Changes are ahead for the look and feel of downtown Jacksonville if city leaders go along with proposed legislation being formulated by one council member.
Allison Colburn reports on real estate and economic development for the Jacksonville Business Journal.
She told WJCT News that Councilmember Lori Boyer has been working with the Downtown Investment Authority and other stakeholders in the development community over the past several months to rewrite the current downtown overlay ordinance.
The ordinance governs how things are built downtown.
Overlay districts regulate things like construction setbacks and building heights. Boyer is calling for, among other things:
- Jacksonville’s 10-downtown overlay districts would be reduced to eight/
- Most height restrictions for non-riverfront building construction would be removed.
- Riverfront property developers would be required setting aside a 25-foot wide corridor along the river’s edge for public use .
Colburn said the proposed changes are creating a buzz among developers both near and far.
“People in the development community from outside of Jacksonville are hearing about what’s going on here and they’re talking about it. So that’s certainly good for the city. But, you know, we’ll have to see what happens,” said Colburn.
Colburn said Boyer still has a number of hoops to jump through before she files her proposed legislation with the City Council. According to Colburn, Boyer is expected to file the legislation by February 1.
Colburn's full story is available on the Jacksonville Business Journal's website.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
