It’s been an eventful decade for Jacksonville.
The city experienced growth both in its population and in the form of dozens of major development projects. It moved closer to achieving the long-awaited revitalization of downtown and toward forming a city-wide identity.
The Coastal began publishing in December 2015, so we were around for just under half of the decade. But to honor the 2010s in Jax, we put together our collection of what we believe to be the biggest stories in Jacksonville from the past decade.
Check out our list below and be sure to let us know your thoughts on the decade’s most important events.
Have we mentioned yet that we’re disappointed about the demolition of the Landing?
We might have said something a few times, as the discussion over what should happen to the Landing carried on for much of the decade. Early discussions during the Alvin Brown administration revolved around redeveloping the building to open up access to Laura Street and add a mixed-use element. By the time Mayor Lenny Curry took office, the city and property owner Toney Sleiman had returned to being in a stalemate over the property.
The issue was resolved once and for all when Curry and Sleiman came to a multimillion-dollar agreement to give the city full control over the property.
Now, the building is being torn down, and we’re sure many of you will be glad to no longer hear about the Landing. Unfortunately, the first half of the ‘20s will now likely feature quite a bit of discussion over what will take its place.
