JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – News4JAX has learned that the Four Seasons Hotel will definitely be the new luxury hotel at the old shipyards site. City council members got an update Monday on the project and others surrounding it.
Trucks are currently clearing the land where the Kids Kampus Playground once stood. That land will now be home to the Four Seasons Hotel. It had been rumored for years but News4JAX Reporter Jim Piggott confirmed with the Head of Real Estate and Development for the Jaguars, Drew Frick, that a deal has been worked out.
“We’re excited,” Frick said. “We’re working alongside Four Seasons and excited to have the project moving forward. I appreciate all the work that the DIA (Downtown Investment Authority) has done in getting us to this point,” Frick also said they are looking forward to talking to city council about it in January and moving the Four Seasons and Shipyards projects forward.
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City council members got a chance to ask questions about the projects Monday. There are some changes happening. The Jaguars are now paying over $387 million dollars. And the city is now paying over $97 million in tax and bonus incentives. The Jags already own the land where the hotel is going. New legislation is underway to allow them to buy the land where an office complex will sit.
As part of the deal--the Jaguars will build a new marina and marina complex for the city. Boaters will soon see some changes at the public marina which could close early next year until the construction is completed.
The city has also made a deal to actually do a land swap with privately owned land right next to Metropolitan Park, near the WJCT studios. They’re also going to build a fire station marina. That’s where the fire boats and other marine vessels for the fire department will be housed.
After years and years of promises about Shipyard development, work is now actually underway. It’s expected to be complete by the end of June of 2026