JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – City leaders hope to bring new restaurants, shops, housing and hotels to downtown Jacksonville with the proposed Riverwalk Place development.
Solid plans are now in place to demolish the old Duval County Courthouse and Jacksonville City Hall. Developers envision replacing the vacant buildings with a live, work and play destination.
Rimrock Devlin DeBartolo Jacksonville LLC says Riverwalk Place, which would be developed along East Bay Street, will serve as the "impetus" for the city's riverfront development. The plans include a luxury multifamily apartment complex, hotel, parking garage and riverfront access.
Artist renderings also reveal a boat marina and restaurants, which local residents hope will bring more people downtown.
"I think it’s wonderful. It will bring some new livelihood to downtown Jacksonville, which is what we need down here -- bring in some jobs and employment," said Tom Johnson, who lives downtown.
GALLERY: Artist renderings of Riverwalk Place
Renderings reveal a nine story hotel with 150 rooms. The apartment complex would be five stories and contain 347 units. 10,000 square feet would be used for multiple restaurants.
The city expects the demolition to cost nearly $8 million. Both the former courthouse and city annex are expected to be demolished by January 2019.
The contract requires the demolition to be completed by the following April. City leaders expect it to impact traffic in the area.
News4Jax is working to learn the final cost of the entire project.