JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The “coming soon” signs around the Laura Street Trio have been in place for what feels like years to some. It’s no secret, people are ready to see those signs go down, and the construction go up.
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Lisa Miracco works downtown and wants to see change.
“It’s just sad to see them just empty and not being used when we can utilize them for other things,” Miracco said.
We’re now getting a clearer picture of when the project could move forward. A foreclosure lawsuit that was filed by the city of Jacksonville against the Trio’s developer was dropped on Monday, paving the way for a possible new agreement between the two sides.
Also Monday, the Trio’s developer, SouthEast Development Group Inc. announced its new partnership with Live Oak Contracting to get the project going. Ultimately, the goal is to turn the long-neglected buildings into a four-star hotel, multi-family apartments, retail and entertainment space.
Aki has lived in Jacksonville his whole life and says downtown needs to be a place for people from all over to gather.
“Ever since we lost The Landing, everyone’s been hard-pressed to actually find something in downtown to be, what I would consider, our centerpiece,” Aki said.
City council voted to approve a plan to bring in an outside law firm from Philadelphia called Ballard Spahr.
The law firm will work with council members to draft legislation for an agreement to get the project started.
Councilman Kevin Carrico has said he wanted to bring in an outside law firm that has experience with public-private partnership deals.
“We’re not the only city that does downtown development and it happens all over the country,” Carrico said. “There are experts that work with governments and the private sector and try to bring deals together.”
Carrico chairs the Special Committee for the Future of Downtown, which took over negotiations after the Downtown Investment Authority voted unanimously to end its talks with the developer.
Carrico said with the Trio buildings, which are visible from his window inside City Hall, downtown Jacksonville is on the precipice of greatness.
“All the development we have going down by the stadium, with the Four Seasons, the new stadium deal, our downtown is ready to blossom,” Carrico said.
Carrico said at the end of the day, his goal is to draft an agreement that works for all parties. More than anything, he’s ready to see renderings become reality.
“There’s a lot of people that have sat in the seat before me that have talked about Jacksonville’s potential, talked about the potential of downtown,” Carrico said. “I’ve got a few years left on this council. I want to be a part of a council that says, ‘Hey, we got it done. We brought development down here, and we brought people down here.’ And it’s a joint effort.”
As for the development taking shape, several people who frequent downtown say they’re excited, yet cautiously optimistic.
“I’m looking at taking it one day at a time, so I’m on a day-by-day basis,” Aki said. “I hope that something will happen, but you just never know. It’s hard to predict.”
Carrico said he’s hearing that once a development agreement is drafted, vetted, and voted on, there is a possibility the developers could finish the project in as little as two years.