4 Ideas for Improving the Riverwalk Experience

The presence of the St. Johns River running through downtown Jacksonville is one of the city’s greatest assets.

In the 1980s, the city worked hard to put that natural asset to use, creating the Riverwalks along the north and south banks of the river.

Originally the Riverwalks were planned with far more amenities, including a riverfront aquarium, an amphitheater, and an open-air marketplace, but many aspects of the initial plans were either scaled down or removed.

Over the years, even some of the elements that did get built out have been removed: the maritime museum, some riverfront shops, and a few other amenities.

But with the ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown Jax becoming a high priority for the city, it would make sense to start exploring ways to improve the Riverwalk experience to generate more activity along our valuable riverbanks.

RIVERFRONT RETAIL AND RESTAURANTS

Years ago, with foot traffic declining, it made sense to remove retail elements from the Riverwalks.

But now, with a significantly-increased number of residential and hotel units in the near vicinity, it may be a good time to give retail a try again.

There’s quite a bit of unused space along both of the Riverwalks that could be utilized to build small retail kiosks. Based on the success of those, larger units could be constructed later.

Likewise, a restaurant or two that fully utilize their riverfront position would be a welcomed sight. As it stands now, the restaurants that exist along the riverfront – such as Chart House or River City Brewing Company – aren’t easily accessible from the Riverwalk and aren’t oriented to properly take full advantage of their proximity to the water.

More retail and restaurant options along the river – particularly ones that take advantage of the riverfront – would activate the Riverwalks and bring about consistent pedestrian activity.

PUBLIC AMENITIES

To be fair, the Riverwalk provides some basic amenities such as dog-walking stations and the occasional restroom kiosk.

But for a two-mile-long pedestrian mall, more restrooms would be ideal – as would some well-placed hydration stations.

Considering how many people routinely run or walk along the Riverwalks, it’s surprising how few opportunities there are to refill a water bottle or get a quick sip of water.

And while there are a few shaded spots along the full two-mile stretch, it could use a few more covered pavilions to help out in the event of a sudden thunderstorm – not exactly a rare occurrence in Florida.

If the city wants people to hang out along the river, it has to provide them with more than just the base level of amenities.

A MAJOR ATTRACTION

When the Riverwalks were first being planned, there was to be no shortage of entertainment options along the route. An aquarium, an amphitheater, and more were planned along the river, in addition to the existing Times-Union Center for Performing Arts and the planned Jacksonville Landing.

Unfortunately, the proposed entertainment options never developed – and now, with the Landing being torn down, there really just isn’t a whole lot to do for fun along the river these days.

In the past few years, several major attractions have been proposed for the riverfront, including an aquarium (again), a small-scale amusement park, and even a large gondola system. None of those plans, however, are anywhere close to being realized.

The Riverwalks need a major attraction that will encourage people to congregate around the river, bringing valuable foot traffic that could help sustain nearby retail and restaurants.

EXPANSION

Both the Northbank and Southbank Riverwalks have gradually expanded from their original footprints over the years – but there’s still more work to be done.

The city has discussed expanding both Riverwalks in the future, with the Northbank Riverwalk running from Memorial Park to the Shipyards and the Southbank extending from the Aetna Building to the future site of The District.

Expanding the Riverwalks would allow more nearby developments an opportunity to utilize and activate the riverfront and would add value for those who utilize it as a running or walking path.

It would also help with the completion of the planned Emerald Trail system of multi-use paths throughout the urban core, allowing those trails to also easily lead into the riverfront at multiple junctures.

While activating existing portions of the Riverwalks should take priority, expansion of the two-mile pathway should be a long-term goal for the city.