The background
Rendering of the proposed UF graduate campus
In December 2024, The University of Florida Board of Trustees Governance Committee voted to select an area around the Prime Osborn Convention Center in LaVilla as the site for its highly anticipated Downtown Jacksonville graduate campus. In February 2025, the Downtown Investment Authority and Mayor Donna Deegan announced a proposal that would provide 22 acres of property in southern LaVilla to make the campus a reality. Included is the Prime Osborn complex, including the historic former Jacksonville Union Terminal train station, the adjacent convention structure, and associated parking lots, as well as other nearby vacant parcels owned by the city that would be developed in the coming years.
The package also involves the acquisition of a privately owned property, the former Interline building and parking lots, currently owned by a subsidiary of Gateway Jax, the developers behind another major Downtown development, the Pearl Street District. Acquiring the Interline is paramount for the greater UF campus deal, as UF plans to start classes in August 2025, and move-in-ready buildings in LaVilla are few and far between.
Land swap proposed
Gateway Jax’s proposal for the Landing development pad. Courtesy of Gateway Jax.…