Culinary Institute of America exploring Downtown campus

[jaxlongtimer]

Just adding a few observations:
* Aside from the usual concerns over incentives, the location is an appropriate issue to raise.  I heard that this was possibly considered for Corner Lot's Riverside property.  Maybe that doesn't work, but there has to be many other and better options.  This is especially true if it needs a large number of parking spaces.  It may also need tractor/trailer access for food, equipment and supply deliveries.
* Graduates from CIA typically become high end chefs that can easily make 6 figures and/or restauranteurs, not the usual minimum wage restaurant worker.  It would be like saying Ivy League grads are being trained for low wage jobs.
* Whatever the City does, it needs to receive a guarantee from CIA that it won't create any other locations in the Southeast or that would compete with the Jax location.  Watering down the uniqueness of hosting the CIA would only increase the risk of the incentives receiving the expected payback.
* CIA needs to also guarantee certain performance levels for the school in terms of courses, students, instructors, curriculum/classes, etc.  If it is a second level school, again, it won't meet local expectations associated with any incentives.

[marcuscnelson]

I almost wonder if something like this wouldn't actually be very appropriate for the RiversEdge plot that's purportedly been intended for a hotel for some time now. It could leverage the parking at the DCPS building, it's near the Skyway (however helpful that might be), and just down the street from the subsidized restaurant at Friendship Fountain, plus whatever restaurants might emerge around it.

[thelakelander]

^If there was a logical master plan done for downtown and nothing else was at play that can impact project feasibility, RiversEdge would probably be a better location for the simple fact that the current location weirdly splits up a large development site.

[Ken_FSU]

City Council voted 16-2 to pledge support of $35 million to the CIA.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/may/26/jacksonville-city-council-pledges-to-support-up-to-35-million-in-culinary-institute-of-america-incentives/

Interesting bit here:

Under proposed terms in the supporting document, the city would provide $8 million in workforce development funding and $27 million from the Downtown Riverfront Residential Incentives Contingency Fund, which was established by Ordinance 2025-0385 and contains $30 million.

From my understanding, this fund was established to help create residential density on the Northbank by setting aside dollars to help incentive projects at Ford on Bay, Berkman 2, the Landing's parking lot parcel, etc. Wiping the fund clean to subsidize the CIA certainly doesn't seem to be in the spirit of why City Council agreed to set those excess dollars aside in reserve originally.

[jaxlongtimer]

I support CIA coming, but is there any formal study/analysis on what its economic and other impact would be on Downtown and greater Jax?  Hotel rooms, tourism, employment, downtown student residences, local culinary scene, etc.?

And, I repeat, are there any guarantees about uniqueness in the Southeast and size/quality of its programs?

How much of these funds are actually benefitting Corner Lot vs. CIA?

[CityLife]

Looks like the CIA project is progressing: https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/07/14/culinary-institute-of-america-selects-jacksonville-for-southeast-hub-heres-what-happens-next/

I randomly happened to be staying very close to the main CIA campus in Hyde Park last month for a few days. The campus there is tremendous. Right on the Hudson and looks and feels like an elite northeast Liberal Arts college. It's not just a cooking/culinary school either; they have undergraduate programs in hospitality, food sustainability, and food business management. Here's an aerial of the campus:



They have several great restaurants on campus staffed by students. We could not get a reservation for any of the three restaurants there that are all well regarded. We did get to check out The Egg, which is their on campus dining hall that is open to the public. It actually operates more like a food hall though. It has several different stations, each with their own theme and culinary style. We had an awesome lunch, that was shockingly cheap.

I'm assuming the CIA would do this anyways, but I believe that Jax should ensure that they create an experience like The Egg that is open to the public with such a big incentive package. The Egg has a nice outdoor seating area overlooking the Hudson (first picture below) and then a large indoor food hall. Something like this with outdoor seating and easy access from the Riverwalk would be awesome.





That said, Jax is likely not going to get anything comparable to the main CIA campus. It looks like the Hyde Park campus has around 2,500-3k students and San Antonio more like 300-400. I hope that the leaders in Jax can negotiate a deal that ensures a major commitment from the CIA. I think the direct financial benefits of the CIA being in downtown are big, but the real value in bringing the CIA is the intangible value that can't be quantified. Many of the graduates will leave the area to go elsewhere, but even if 10% stay in Jax, that 10%, plus the professors that live in the urban core; should greatly elevate the culinary scene in the city.

