Bay Street Retail...what is the hold up

[Jankelope]

https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2026/01/14/besa-tea-room-and-speakeasy-concept-opening-soon.html

I love seeing this, but how hard is it to just build retail across the street from this strip so we can have true two way retail here? I know our desire is for Ford On Bay to me a big aspirational project, but we need street level retail here to be the bridge between Shipyards and Urban Core. It is already set up so nicely to be that.

I mean coming in and building 10-12 retail units across the street from these existing places would automatically create an amazing space. This should be a high priority and a higher priority imo than a lot of other projects.

[fsu813]

https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2026/01/14/besa-tea-room-and-speakeasy-concept-opening-soon.html

I love seeing this, but how hard is it to just build retail across the street from this strip so we can have true two way retail here? I know our desire is for Ford On Bay to me a big aspirational project, but we need street level retail here to be the bridge between Shipyards and Urban Core. It is already set up so nicely to be that.

I mean coming in and building 10-12 retail units across the street from these existing places would automatically create an amazing space. This should be a high priority and a higher priority imo than a lot of other projects.

I believe we will see the waters tested for smaller development on part of the property.

[Charles Hunter]

If a retail strip is built on either block (east or west of Market), I hope it is designed so it does not preclude building a convention center in the (hopefully near) future.

[Charles Hunter]

Looks like the DIA/City are going to sell off part of the old Courthouse block for development, per the January 21 DIA meeting agenda. for 0.8 acres on the western side of the block, fronting on Market Street. The parcel has 125' of Bay Street frontage (of the 420 feet of the entire block), and runs the full distance between Bay Street and Court House Drive.

The item begins on page 65 of the agenda - https://dia.jacksonville.gov/cms/getattachment/4846c520-07fe-41a3-a8f3-fc6b027066c2/20260121_DIA-Board-Meeting-Agenda-Packet

The Downtown Investment Authority (DIA) seeks a qualified, experienced, and well-capitalized development partner to acquire and redevelop the western portion of the former courthouse site at 330 East Bay Street. The Site is more fully described as an approximately 0.8-acre westerly, upland portion of Duval County Tax Parcel (RE)073358 0000 (See Exhibit 1 Attached Hereto). The DIA is specifically desirous of a vertically integrated mixed-use project that introduces a distinctive, destination-oriented concept that advances Downtown's redevelopment goals and delivers meaningful public benefits, including on-site employment, workforce development, and strengthening Jacksonville's position as a destination of choice. with a projected
minimum capital investment of $100 million.

There is a section of the request for proposals on Bay Street Activation

Appendix A – Notice of Disposition 330 East Bay Street
Page 5 of 7
12. Bay Street Activation
Bay Street is a mixed-use corridor comprised primarily of ground-floor and second-floor dining and entertainment venues. Currently, these restaurant and entertainment venues are located on the north side of Bay Street. DIA's Bay Street activation goal is to continue supporting new and expanded restaurant, retail, and entertainment opportunities along the Bay Street corridor, with particular focus on street-level activation. Proposals shall demonstrate furtherance of this goal, identifying:
• Both linear and square feet of street level retail, restaurant, entertainment, etc. along Bay Street, noting the specific desire of DIA for retail and restaurant
• Consistency with transparency, activation, entrances and other requirements of the Downtown Design Guidelines and the public and private form regulations within Chapter 656, Part 3, Subpart H of the Jacksonville Code of Ordinances. Note: bonus consideration will be given for enhanced activation and known tenants

If I could figure out how to include an image, I'd add the property map from the DIA agenda.

This will complicate development of a convention center on the Hyatt and Courthouse blocks.

[Jankelope]

I do believe convention is important and should happen, I also know that getting some bay street retail activation is extremely important and more important for the current short term goal of connecting activity between Riverfront Plaza and Met Park.

I hope there is a way to do this that can keep options open for eventual convention center.

[MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain]

Few years old, but I thought their pitch for a convention center had been to relocate the jail, raze it and replace with a convention center. Has plans changed? When Atkins(former owner of LS Trio) did his big presentation of what's now Riverfront Plaza "Old Landing site" he did have a $1B proposal for an extension of Hyatt into a convention style building attached. That obviously didn't take off for numerous reasons.
But neither did Hyatts interest in pursuing anything in that empty lot.

I think the city is doing the best thing. Make a plan, give Hyatt a chance for refusal or decongest and move on. It's sat empty for too long. There has been zero activities or use of that site. At least the Ford "Old Courthouse site" is used on gameday for parking and Decca and other Bay Street nightlife parking. Plus they've held the community concerts (by VyStar I believe) that used to do on Thursday there.

As for the new proposals, by the new DIA CEO Tarbert, I prefer scheme 4 with the towers on each side. I like being at Sip and looking over the the courthouse site and looking at the river at night. Its beautiful. It can and will be filled in, in a few years but at least the tower blocks the empty gaps haha. 



https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2023/aug/14/city-council-special-committee-will-study-downtown-jail-police-facilities/
https://thecoastal.com/buzz/buildingupjax/southeast-group-unveils-1-1b-master-plan-for-riverfront-jacksonville/amp/