The great build-out has begun. After years of planning, permitting and city incentives, long-anticipated Downtown projects are finally rising from the ground.
What was once abstract is now visible, making forward progress undeniable and signaling to retailers that the future they have been waiting for is taking shape.
2025 marked a turning point for Downtown, led by a wave of food-and-beverage commitments from nationally recognized brands and proven hospitality groups.
Operators such as Indigo Road, Ariete Hospitality, Asado Life, Starbucks, Pearl Hospitality Group and Decca Hospitality have either opened or executed deals within the urban core.
Downtown will soon have its first full-service grocer, Publix, further establishing the area as a vibrant, livable neighborhood.
Collectively, these leases and openings signal more than incremental growth. They have paved the way for an additional 40,000 square feet of food-and-beverage space currently under negotiation, proving that momentum is accelerating.
Most notable is the demand we are seeing to bring shopping back Downtown. Contemporary clothing and furniture brands are looking outside of the St. Johns Town Center for well-designed shopping experiences with a focus on the public realm and elevated architectural design.
This coupled with their ability to capture the surrounding affluent neighborhoods of San Marco, Riverside, Avondale, Ortega – along with the tourism component that St. Johns Town Center doesn’t benefit from – makes Downtown a more viable option.
Many years of planning and investment in public infrastructure are now paying off.
Projects like the Emerald Trail create seamless connectivity among Downtown development projects, while activation nodes such as Riverfront Plaza and Friendship Fountain are drawing visitors and families.
Through our team’s travels, we have found this to be an area where Jacksonville is leading. Many cities experiencing multiple large-scale developments lack connectivity between projects; this is something we believe will play a part in Downtown Jacksonville’s success.
As 2026 continues, the combination of hospitality expansion, active retail negotiations and interest in infill locations shows Downtown is entering a new phase — one defined not just by revival, but by diversification and long-term resilience.
Clark is North Florida senior vice president with Colliers Urban Division.