Jacksonville’s NorthCore is abuzz with the noises of construction as the Pearl Square development takes shape across multiple pads bounded by West Duval, Union, Beaver and Laura streets.
Resident News and other local media organizations joined Gateway Jax CEO Bryan Moll on a walking tour of the development on Tuesday, May 19 as he shared updates on construction progress and details of what’s to come in this sweeping development that will encompass a total density of two square miles, more than 1,250 residential units, 200,000 square feet of retail space, 100,000 square feet of office space, 109 hotel keys, 2,500 parking spaces and an acre of open space.
Standing before the Vandeveer building at 515 North Pearl Street, Moll described some of the potential tenants of the building, previously identified as Block N11, which will include more than 200 apartment units and 22,000 square feet of retail, with leasing tentatively expected late summer and move-ins swiftly following.
JetSet Pilates has already been named as an incoming tenant, with more announcements coming soon. Moll mentioned they will include several food and beverage options.
“We’ll likely have a coffee shop that will turn into a wine bar at night, three meals a day,” Moll said. “…We’ve got a bagel and breakfast place, we’ve got ice cream. What am I missing? Another restaurant. So we’ve got a lot of exciting things.”
Moll said further announcements about incoming tenants are expected in June. When it comes to retail, Moll said there will be a combination of local and regional businesses.
“The good news is, with 200,000 square feet of retail, you can do all of the above, but what’s important to us is to make sure that we have both a mixture of local tenants – so we’ve got groups that are here, local to Jacksonville – some that are in the metro area, but outside of Jacksonville proper, and then, for instance, at the Hotel Merrydelle, the restaurant there is going to be operated by Steve Palmer, who’s from Charleston…So our goal is to make sure that we have both the local flavor and local restaurants, mom and pop, so to speak, as well as bringing in some regional influence.”
At nearby 119 West Beaver Street, demolition is imminent for the building formerly belonging to the First Baptist Church to make way for the incoming 32,000-square-foot, full-service Publix on the building’s ground floor with additional parking above it. Next door will be another 250-unit apartment building. Moll said the development team initially assessed whether or not to adapt the existing building.
“We do try to keep every historic building that we have, because that’s really important,” Moll said. “It just didn’t make a lot of sense from a constructability standpoint.”
The Pearl Square team is also in discussion with the City of Jacksonville and the Florida Department of Transportation regarding a road diet for Beaver Street, from Clay to Laura streets, to slow traffic. Currently, plans involve widening sidewalks, adding bicycle lanes and removing one lane in each direction. A middle turn lane will be added, along with a landscaped median where possible.
Moll added that while the current boundaries for the Beaver Street Road Diet – Clay to Laura streets – are what’s been approved, there are discussions about extending it beyond that.
A rendering is on display at each development pad under construction for Pearl Square, giving residents an idea of what each specific site will look like when it’s completed. Each rendering also provides a QR code residents can scan to learn more about the incoming building.
