Riverplace Boulevard will go from fast to slow for Southbank redevelopment

The Southbank’s office towers and residential high-rises mark it as part of downtown Jacksonville, but the road running through it seems like something out of the car-dependent suburbs.

That would change with a long-studied, multimillion-dollar construction project planned to start this year.

The concept for the total reconstruction of Riverplace Boulevard between Main Street and Prudential Drive cleared another hurdle Thursday when the Downtown Development Review Board unanimously voted to approve the design, right down to the concrete pavers for the sidewalks.

The five-lane road would be slimmed down to three lanes. The space freed up by that “road diet” would allow construction of on-street parking spaces, widened sidewalks, and bicycle lanes that are set apart from the road’s automobile lanes.

The changes to the road reflect the wide variety of development that has emerged on the Southbank, said Nick Mousa of GAI Consultants, which did the design of the project.

In addition to office towers that have been a mainstay of the Southbank, the district has seen construction in recent years of residential towers, a riverwalk, some restaurants and stores, and refurbishment of Friendship Fountain.

“Riverplace Boulevard sort of represents the city’s first move on how we’re going to accommodate this mixed-use place that is developing on the Southbank,” Mousa said during his presentation to the development board.

One feature of the construction is installation of a tall, you-can’t-miss-it sign directing people to a public access point for reaching the riverwalk from Riverplace Boulevard, which Mousa said ties in with getting more active use of the river.

The reconstruction of Riverplace Boulevard would make it easier and safer for residents to cross the road from their homes in The Strand and The Peninsula, which should help bring in retail and restaurants along the street, said City Council member Lori Boyer, whose district contains the Southbank.

“One aspect is the public safety aspect,” Boyer said. “The other aspect is the economic vitality of the whole area. If you go down there at night right now, it is dead on Riverplace Boulevard. That’s what we want to change.”

The ballpark figure for the construction cost is around $4 million. The Downtown Investment Authority has approved money for the work by using the Southbank’s tax increment financing district, which sets aside city tax dollars for redevelopment. The money comes from rising property values on the Southbank.

The Downtown Investment Authority is going to do a similar “road diet” study for the Brooklyn neighborhood, which has gained about 700 residential units and is on track to get about 300 more in the coming years. The new apartment buildings in Brooklyn are on one side of Riverside Avenue, while the Northbank Riverwalk and the new Winston Family YMCA are on the other.

Downtown Investment Authority CEO Aundra Wallace said the scope of the study will cover all bases, ranging from moving traffic to pedestrian safety. The DIA has not identified any construction funding.

“We need to understand what the challenges are,” he said, “so we can have a conversation about what we want to do and how we would pay for what we want to do.”

David Bauerlein: (904) 359-4581