The city of Jacksonville is pushing forward to build the proposed Shipyards West park on the Downtown Northbank, with a permit application under review for construction of a pavilion on the site.
The application is for a two-story, 36,000-square-foot building described as a “new multipurpose events facility including permanent display galleries, 2 rentable events spaces, and associated food service, administrative and support spaces.”
Attached plans show a structure with an oval-shaped footprint near the northwest corner of the Shipyards West site at 750 E. Bay St. along the St. Johns River southwest of VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and VyStar Ballpark.
Claire Weisz Architects LLP is shown as the architect for the project on behalf of the city of Jacksonville Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. Massachusetts-based Agency Landscape + Planning and WXY Architecture + Urban Design also are listed on the application.
The job cost is shown at $57 million. Questioned as to whether that figure applied to the pavilion or the entire park, the city said it was for “the area submitted for permit, including the plaza, parking, pavilion, central lawn, gardens and walkways as part of Phase A.”
The land area listed on the application is 23.58 acres, with the pavilion site being 0.83 acre.
In October, the city unveiled designs that were 90% complete for the park.
Planned features include the pavilion, a beach, a cove with pedal boats, a fishing pier, multipurpose flex lawn and more.
The total cost of the park is listed at $74.7 million in the city Capital Improvement Plan.
The Jacksonville Fire Museum and USS Orleck floating naval museum neighbor the park to the west.
Shipyards West is one of several riverfront parks conceived by the city as part of a yearslong revitalization effort in Downtown.
Proponents of the parks say they will improve the quality of life and create more activity in the center of Jacksonville, which will attract new residents to Downtown.
The increase in residential population, supporters say, will attract new restaurants, retail establishments, mixed-use developers and companies looking for a place where their employees can live close to work.
Some Jacksonville City Council members have expressed concerns over the cost of the parks, particularly increases that have occurred amid rising construction costs and evolving designs.
In November 2025, the city opened the $32.5 million first phase of Riverfront Plaza on the site of the demolished Jacksonville Landing. Work is underway on the $46 million second phase of that project.
Also in November 2025, the city opened four parks in the $693 million RiversEdge mixed-use development on the Southbank. The project cost for those parks was listed at $35 million in a city permit.
The approximately $7 million Riverfront Music Garden opened in May 2026 along the Northbank adjacent to the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts. That park includes such features as a ground-mounted keyboard that can be played by stepping on the keys, along with a walkway honoring such musical figures with connections to Jacksonville as Ray Charles, the Allman Brothers Band, Tim McGraw, Ma Rainey, 38 Special and brothers James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson.
Other projects under development include a revamp of Metropolitan Park at 4110 Gator Bowl Blvd. and a new park along the north bank of the realigned McCoys Creek near the site of the demolished Florida Times-Union offices.