Page 12 - 115240_DOIN_DIA Master Plan book proof

THE EIGHT GOALS OF THE DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN
WHY WERE THEY CHOSEN,
AND WHAT WILL THEY ACCOMPLISH?
OFFICE
REDEVELOPMENT GOAL NO. 1 | Increase commercial office utilization, occupancy and job growth to reinforce Downtown as the region’s epicenter
for business.
Since the demise of Downtown department stores in the late 1980s, office use has been the primary driver of Downtown activity and investment. In
the vision of the master plan, Downtown remains the epicenter for business in the region. Government uses abound and private industry sectors have shifted several times over the decades. Approximately 56,000 people work in Downtown today and office vacancy varies widely by building, with some nearly full and others with ample space available for new tenants. Overall,
the rent rates are soft due to the vacancy rate, making significant upgrades difficult to prioritize. Hence, the goal is to recruit businesses to fill existing space rather than encourage new speculative office construction. An incentive is available to encourage prospective tenants to lease existing space, and it is designed to offset parking costs to make Downtown competitive with suburban office parks. Office use is permitted anywhere within Downtown, and clusters of tenant types have naturally emerged. Corporate headquarters dominate on the Brooklyn riverfront, while medical offices complementary
to the major hospitals populate the Southbank. City Center is home to City Hall, courthouses and many other government buildings, as well as major office towers. Office uses in other neighborhoods are envisioned to be smaller in scale, and not the dominant use in the district.
Photo: JAXUSA Partnership/Ketterman Photography
JACKSONVILLE TARGET INDUSTRIES
Transportation & Logistics
Advanced Manufacturing
Life Sciences
Technology Services
Financial Services
Corporate Operations
JACKSONVILLE INNOVATION NICHES
Intermodal Logistics
Agribusiness
Space & Defense Technologies
Health Tech
Biomedical Research
Fintech
10 DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN
Credit: JAXUSA Partnership