A restaurant with a beer garden appears to be on tap for Five Points in Riverside.
The Jacksonville Planning Commission approved plans for Spirit Animal Restaurant for outdoor seating and a parking reduction in Five Points.
The restaurant sought a zoning exception and administrative deviation for the site at 2000 Forbes St. at Margaret Street.
The restaurant plans 31 indoor seats and 44 outdoor seats for a beer garden on a paved patio facing Forbes Street.
Spirit Animal also sought its required parking spaces reduced from 24 to four.
The restaurant has the same ownership as Grassroots Natural Market at 2007 Park St.
Grassroots plans to create more space in its store by moving beer and wine sales to Spirit Animal.
The Jacksonville Planning and Development Department recommended denial based upon available parking and noise concerns.
Several residents spoke against the project at the Oct. 4 meeting, voicing the same concerns.
Warren Jones, executive director of the Riverside Avondale Preservation revitalization advocacy group, spoke in favor of the restaurant.
However, RAP's recommended conditions, to exclude outdoor music, add landscape screening and deflect lighting off-site for the project were not a part of the approval.
Zoning exceptions
The commission approved zoning exceptions for:
• The Posting House, a proposed traditional English pub at 2018 Hendricks Ave., near Atlantic Boulevard in San Marco, to sell beer and wine without a restaurant. The building previously was Mezze Bar & Grill.
The commission also approved a waiver of the minimum liquor distance from Southside Baptist Church from 1,500 to 194 feet and an administrative deviation to reduce required parking from 26 to zero off-street spaces.
Similar applications were approved for previous uses at the site.
• The Town Hall Restaurant at 2012 San Marco Blvd. in San Marco Square was approved to serve all alcoholic beverages. The restaurant previously was approved to sell beer and wine.
• J&C Crab-Juicy Seafood restaurant at 1036 Dunn Ave., No. 24, in the Highland Square shopping center was approved for the retail sale and service of all alcoholic beverages.
• Lending Bear Cash Advance, at 6016 St. Augustine Road, was approved to open a separate pawn shop business in the adjoining unit of the building.
Land use and rezoning
The commission recommended land use amendment and rezoning approval for:
• Ordinance 2018-605, which seeks a small scale future land use amendment with companion rezoning ordinance 2018-606 for 1.7 acres along the east side of San Jose Boulevard near Sweetholly Drive to develop 9,200 square feet of neighborhood retail, service and office uses.
The applications propose to change the land use of residential-professional-institutional to business park and rezone from commercial residential office to planned unit development.
• Ordinance 2018-609, which seeks a small scale future land use amendment with companion rezoning ordinance 2018-610 for 3.35 acres at Soutel and Pickett drives to be used for truck storage. The applications propose a land use change from low density residential to light industrial and rezoning from rural residential-acre to industrial light.
• Ordinance 2018-611, which seeks a small scale future land use amendment along with companion rezoning ordinance 2018-612 for 1.08 acres at 6021 Blanding and 6046 Wesconnett boulevards to allow commercial uses, including a Goodwill Store. The applications propose a land use change from medium density residential to community/general commercial and rezoning from residential medium density-A to commercial neighborhood.
• Ordinance 2018-613, which proposes rezoning 34 acres along the west side of Exline Road at Taylor Field Road from residential rural-acre to residential low density-60 for a single-family subdivision. The Planning and Development Department recommended approval based upon the consistent pattern of development in the area.
• Ordinance 2018-614, which proposes rezoning 19.6 acres along east side of Exline Road at Taylor Field Road from residential rural-acre to residential low density-60 for a single-family subdivision. The Planning and Development Department recommended approval based on the pattern of development in the area.
• Ordinance 2018-615, which proposes rezoning 40.2 acres along the west side of Monroe Smith Road from residential rural-acre to residential low density-50 for a 75-lot single-family subdivision. The Planning and Development Department recommended approval stating the proposed zoning will be consistent and compatible with the surrounding uses.
• Ordinance 2018-616, which seeks to rezone 8.68 acres at 1501 Normandy Blvd. from commercial community/general-1 to commercial community/general-2 for the purpose of converting a vacant Kmart to a U-Haul truck, trailer, and auto rental business with outside storage.
• Ordinance 2018-617, which proposes rezoning 1.56 acres at 2152 and 2156 Mayport Road from commercial community/general-2 and residential medium density-A to planned unit development for a mixed-use development. The application proposes a 3,750-square-foot commercial building and two multifamily buildings containing a total of 30 units.
The land use amendments and rezonings will require City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee approval.
