The Gates of Riverside, the multi-story office building nestled between the FIS headquarters tower and the Winston Family YMCA in Brooklyn, could see a two-building expansion following the Downtown Development Review Board’s unanimous approval of new plans.
Presented at the April 10 DDRB meeting, the application package proposes the addition of two new structures to the office building – one fronting Riverside Avenue and the other facing the St. Johns River.
The Riverside Avenue addition would be a two-story, 24,280-square-foot mixed-use building featuring office and retail space with multiple ground-level bays that RAM Architecture CEO and Project Architect Robert Mauer said could be leased individually or combined for prospective businesses interested in a larger footprint.
According to Mauer, Akel’s Delicatessen, currently located on the riverfront side of the building, will be relocating to one of the new bays of the Riverside Avenue extension.
Facing the river, the second add-on would be a one-story 6,555-square-foot waterfront restaurant space with an activated rooftop. The existing boat slips would also be renovated and refreshed, Mauer added, to continue to attract traffic from the river.
Mirroring the Riverside Avenue building, the designs for the restaurant feature extensive windows and glass, which Mauer said is more typical for retail space versus restaurants. The inclusion of as much glass as possible in the designs, Mauer said, was a request that property owner Hakimian Holdings, received from prospective restaurateurs interested in the space.
“He [the property owner] had a lot of requests to just make it all glass and let the restaurateur basically design the inside and the outside areas as they please,” Mauer said. “That’s kind of the program that we worked with.”
The DDRB members and staff fully supported the designs, though some provided minor critiques for the development team to address before returning for final approval, including landscaping elements and the connection between the building and the riverfront.
“This is a home run project, a great way to add some additional infill in this area,” said Board Member Fred Jones, adding that he echoed remarks regarding the addition more shade trees.
Board Member Kevin Craig said he would like to see the transition from the restaurant space to the riverfront and Riverwalk.
“I think really a key part of this and an exciting part would be to see a little more activation and segue from the restaurant to the riverfront,” Craig said. “…The more that we can really engage that handoff between the restaurant and the riverfront, there’s a really exciting opportunity there.”
Built in 2003, the 135,000-square-foot commercial building is located on a 3.4-acre parcel. It was previously known as the “St. Joe” building. The Riverside Avenue extension would replace the terraced lawn space facing the river and mask the property’s existing parking garage from the street.
This project is nearly two years in the making, following a rezoning application submitted in July 2023 to rezone the property from Planned Unit Development (PUD) to Commercial Central Business District (CCDB) to allow for these two additions. An amended rezoning application was approved by a unanimous vote by the city council, with Councilmember Rory Diamond excused.
