JACKSONVILLE, FL – Downtown Jacksonville is a key element of the city’s growth. Jake Gordon is a leader in the effort to improve and promote downtown as a place to live, work and play, and he’s our guest on This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition.
In general, Downtown Vision, Inc. (DVI) is a non-profit organization that works with property owners in a three-mile area to “make downtown better.”
“I moved to Jacksonville about 10 years ago and downtown has never been the talk of the town that it is now,” Gordon said. “It’s unbelievable to think about how much change has really happened downtown, positive change over the last 10 years. But like every city, we’re never satisfied and we always want more and more. So, there’s a lot of work to be done downtown… The work is never done to keep looking at it and trying to add to it.”
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Gordon said downtown Jacksonville has improved in the past decade, adding to the population. Frustration arises from the comparison game.
“The reality is, can we match up to other cities like Nashville or other cities like Charlotte that have really invested in their downtown?” Gordon said. “And I think that’s where Jacksonville is if you live here, you’re going to love it. But, you know, it’s also very unique. So, it’s really hard to find a city that’s exactly like Jacksonville.”
Gordon has been CEO of DVI since 2015. In this episode, he explains how to get feedback on what people want to see downtown. He also shares the takeaways from the latest “State of Downtown” report, and how much money has been poured into various projects over the past two years.
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