City officials hold groundbreaking for first Pearl Street building

‘From renderings to reality’

City officials and community stakeholders held a formal groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 29 to mark the start of construction of Pearl Square – the first building in the multi-pad Pearl Street District development.

Gateway Jax CEO Bryan Moll said Pearl Square will have a curbless festival street – with the road at the same grade as the sidewalks – from Ashely to Beaver streets. It will feature more than 200 residential units and 24,000 square feet of retail space, with multiple restaurants and two park spaces, including the Porter House Garden and a flex lawn space called the Porter House Lawn.

With the launch of this “unprecedented” mixed-use development, Mayor Donna Deegan said the era of the “city of renderings” was coming to a close.

“Going from renderings to reality here in Downtown Jacksonville is a huge priority for my administration and that is what we are doing today,” Deegan said.

Following the ceremony, District 7 City Councilmember Jimmy Peluso echoed Deegan’s sentiments about the building momentum in downtown development.

“Now we’re really starting to see those marquee, really cool projects coming online,” Peluso said. “…It just feels like it’s Jacksonville’s time.”

Pearl Street District is phase one of the anticipated $2 billion mega-development proposed by Gateway Jax, a JWB Real Estate Capital- and DLP Capital-sponsored real estate development firm, covering more than 20 blocks in Downtown Jacksonville’s NorthCore district.