way for the new development.
In 2022, JWB Real Estate Capital and Corner Lot spent nearly $750,000 to prepare the auditorium for “Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.” The space, which was renamed the NoCo Center, later hosted the “Beyond King Tut” exhibit.
JWB is a partner in Gateway Jax with Moll and DLP Capital. The Sept. 3 news release says Corner Lot is a partner in Block N7.
The Sept. 3 announcement confirmed months of speculation that Publix would be part of the Pearl Square development.
Hannah Herring, Publix media relations manager, said in the release that the grocer had provided “premier service and quality products in a welcoming store environment” for 95 years and was pleased “to continue that legacy as part of the Pearl Square neighborhood.”
The Downtown Development Review Board voted Aug. 14 in support of plans to expand the Pearl Square development with a mixed-use project that includes apartments, a parking garage and a full-service grocery store with a pharmacy.
Plans for the site, at 119 W. Beaver St., include a 15-story apartment tower with about 250 units, six levels of parking and a 32,000-square-foot grocery store in 39,000 total square feet of retail. Renderings show retail space along Union, Beaver and Laura streets. The block is bordered by those three streets, along with Hogan Street.
Two levels of parking are directly above the grocery store and designated for the store’s use. Other parking levels are for the residential units.
Plans also show an expanded sidewalk on Laura Street and trees and landscaping along Laura, Beaver and Hogan streets.
Pearl Square
Plans for Pearl Square include 1,250 new residential units; about 200,000 square feet of retail tenants including restaurants and fitness operations; and the revitalization of the historic Ambassador Hotel. Also planned are new public spaces with widened and shaded sidewalks, public park spaces and a curbless festival street.
In December 2024, the Downtown Investment Authority board endorsed a $2.1 million incentive package aimed at incorporating a grocery store into the Block N7 project. The vote came on a resolution comprising a $1.36 million Retail Enhancement Program grant and a $741,000 Recapture Enhanced Value Grant. The DIA’s vote constituted final action on the incentives, with Jacksonville City Council approval not required.
Within the eight districts that make up Downtown Jacksonville, the Publix store would be the fourth either planned or open.
Fresh Market opened in 2014 at 150 Riverside Ave. in Brooklyn. A Whole Foods Market is under construction at 1 Riverside Ave. in the One Riverside retail, apartment and park development on the Downtown Northbank at the base of the Acosta Bridge.
Germany-based grocer Aldi Inc. is doing demolition work on selective interior and exterior portions of the former Harveys Supermarket at 777 N. Market St. to convert that store to its brand.
Gateway Jax began construction on its first two Pearl Square buildings, 515 Pearl Street and 425 Beaver Street, in late 2024 and spring 2025.
Editor's note: This story was updated with confirmation that the store would include a pharmacy, timeline and rendering of the Publix.
By Ric Anderson, Reporter
Jacksonville Daily Record
New DIA CEO Colin Tarbert takes measured approach in first 90 days
In meetings, Colin Tarbert, the new CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority, quietly listens and learns.
In his first meeting as CEO, on Aug. 20, he kept his comments succinct and mainly listened to the rest of the dais.
As he has told the Business Journal, he plans to dedicate his first 90 days in the role to listening and learning from DIA board, staff and stakeholders.
"I think that will really inform the way I approach leading DIA," he said.
Tarbert spent 20 years in Baltimore, Maryland—starting as a mayoral fellow in 2004 and working his way up to his most recent role, president and CEO of the Baltimore Economic Development Corporation—before relocating to Jacksonville.
He said that, while the people and relationships are new to him, the issues that face Jacksonville are not.
"What attracted to me Jacksonville was really the position itself and the work that DIA is doing," Tarbert said. "I was really impressed with the investments that they have been making and where the city is headed."
Tarbert, who has only been the CEO for three weeks, holds a master's degree in urban design from the University of Maryland. During his final interview for the role, on June 9, he cited walkability as a clear problem. But he's also noted connectivity across the different districts of downtown as an area for improvement.
He succeeded Lori Boyer as CEO on Aug. 1. One of his myriad challenges will be maintaining the momentum of development in downtown.
"I really trust the team and trust the projects that are moving forward," Tarbert said. "I think that's, again, part of the [first] 90 days is to figure out what are those key projects that we need to make sure driving forward and then what are those projects that are a little bit more in the future that DIA hasn't had a chance to work on yet because they haven't been in the pipeline."
In addition Tarbert also noted he will be looking at the DIA's bid plan and at the feedback the DIA has been receiving from city council regarding its funding sources.
There are dozens of developments in the works across Downtown Jacksonville, including the University of Florida campus coming to LaVilla, Pearl Square and the Stadium of the Future.
"I think the city of Jacksonville is definitely on the upward trajectory, much in part to the a lot of work that's been done," Tarbert said. "DIA is a partner, and I very much operate kind of in a collaborative and a partnership manner. And so questions or concerns, or anyone that wants to get in touch with with me or DIA shouldn't hesitate to do that."
By Leah Foreman, Commercial Real Estate Reporter
Jacksonville Business Journal