Laura Street in downtown Jacksonville can boast being the most walkable street in Jacksonville — if only there were more nighttime destinations that actually caused people to walk up and down it.

In a drive to activate Laura Street in the heart of the urban core, the Downtown Investment Authority is moving to set aside $4.5 million for the historic Snyder Memorial Church and $12 million for a proposed 17-story tower with apartments, hotel rooms and restaurants in Riverfront Plaza.

As different as those two developments would be, they have in common that both are in a five-block corridor of Laura Street where extra-wide sidewalks slope from James Weldon Johnson Park down to the St. Johns River.

The funding for Snyder Memorial Church would include $1 million previously earmarked for design of a new restaurant building next to the St. Johns River in Riverfront Plaza. The concept of the city constructing the restaurant and then leasing space to a restaurateur faced skepticism by City Council members who said DIA would have to come back a second time before spending any of the money.

While that plan goes on the back burner, other restaurants are in the works.

"The idea is you can activate from James Weldon Johnson Park, City Hall, MOCA and the library all the way down to Riverfront Plaza so it's dotted with restaurants and cultural institutions and the whole street is this vibrant corridor," DIA CEO Lori Boyer said.

Bill Delaney, who is Mayor Donna Deegan's liaison to City Council, said the challenge is buildings are "very old and a lot of them are not in great shape, so it it is more expensive to do them."

"But the impact, if we're able to get them off the ground, is going to be a lot greater pound for pound than some of these major projects," he said.

The ultimate plan is for more restaurants along both Laura Street and Hogan Street, creating a loop of choices. Boyer said in contrast to The Elbow entertainment district anchored by the Florida Theatre, Laura and Hogan streets would be geared to eating out.

The five-block stretch of Laura Street currently has a Jimmy Johns sandwich shop, Chamblin's Uptown cafe, a Toss Green salad shop and a MOCA cafe, all of which mainly cater to daytime meals. The Laura Street storefront space where Mag's Cafe and the Bread & Board once operated are dark.

But VyStar is building out space in the ground-floor of its downtown garage facing Laura Street for Pizza Dynamo and the Pour Taproom that will be open at night as well as during the day. The Oak Steakhouse announced plans to open a high-end restaurant on the first floor of the century-old Greenleaf & Crosby Building in space vacated by by Jacob’s Jewelers .

The Oak Steakhouse would be in the same block as city-owned Snyder Memorial Church. Boyer said the church could lend itself to a range of uses such as a restaurant or music hall that opens the building to the public including at night. The church dates back to 1903 and was a meeting place during the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

"We want to make sure it both respects the historic character and the events that occurred there," Boyer said. "So there's needs to be some acknowledgment and tribute about that."

Snyder is across Laura Street from another vacant historic building called Juliette Balcony that could be converted into restaurant and retail space at street level with eight studio apartments in the three-story structure. That building originated in 1904 as a wood-frame boarding house. The addition of brick veneer in 1923 gave it the appearance it has now.

Legislation pending before City Council would provide $2.56 million in financial incentives for Juliette Balcony, which is between Chamblin's Uptown and the empty space where Mag's Cafe operated . The owner of Juliette Balcony also purchased the Mag's Cafe building.

If all those restaurants and retail possibilities materialize, they would add to other restaurants within a half-block of Laura Street that are open for dinner such as Bellwether and Gili's Kitchen.

The only block of Laura Street without any current proposal for restaurants is where the Laura Street Trio has stood vacant for decades. Past plans for those buildings have included restaurants at street level as part of a bigger redevelopment for hotel rooms and apartments.

Riverfront Plaza , where Laura Street dead-ends in a roundabout, also could add some dining options, even after DIA backs off its plan for a riverfront restaurant. The park being built in Riverfront Plaza will have a walk-up cafe at the bottom of the elevated playground structure, and the second phase would add a beer garden.

Gateway Jax proposed to a 17-story tower on a one-acre corner parcel next to the Main Street bridge that would contain hotel rooms built to "four star or luxury boutique" standards plus residences and a 5,000 square foot sky garden terrace open to the public. The terrace would have views of the St. Johns River with restaurants along it.

Gateway Jax and the Downtown Investment Authority staff have been working on a redevelopment agreement. Gateway Jax has said taxpayer incentives would involve up to a $20 million completion grant plus future property tax rebates after construction is done.

City Council members have raised financial concerns about the city adding more big-dollar commitments for completion grants paid out of the city's general fund, which supports a host of city services. Boyer said DIA plans to use its own financial resources to set aside money for the completion grant, starting with $12 million in next year's budget and adding to it in future years as needed.

"Rather than see large-scale downtown projects stall, what do we prioritize?" Boyer said.

Any redevelopment deal for the Riverfront Plaza parcel would require City Council approval. At this point, that hinges on what council decides about swapping the land at the plaza for property Gateway Jax owns in another part of downtown that would become part of the University of Florida graduate campus near the Prime Osborn Convention Center.