Jax is basically at the crossroads of the South and Florida/Caribbean. It already has a decent culinary scene, but could greatly enhance it with this addition. I'm all for parks, but parks don't matter if nobody lives or works near them. Jax throwing incentives towards employment and college campuses seems like it's needed in the current downtown environment. Without more employment and students, places like Rise Doro and Gateway will struggle to ever fill up. I just looked and Rise Doro is offering a staggering 2.5 months free rent and still has 104 units available....

[Ken_FSU]

I'm assuming the CIA would do this anyways, but I believe that Jax should ensure that they create an experience like The Egg that is open to the public with such a big incentive package. The Egg has a nice outdoor seating area overlooking the Hudson (first picture below) and then a large indoor food hall. Something like this with outdoor seating and easy access from the Riverwalk would be awesome.

If we're going to invest $35 million, I'd love to see us take it a step further and partner with the CIA to turn the adjacent green parcel into a food & festival themed park. RE: The Block discussion, we badly need a Food Hall concept downtown that's always-on and programmed for events. World Cup. Big games. Food festivals. Etc. You could program the food hall with a combination of local staples and rotating student concepts. Would help drive traffic at the new marina we're building, and there would always be a new reason to visit. It's probably the best riverfront space to program on the Northbank, as the configurations of Riverfront Plaza and Shipyards West aren't really well suited for this type of programming. And it's certainly preferable - at least to me - to residential or a parking garage.

AI slop:

[MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain]

^^ Out of curiosity, what if the food hall were moved farther into the Shipyards West project? It didn't seem like there were many dining options planned there. While it wouldn't be one continuous cluster, it could help encourage people to keep walking along the Riverwalk by giving them places to stop along the way instead of concentrating everything in one spot.

That said, having everything clustered together does have the advantage of creating a destination that could attract more people and generate additional business if it becomes a popular hotspot.

I'm just thinking out loud. Also, I don't think Shipyards West is scheduled to start until later this year, and it may be built in phases. But what about the CRA portion?

[Ken_FSU]

^^ Out of curiosity, what if the food hall were moved farther into the Shipyards West project? It didn't seem like there were many dining options planned there. While it wouldn't be one continuous cluster, it could help encourage people to keep walking along the Riverwalk by giving them places to stop along the way instead of concentrating everything in one spot.

That said, having everything clustered together does have the advantage of creating a destination that could attract more people and generate additional business if it becomes a popular hotspot.

I'm just thinking out loud. Also, I don't think Shipyards West is scheduled to start until later this year, and it may be built in phases. But what about the CRA portion?

These are the types of questions and discussions that wouldn't be necessary if we had a unified master plan for the Northbank.

I think I'd much prefer a food hall adjacent to the CIA for a couple of reasons:

1. The natural tie-in and synergy with the CIA. Would be a great place for students to showcase their work, and it would feel like a complementing use.

2. The riverfront location, right off the riverwalk, versus the street front location with an ugly ramp wrapped around it.

3. I'd much rather see something stood up that could drive vibrancy immediately in a more densely populated, strategically important area, vs. building something in the middle and hoping that either a) people would be willing to walk that far, and b) private development would magically pop up on either side.

I fully agree that we need restaurant space to support Shipyards West, but we also need restaurant space and amenities to support Met Park 2.0, MOSH, and the Sports District. I think a seperate Lot J food and entertainment district makes the most sense for that side of downtown.

I honestly think they're almost totally seperate markets, CBD vs sports district, with different needs.

[fsu813]

^ I believe there have been preliminary discussions about CIA potentially using currently vacant restaurant space in Downtown, as well.

[Aristocles]

I'd actually like to see the food hall add more to the streetscape rather than be off in a park. Parks are nice but ultimately they don't make a city; streets and the buildings along them do.

[Ken_FSU]

I'd actually like to see the food hall add more to the streetscape rather than be off in a park. Parks are nice but ultimately they don't make a city; streets and the buildings along them do.

