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$2 billion development plan raises stakes for downtown riverfront

This illustration shows part of the proposed development on Jacksonville's Northbank.
SouthEast Development Group/Florida Times-Union
This illustration shows part of the sweeping development proposed on Jacksonville's Northbank.

Jacksonville developer Steve Atkins delivered a $2 billion plan this week for a long stretch of the downtown Northbank between the former Jacksonville Landing site and Metropolitan Park, setting the stage for a fork-in-the-road decision for how the city wants to develop that waterfront.

"This is an opportunity that is generational," Atkins said Thursday at a news conference with renderings next to him. "We believe the decisions we are making now are going to affect our city as a whole for the next 50 to 60 years."

He said his proposed Riverfront Jacksonville would be a public-private partnership that he can build over six years, but he did not have any figures for what the city's share of the cost would be. He said he hopes to negotiate with the Downtown Investment Authority staffover the next three to four months on the financial terms.

Read the rest of the story at WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union.