Friendship Fountain Restaurant Funded & Moving Forward

[Ken_FSU]

COJ and the DIA are cooking.

Maybe my favorite bit of news of the quarter right here.

Each of the major parks needs something like this, and this one is perfect for the space. Love how it has overlooks of both the river and the fountain, I think the casual, open-air concept with grab & go vs. stuffy fine dining is SPOT ON, and it's just exactly what is needed to complete a space that has already sneakily become one of the very best public spaces in the entire city.

And I love how the park (and hopefully the Related development) will generate revenue that will stay within the park for maintenance and programming to make it semi self-sustainable.

I'm super curious as to how the city will vet vendors for the Friendship Park restaurant, the Riverfront Plaza cafe, etc. I think the Chicago Riverwalk is a great example of a city doing this well. There's a common vendor handbook (https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/sites/chicago-riverwalk/pdfs/Riverwalk-Concession-Handbook.pdf), universal rules for operations, a formal RFP process, and a low base rent + percentage of sales model that attracts and protects great restaurants and vendors while incentivizing both sides to be good partners and maximize profits. Would almost treat the spaces like the airport, and focus on finding awesome local partners (e.g. Southern Grounds/Bold Bean, Mayday/Dreamette, Intuition/Manifest for the Beer Garden, etc) that you could work with at a discount on a long-term lease so everyone is invested, versus chasing the highest lease and risking the spots fizzling out.

Details here:

Construction coming in 2026 of restaurant next to Friendship Fountain

Jacksonville is moving forward with plans to build a new restaurant in St. Johns River Park next to Friendship Fountain using a design by CD+Urban Studio.

The architectural firm showed the last renderings for the chosen design during a Dec. 11 meeting of the Downtown Development Review Board.

The restaurant will return riverfront dining to an area that lost that feature when River City Brewing Company closed in 2021. The Related Group demolished that restaurant building to make way for a planned residential high-rise tower.

When will construction start?

The city expects to start construction of the restaurant building in early to mid-2026. The city will own the building and lease it to a private restaurant operator.

What will the restaurant serve?

The city's description of the project says public feedback has been for a "casual, open-air concept" that is welcoming to families and pet-friendly. Rather than fine dining with enclosed seating, the focus will be full-service dining with grab-and-go options, according to a city summary.

The building will have a rooftop bar and lounge.

What inspired the design features of the restaurant buildings?

The design drew from the existing pump house at the park, the St. Johns River, thecity's maritime history, mid-century architecture and the work of Bob Broward, Taylor Hardwick and William Morgan on buildings throughout Jacksonville. Hardwick designed Friendship Fountain.

"We designed a building that looks to complete the pattern of the park," said Joe Cronk of Cronk Duch Architecture and CD+Urban Studio.

How big will the restaurant be?

The two-story building will will have indoor and outdoor dining on both floors. The first floor will be 2,400 square feet of air-conditioned space plus 1,000 square feet of outdoor dining. The second floor with the rooftop will feature 1,500 square feet of "open to sky dining" plus 500 square feet of covered dining, according to the presentation.

Where will the restaurant be located?

The restaurant will be next for Friendship Fountain in St. Johns River Park, which recently opened a new playground next to the Main Street bridge.

The restaurant will be about 60 feet from the St. Johns River so it leave some open space along the riverfront while still being close enough to provide views of the river while dining.

When the Related Group builds its high-rise apartment, the tower will be next to the new restaurant on the opposite side of Friendship Fountain.

How is the city paying for the restaurant?

The Downtown Investment Authority is using its tax increment financing district to set aside $3.25 million for construction of the building. The city meanwhile has put nearly $5.2 million for construction of St. Johns River Park improvements.

The city says revenue from leasing the building to a restaurant operator will go toward maintaining the building and also support upkeep of St. Johns River Park.

Story: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/construction-coming-2026-restaurant-next-152953033.html

[acme54321]

So is that whole flower garden thing they were going to build there out? 

[Ken_FSU]

So is that whole flower garden thing they were going to build there out?

I *believe* they're in different spots. The restaurant closer to the pump house, the garden a little more recess back in the west riverfront corner. Work at the park is still active and ongoing.

The piece I'm really curious about is the fountain projection show that was talked about for a few years. I remember seeing a preview in some random city meeting a few years ago and it was pretty incredible. Essentially involved created a "screen" of mist in the fountain and projecting video on it. Would love to see that added eventually.

[jaxlongtimer]

The piece I'm really curious about is the fountain projection show that was talked about for a few years. I remember seeing a preview in some random city meeting a few years ago and it was pretty incredible. Essentially involved created a "screen" of mist in the fountain and projecting video on it. Would love to see that added eventually.

FYI, the 3-D set up with laser projections on screens of water was perfected at Sea World decades ago.  I recall seeing it over their lake tied to a themed James Bond-type ski and boat chase show at night with the addition of coordinated music, pyrotechnics and fireworks.  Was a great show that rivaled ones at the Disney parks.  Jax should take notes with the river adjacent for ski and boat shows here.

[jcjohnpaint]

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/february-groundbreaking-planned-high-rise-river-city-brewing-company/77-25601b98-377b-4044-a9df-057d7165a1f4?tbref=hp

High rise will break ground in February

[Jones518]

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/february-groundbreaking-planned-high-rise-river-city-brewing-company/77-25601b98-377b-4044-a9df-057d7165a1f4?tbref=hp

High rise will break ground in February

I saw this!! Let's hope they stay on track, actually break ground, and get it to the finish line!! If it does happen, this will be a big change (long overdue) for the downtown skyline

[heights unknown]

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/february-groundbreaking-planned-high-rise-river-city-brewing-company/77-25601b98-377b-4044-a9df-057d7165a1f4?tbref=hp

High rise will break ground in February

Downtown Jax is slowly on the rise.......it's about damn time; something tells me there's more to come, residential wise, bigger and in the future taller. Awesome news.

[heights unknown]

I think 2028 is the finishline year.

[Jankelope]

I think when you see River's Edge apartments, condos, hotel come out of ground that will be really exciting moment. We definitely are looking at somewhere around 2028 when you really start to see the Riverfront be basically unrecognizable. Unfortunately, I feel like MOSH being open in 2028 seems unlikely.