^ I believe there have been preliminary discussions about CIA potentially using currently vacant restaurant space in Downtown, as well.

Interesting! Bread & Board Provisions still needs a tenant. FSCJ's test kitchen (later Jumping Jax) is still there. Snyder would be a great home for a small food hall or restaurant with live music too.

[thelakelander]

Bread & Board was essentially a mini food hall or market. It would be good to see a new concept go in there.

[Skybox111]

That's good

[Ken_FSU]

I'm reading through this story from the JBJ, with a small snippet below: https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2026/10/02/culinary-institute-update.html

Developer targets 2027 construction start for riverfront project anchored by culinary school



Corner Lot wants to turn Jacksonville's former courthouse site into a riverfront destination built around culinary education, dining and hospitality.But before the roughly $160 million vision can break ground, the developer must bring the city, the Culinary Institute of America and private financing into alignment.

The proposal, submitted by Corner Lot and Denver-based financial partner Aspect Real Estate Group, would combine culinary education with a hotel, conference facilities, restaurants and other commercial uses at 330 E. Bay St. For Leone, the opportunity extends beyond redeveloping the city-owned property.

"For Corner Lot, this is also about creating the kind of anchor that can help activate this part of the riverfront every day," Leone recently told the Business Journal. "Students, faculty, visitors, restaurants, a hotel and conference activity all create energy around the site."

That activity, he said, could help strengthen the connection between downtown's central business district and its sports and entertainment district, giving the development an influence beyond its boundaries.

But the project remains a proposal with several consequential decisions ahead. Corner Lot is still working through a redevelopment agreement with the Downtown Investment Authority, while the broader effort requires coordination among the developer, the city and the Culinary Institute of America.

"The next major benchmark is getting the various agreements and economics aligned among CIA, the City, the DIA and the development team," Leone said. "CIA's decision to continue advancing Jacksonville is an important milestone, but it is one step in a larger process."

"For Jacksonville, this milestone brings us one step closer to a transformational opportunity for workforce development and downtown revitalization," Wallace said in July.

The concept submitted earlier this year envisioned two buildings: a 14-story hotel tower and a four-story structure accommodating institutional, office, and food and beverage uses.

I was also thinking back to this quote from the DIA, as reported by the Daily Record:

DIA CEO Colin Tarbert said the Culinary Institute would be the hotel development's anchor tenant and a keystone in its financial feasibility. Without it, he said, "the project probably doesn't work."

No incentive requests for the project have come forward. Tarbert said the project was at the conceptual stage, and the financing still was being determined.

Before the DIA board's vote, members questioned whether the project would require public funding in excess of DIA limits.

Board member Cameron Hooper, noting that the developers were projecting construction costs at $700 per square foot, said the "economics of the deal make this very difficult." Hooper said he had hoped to see costs around $400 per square foot, which would reduce the need for public subsidies. He said the higher costs were likely due to the complexities of building in the small footprint.

So, here's my question. Which some may find irritating or controversial, but I think it's worth asking:

Even though Corner Lot brought the CIA concept to Jacksonville, should Jacksonville aggressively explore other alternatives for the CIA that don't (presumably) involve subsidizing the construction of yet another 14-story hotel on the riverfront? Reading through this article, I can't help but get Steve Atkins/Laura Street Trio vibes, when Atkins was strong-arming the city to heavily subsidize adjacent new construction as part of the historic rehabilitation of the Trio.

I've grown to love the CIA idea, and I greatly appreciate Corner Lot for surfacing a Jax/CIA partnership, but I can't help but read this as, "Without DIA and city subsidies for the hotel and exhibition space, there will be no CIA." To me, they two seem like totally separate projects.

What if we say, offered up Stanton to the CIA? And used some of that $35 million pledge to fix it up.

The site has a historical educational slant, and it kind of matches the vibe of the San Antonio campus:



There'd be no shortage of complementing uses in the Pearl District, particularly if they stand up the food hall that Moll has discussed for the next phase.

I'm sure there are other options worth considering as well.

Long way of saying, I'm failing to understand why luring the CIA to Jacksonville should necessitate public participation in a large adjoining hotel & exposition tower.