The Jacksonville Planning Commission recommended approval Jan. 23 to rezone and amend the land use of 2.87 acres in San Marco to allow the Park Place at San Marco mixed-use development at 2137 Hendricks Ave. and 2139 Thacker Ave.
The project development team is Jacksonville-based Corner Lot Development Group and Birmingham, Alabama-based Harbert Realty Services.
The group would buy the property it wants to develop from South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church.
It proposes a development on 2.09 acres of the property for up to 133 multifamily units in a four-story structure, about 49 feet in height, with potential commercial uses and a two-story, three-level parking garage, about 26.8 feet in height, with 272 parking spaces and three motorcycle spaces.
The parking garage reserves 100 spaces for the existing 350-seat South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church and its accessory uses. Those spaces will be available to the public.
South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church Inc. owns the property, which comprises most of the block between Hendricks Avenue to the west and Mango Place to the east, and Alford Place to the north and Mitchell Avenue to the south.
Matthew’s Restaurant on the northwest portion of the block is not part of the proposed development.
The property is next to the proposed East San Marco mixed-use development to be anchored by Publix.
The South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church sanctuary will remain in the southwest portion of the property at Hendricks and Mitchell avenues.
A representative said the church needed to sell the property for financial reasons.
Planning and development department staff recommended approval of the land use and zoning changes, citing the benefits of an infill development, consistency with the current mix of uses in the area, available infrastructure, and its location on a major transportation connection to Downtown.
A San Marco Merchants Association representative spoke in support of the project.
The primary opposition, comprising residents living near the property, centered on the apartment building height and the method used to determine the allowable height.
The group contended the apartment building should not exceed 35 feet in height and the weighted average method used by the developer to determine the height was not consistent with the zoning code.
Ordinance 2019-750 seeks a small-scale land use change from residential-professional-institutional and community/general commercial in the urban development area to community/general commercial in the urban priority area.
Companion rezoning Ordinance 2019-751 seeks to change from commercial residential office and commercial community general-1 to planned unit development.
The ordinances are slated to be heard Feb. 4 by the City Council Land Use & Zoning Committee and if approved, full Council.
The Planning Commission approved zoning exceptions for:
• Beach Road Fish House, formerly Beach Road Chicken Dinners, at 4132 Atlantic Blvd., west of Art Museum Drive, to allow the retail sale and service of all alcoholic beverages for on-premise consumption in conjunction with a restaurant.
• Nopalera Express Inc. at 2467 Faye Road, No. 10, in the Selina Plaza shopping center, to allow the retail sale and service of beer and wine for on-premise consumption in conjunction with a restaurant.
The Planning Commission approved a minor modification for:
• Ponte Vedra Beach-based Blue Sky Jaxap and Eagle Landings of Jax LLC, the owner of the 29-acre Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Airport hotel property at 14670 Duval Road, at southwest Interstate 95 and Airport Road in North Jacksonville. The modification substitutes the written zoning description and land use table, dated Oct. 2, 2019, to specify 85 townhomes and 325 apartment units and to limit southern Parcel B, 18.9 acres, to up to 100,000 square feet of senior living and medical uses in addition to hotel and motel uses. The northern Parcel A, 9.9 acres, comprises the existing hotel under renovation.
The Planning Commission recommended approval for land use and zoning changes for:
• Ordinance 2019-871, which seeks a large-scale land use amendment on 23.01 acres of undeveloped property on the west side of Roosevelt Boulevard, across from Naval Air Station Jacksonville. It would change from low-density residential to business park to allow uses similar to existing business park uses in the area. The application is a transmittal round of legislation to the state and will be accompanied by a rezoning application for planned unit development during the adoption round.
• Ordinance 2019-872, which seeks a small-scale land use amendment on 8.89 acres of a larger 12.23-acre undeveloped parcel at 1121 Suemac Road, east of Commonwealth Avenue and I-95. It would change from business park to community/general commercial to allow development of a 45,395-square-foot heavy truck service facility with associated retail truck sales, outside display and storage. Companion Ordinance 2019-873 would change the zoning from a 2014 PUD to PUD to allow the uses.
• Ordinance 2019-687, which seeks to rezone 4.97 undeveloped acres southeast of New Kings and Gilchrist roads in Northwest Jacksonville. It would change the zoning from commercial office and commercial community general-2 to PUD to allow truck, bus and trailer parking and storage. The PUD allows commercial uses such as truck stops, service stations, truck rental, light manufacturing, animal boarding and go-kart tracks.
• Ordinance 2019-876, which seeks to rezone 7.79 acres along the north side of Beach Boulevard, near Palm Cove Marina and the Intracoastal Waterway. It would change the zoning from a 2004 PUD and commercial community general-2 to PUD, for Harbor Lights Jacksonville, a mixed-use marina-oriented project by property owner Eugene Sur and St. Augustine developer Cadenza Partners LLC. Proposed changes include increasing the 2004 PUD approved 64 multifamily units to 215 units, add up to 21,000 square feet of commercial and nonresidential uses, increase the allowable structure height from 60 to 85 feet, allow the sale and service of all alcoholic beverages, modify parking and signage requirements and provide 115 marina slips. The development includes rebuilding the existing Marker 32 restaurant, outdoor event space and a five-story parking structure.
• Ordinance 2019-877, which seeks to rezone 11.37 acres at 4645 Blanding Blvd., between Blanding and Wesconnett boulevards on the Westside. It would change from commercial community general-2 to PUD, to allow an Amazon “last mile” fulfillment delivery center, with vehicle staging. The proposed infill development repurposes the former Kmart building, vacant for seven years, for Amazon’s same-day delivery service and will employ about 200 people, said land use attorney Patrick Krechowski, agent for the property.
Land use amendments and rezoning requests require approval by the Council Land Use & Zoning Committee and then full Council.
