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RETAIL
REDEVELOPMENT GOAL NO. 3 | Increase and diversify the number and type of food and beverage, retail and entertainment establishments within Downtown.
Once the hub of retail for the City, Downtown experienced the flight
of stores to suburban shopping centers decades ago. Restaurant options also dwindled, and remaining establishments that were housed in office- building interiors generally closed after lunch and further reduced pedestrian traffic on the street. Recent market shifts to online sales, both for consumer goods and food delivery, have presented new challenges that require even larger market area populations to support retail.
But restaurants, entertainment and shopping — as well as daily use retail mainstays like grocery stores and coffee shops — are vital to achieving the Downtown vision. Residential growth is the key, as tenants provide the demand for these services beyond weekdays and lunchtime. This strategy is being affirmed in Brooklyn, where new residential density has matured to the point where significant new retail development has blossomed.
Throughout Downtown, development incentives and zoning codes are both used to encourage (and, in some cases, require) construction of retail spaces on the riverfront and street fronts. Two targeted Food and Beverage Districts were designated: one on Laura and Hogan streets (coordinated with the Emerald Trail link from Florida State College at Jacksonville to the riverfront), and one at The Elbow on Bay, Forsyth
and Adams streets. The latter is the nightlife district with a growing concentration of clubs and music venues near the historic Florida Theatre. Increased incentives are available in these areas for specific types of food and beverage establishments, and strategies to modernize parking are also designed to support retail.
To activate the riverfront, celebrate the beauty of our National Heritage River and capitalize on the City’s investment in the Riverwalk, the Downtown master plan called for the creation of signature riverfront parks, new construction of public recreational docks and the establishment of a Waterfront Restaurant Zone.
New efforts to permit expanded sidewalk café use (including alcohol service), a Riverwalk Specialty Zone and a change in state law to reduce the required number of seats for an alcohol license in food service establishments all contribute to the larger vision.
12 DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN