DVI’s annual analysis returns, showcasing Downtown Jacksonville’s growth | Downtown Vision, Inc. (DVI), the nonprofit Business Improvement District for Downtown Jacksonville, today announced the release of its 2024-2025 State of Downtown Report, an 18-month recap of progress and development in Downtown Jacksonville from January 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
Every 18 months, DVI tracks and analyzes Downtown’s performance in key indicators of urban vitality, such as development and investment, residential demand, office market and employment base, transportation and infrastructure enhancements and tourism health to tell the story of Downtown Jacksonville, benchmark trends and support investment efforts. This year’s report is available online in an interactive format, and can be viewed at DTJax.com/reports.
Highlights from the 2024-2025 State of Downtown Report include:
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Downtown Jacksonville’s residential population is currently hovering around 9,000. With more than 3,000 units in the development pipeline, several large-scale projects under construction and multiple residential developments nearing completion, Downtown is on track to continue steady population growth in the near future.
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In partnership with the City of Jacksonville, the University of Florida will establish a new graduate campus in the historic LaVilla neighborhood. The project will include the Florida Semiconductor Institute, positioning Jacksonville as an emerging hub for innovation and technology.
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Construction is underway on multiple portions of Gateway Jax’s Pearl Square, where it was recently announced that Publix will serve as the grocery retailer. The mixed-use development will feature approximately 1,250 residential units, 200,000 square feet of retail space, 110 hotel rooms, and additional amenities.
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Work has also begun on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ $1.5 billion “Stadium of the Future,” slated to open ahead of the 2028 NFL season.
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In the spring, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) celebrated the opening of its $12.7 million Autonomous Innovation Center in LaVilla. The facility serves as the hub for JTA’s new Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation (NAVI) program, which provides service along a 3.5-mile loop throughout Downtown.
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In Brooklyn, the One Riverside development, anchored by Whole Foods, has begun leasing apartments following the completion of its first phase of residential construction.
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Construction continues on the Riverfront Plaza project, with Phase One expected to open in early 2026. This phase will include a pavilion building, enhanced riverwalk, playground, event lawn and other public amenities.
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The City of Jacksonville also completed its two-way street conversions on Adams and Forsyth streets midway through 2025, further improving connectivity and accessibility within the Downtown core.
“Over the past 18 months, Downtown Jacksonville has seen tremendous progress continuing a solid foundation for future exponential growth,” said Jake Gordon, CEO of Downtown Vision, Inc. “With continued private investment and strong support from the City of Jacksonville and the Downtown Investment Authority, we’re building on more than a decade of positive momentum. The data in this year’s State of Downtown Report highlights steady growth across nearly every metric we track – proof that Downtown Jacksonville’s future has never looked brighter.”
In addition to the report, users can find additional Downtown data at DTJax.com/research. This research includes quarterly visitor and persona dashboards powered by Placer.ai and Spatial.ai, which provide geofenced data on COVID-19 recovery, visitor and employee traffic, visitor, employee and resident personas, and brand category affinities. It also includes interactive resident, employee and visitor survey summaries that offer insights on respondents’ experiences, perceptions and behaviors. Users can export data to provide more robust insights for their own projects and presentations.
The full report is available for review and download at DTJax.com/reports.
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About Downtown Vision:
Downtown Vision is a not-for-profit organization revitalizing Downtown Jacksonville through district services, stakeholder support, marketing, research, events and placemaking. Primarily funded by a self-assessment of Downtown property owners and governed by a board representing a diverse array Downtown stakeholders and community leaders, DVI administers a 1.3 square mile Business Improvement District. For more information, visit DTJax.com/dvi.