The Jacksonville Planning Commission on Feb. 20 recommended approval of a large-scale land use amendment for the Morocco Shrine Auditorium property at 3800 St. Johns Bluff Road S. for a mixed-use development.
The 36.76-acre site is south of Beach Boulevard and north of St. Johns Town Center and the University of North Florida. It is owned by the Morocco Temple Association Inc.
Developers of The Village at Town Center envision a community for people of all ages, from students to seniors, with educational, retail and entertainment amenities that could include a food hall.
The association plans for up to 1,025 multifamily units developed around the converted main temple building.
The 100,000-square-foot temple building would comprise 40,000 square feet for educational uses; 30,000 square feet for retail, food and grocery uses; 15,000 square feet for gym and fitness; 10,000 square feet of common area; and 5,000 square feet for a theater.
“An adaptive reuse of the Morocco Shrine Building will be the central feature of the project containing a food hall, workspace and venues for health, art and entertainment,” the application states.
Ordinance 2020-45 would change the land use from public buildings and facilities and low-density residential to regional commercial to allow for the development. The ordinance includes site specific policy setting project limitations.
The commission also recommended approval for Ordinance 2020-44, submitted by the city Planning and Development Department. It would amend the regional commercial category of the city’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan which supports the project.
The land use amendment for the project next advances to the City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee.
The commission approved zoning exceptions for:
• AETNA Recycling Inc. at 8050 Old Kings Road, between Moncrief Road West and Interstate 295, to allow concrete crushing and recycling within the industrial heavy zoning district.
• House of Jewels Club Inc. at 7900 103rd St., No. 15, in the Hillman Square Shopping Center east of California Avenue, to allow retail sales and service of all alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption.
• Nails Spa & Beyond Ave LLC at 10300 Southside Blvd., within The Avenues mall, to allow the sale of beer and wine for on-site consumption.
• Bad Axe Throwing Inc. at 1719 N. Main St. in Springfield, to allow the retail sale of beer and wine for on-site consumption. A companion waiver of liquor distance would reduce the required distance from 1,500 feet to 97 feet from C.B. Helping Hands Ministries at 1726 N. Main St.
The commission recommended approval for land use changes and rezonings for:
• Ordinance 2020-2, which seeks a large-scale land use amendment for 48.82 acres at 6131 Cedar Point Road adjacent to Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park and northwest of Sheffield Road. It would change from agriculture-3 and 4 to rural residential to allow single-family development. The properties’ current use is silviculture with one single-family home. The adoption round of the large-scale amendment review will include a companion application to rezone the property from agriculture to PUD.
• Ordinance 2020-46, which seeks a large-scale land use amendment for 11.34 undeveloped acres at the southern terminus of St. Isabel Drive East, south of Fort Caroline Road in Arlington. It would change from low density residential to medium density residential to allow multifamily development. The adoption round of the large-scale amendment review will include a companion application to rezone the property from residential low density-60 to PUD.
• Ordinance 2020-47, which seeks a small-scale land use amendment for 0.4 undeveloped acres of a larger 1.44 acre parcel at 3018 Lenox Ave., north of Waller Street and Interstate 10 in Lackawanna. It would change from low density residential to community/general commercial to unify the land use designation of the larger parcel and allow development of a gas station. Companion Ordinance 2020-48 would rezone the 0.4 acre property from residential low density-60 to commercial community/general-2 to unify property zoning.
• Ordinance 2020-49, which seeks a small-scale land use amendment for 7.5 acres at 5929 Seaboard Ave., north of 110th Street, in Wesconnett. It would change from low density residential to medium density residential to allow multifamily and single-family. Companion Ordinance 2020-50 would rezone the property from residential low density-60 to residential medium density-D. About 4.05 acres are located within the Accident Potential Zone 2, associated with Naval Air Station Jacksonville, limiting residential to single-family at a density of two units per acre.
• Ordinance 2020-15, which seeks to rezone 0.09 acres of a larger 0.28 acre parcel at Hart Street, southwest of North Myrtle Avenue and Hart Street. It would change from residential medium density-A to commercial residential office to unify zoning and allow business development.
• Ordinance 2020-51, which seeks to rezone 5.1 acres along the west side of Hood Road, between Sunbeam and Reed Avenue. It would change from a 2006 planned unit development to residential medium density-D to allow quadraplex multifamily development.
Land use amendments and rezonings require approval by the City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee and then full council approval.