Summer 2019

CITY OF JACKSONVILLE
“It was the worst location I ever operated
in 37 years,” he said. “I think everybody
was so desperate to do something with
that piece of property they didn’t look
closely at the details.”
Years of struggle
In 2003 the Landing’s original owner
sold the underperforming venue to local
developer Toney Sleiman. Sleiman owned
the buildings, but leased the land from the
city. The ensuing developer-city relationship
was marred by controversies over
parking, safety and upkeep.
In 2015 the DIA hired outside consultants
with experience in urban waterfront
design to help both parties work out
redevelopment of the Landing. The team
accumulated extensive public input. But
disagreements between Sleiman and the
city continued, and the project fizzled.
In 2017 the battle hit the courts. It
ended earlier this year, with a $15 million
settlement that sold ownership of the
Landing to the city.
Now that the city has it back, it can turn
the page on the venue’s troubled history.
The mayor last summer floated the
Mayor Lenny Curry’s earlier idea to demolish the
Jacksonville Landing and turn most of the property
into a riverfront plaza with trails and fountains. The
site would have two buildings for commercial activity.
idea of an iconic park — a large grassy
space next to the river, punctuated by two
commercial buildings. That differs from
the 2015 DIA vision, which had imagined
a more active riverside park, with dining
spots, a playground, a grassy events space,
a public plaza and a mixed-use commercial
building.
Hughes said it could be as late as Octo-
SUMMER 2019 | J MAGAZINE 33