City-Owned Land Eyed for Tallest Jacksonville Tower

An underused off-ramp of Jacksonville’s Main Street bridge may be demolished to make way for the tallest building between Atlanta and Miami.

For several years, the city has been contemplating tearing down the ramp, which serves primarily as a shortcut for northbound drivers to access South Newman Street next to the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in downtown.

Getting rid of the ramp, which goes over a portion of what used to be the parking lot for Jacksonville Landing, may be moving to the front burner as a priority now that a local developer is eyeing the site for a 53-story condo tower.

Cross Regions Group, a Jacksonville developer, is in discussions with the city’s Downtown Investment Authority (DIA) regarding the proposed tower, the Florida Times-Union reported.

The developer envisions a condo building to be known as Ergisi Tower, encompassing 320 units as well as 35,000 SF of restaurant and retail space. At 712 feet tall, Ergisi Tower would surpass the Bank of America Tower as the tallest building in Jacksonville.

The proposed site offers sweeping views of the St. Johns River and the downtown skyline. On the other side of the bridge, the city is building Riverfront Plaza on the site where Jacksonville Landing, known as the city’s “festival marketplace,” was razed in 2019.

However, in the past year, two other proposed residential high-rise projects on nearby city-owned riverfront land didn’t come to fruition due to rising interest rates and construction costs.

A 44-story project known as American Lions Tower was considered for the parcel where Jacksonville Landing once stood, and an 18-story apartment building named The Hardwick was planned for the site of the old county courthouse between Bay Street and the river, the report said.

According to DIA CEO Lori Boyer, the state Department of Transportation, which owns the bridge, has previously indicated it would allow demolition of the off-ramp. The demolition, which in 2020 was estimated to cost $3.2M, could be funded by DIA.

Construction is underway for Riverfront Plaza, a public park that includes the Northbank Riverwalk, native plant gardens and a café with a playground on top of it.

The state previously demolished the on-ramp to the Main Street bridge from Independent Drive, creating more space for Riverfront Plaza. The design of Riverfront Plaza calls for building a new ramp between the bridge and the park for walkers and bicyclists, but not automobiles.