JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville rolled out the latest developments for the University of Florida’s graduate campus in downtown Jacksonville.
The city is providing 23 buildable acres to the university, bringing vibrancy and excitement to the LaVilla neighborhood with classes starting this fall.
Those classes will be held at an existing building on 801 W. Bay Street.
The property is owned by a subsidiary of Gateway Jax.
The plans include the Prime Osborn Convention Center, the historic train station and an existing building on Bay Street.
The Prime Osborn will remain under operational use by the city for at least five years, and UF will redevelop the train station to feature a restaurant, bar and retail spaces.
There are also two other properties labeled Site A and Site B.
Site A will include a minimum 60,000-square-foot building, and Site B will include a 20,000-square-foot building with publicly accessible ground floor retail space facing the Emerald Trail.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan commented on the plans.
“We are excited to be another step closer to a thriving downtown where our citizens can learn, live, work, and play. The University of Florida graduate campus in LaVilla and Gateway Jax development on the Northbank are important parts of that vision. I’m grateful for their partnership as we turn renderings into reality,” Deegan said.
News4JAX also received a statement from Bryan Moll, CEO of Gateway Jax.
“As a result of the land swap, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to transform the Jacksonville waterfront with a new luxury hotel and residential project at Riverfront Plaza. We look forward to sharing our vision and working with all stakeholders to make this vision a reality,” Moll said.
The plan will go through the Downtown Investment Authority process and a board vote is expected on Feb. 19. If the DIA approves the proposals, it will move to the city council.