A marina named for former Jacksonville mayor Hans Tanzler would fill a squarish inlet of the St. Johns River between Liberty and Market streets in the 200 block of East Bay Street under a conceptual plan up for discussion May 8 by the Downtown Development Review Board.
The DDRB agenda calls it the “Liberty Street Basin Marina – CIP Project (No Action).” The renderings by HDR Engineering and Pond & Co. call it the city of Jacksonville Liberty Street Marina.
As shown in documents attached to the DDRB agenda, the city project would be on the site of a demolished parking structure that served the former Duval County Courthouse on what is now called the Ford on Bay property. The courthouse was demolished in 2019.
The plans, which are on the agenda for discussion only as opposed to action by the board, show a harbormaster house on the northwest corner and docking areas on the west, north and east sides of the inlet. Another docking area is shown extending east from the southwest corner of the marina partway to Liberty Street, leaving an inlet in the southeast corner.
A water taxi landing is at the inlet.
Two more sets of docks extend eastward from the west wall of the marina.
Notes on the plans say the marina would serve transient boats and commercial craft, such as tour boats and rentals.
The harbormaster house would include restrooms, laundry facilities, a harbormaster office and boat lift, plus a seating area with vending services.
Renderings of the project show the name Hans Tanzler Marina on the harbormaster house.
Tanzler served as mayor of Jacksonville from 1967 to 1979, and was the first mayor of the consolidated city.
When he died in 2013, news stories noted that Tanzler worked to clean up the St. Johns River by implementing sewage treatment and other environmental regulations.
He also used consolidation revenue to drive revitalization efforts Downtown, leading to development of such projects as the Downtown campus of Florida State College at Jacksonville and construction of 1 Independent Square, formerly the Wells Fargo Center and before that the Independent Life building.
The conceptual plan and renderings contain no information about the size or cost of the project.
The DDRB meeting May 8 is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Main Library at 303 N. Laura St.
