A stretch of Jacksonville’s Southbank could become a flexible festival street with events, food trucks, vendors, outdoor dining and new pedestrian-friendly features.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A stretch of Flagler Avenue on Jacksonville’s Southbank could soon become a flexible public space where cars can still drive and park, but the street can also close for festivals, markets and other events.
The project covers about 800 feet of Flagler Avenue between Prudential Drive and Riverplace Boulevard, near the Main Street Bridge. Plans call for a shared-street design with level sidewalks and pavement, designated parking, wider pedestrian areas, shade trees, benches, lighting and retractable bollards to close the street during events.
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Daniel Ashworth, a landscape architect and urban designer with GAI Consultants and the project’s lead designer, said the goal is to create a space that serves multiple purposes.
“Whenever you design for pedestrians first, like this street is trying to do, it starts creating interest for those properties,” Ashworth said.
The redesign would allow pedestrians to use the entire paved area when the street is closed to traffic.
“It essentially makes the street and the sidewalk the same grade,” Ashworth said. “So it’s a flat pedestrian surface from edge of right of way to edge of right of way.”
During events, parking spaces could accommodate food trucks, vendor tents and nonprofits. The project also includes expanded outdoor dining at Southern Grill, at 800 Flagler Ave., with additional seating, shade and a protected, curbless dining area.
Jonas Loh, owner of BB’s Restaurant and Bar on the Southbank, said increased activity could benefit nearby restaurants.
“I think it’s phenomenal. I think all this extra traffic, extra activity is always good for the neighborhood,” Loh said.
He said events could bring more customers into the area throughout the day while emphasizing the importance of safety and crowd control.
“Any event is good from day to night. It will always benefit all the restaurants,” Loh said.
Ashworth said the project is also intended to encourage long-term investment in surrounding properties, including underused parking lots.
“We’re just really trying to create a space where people feel welcomed and want to be there and hopefully one day would spur some redevelopment to happen in some of the underused parking lots,” Ashworth said.
The improvements would connect Treaty Oak Park near Prudential Drive with Riverplace Boulevard’s bike lanes and wider sidewalks, potentially improving pedestrian and bicycle access toward the Southbank Riverwalk.
Retractable bollards at both ends of the project area would allow Flagler Avenue to remain open to traffic most of the time while providing flexibility for special events.
The project is about 60% designed, Ashworth said. Design plans are expected to be completed in January 2027, with construction bids potentially opening in the spring and groundbreaking anticipated in summer 2027.
The project is funded through Downtown Investment Authority CRA/TIF funding. Public planning documents have previously estimated the Flagler Avenue Shared Street project at $2 million.
Ashworth said the broader goal is to encourage more activity throughout the Southbank beyond the Riverwalk.
“I hope they see it as something else to do outside on a nice day,” Ashworth said. “In the Southbank. You know, all of the activity right now is kind of focused on the river walks, and if we can draw some of that activity and interest and um, even redevelopment interest further into the Southbank and the Northbank. I think that will continue with that would continue making downtown Jacksonville better.”