The Downtown Development Review Board issued final approval May 13 for designs of Related Group’s $99.16 million apartment community and gave preliminary consent for the project’s restaurant on the Downtown Jacksonville Southbank.
The board voted 6-0 to approve the 327-unit, eight-story multifamily project that would replace River City Brewing Co. at 835 Museum Circle.
In a separate 6-0 vote, the board gave conceptual approval to the project’s nearly 5,000-square-foot restaurant fronting St. Johns River Park and Friendship Fountain.
This was MSA Architects’ second redesign for the RD River City Brewery apartments, pushed by the board and DIA staff that said in January did not fit “contextually” along the St. Johns River.
Miami-based Related plans to buy Maritime Concepts’ interest in the city-owned property and buy out the remaining 77 years of the company’s long-term land lease.
Once that deal is complete, the city plans to convey the property to Related subsidiary RD River City Brewery LLC as part of a proposed $18.27 million incentives package before City Council.
The project also has a 511-space parking garage, a ship store and city-financed restoration of a 29-slip marina and boat ramp at the site.
Board members thanked the development team for working through their suggestions.
Board member Craig Davisson said May 13 that he stood by his comments in March that the apartment design is “common and redundant” in contemporary architecture but added it has “come a long way.”
“I appreciate that,” Davisson said.
“I hope when you take this project forward from conceptual design to development, you could take it a step further and use that as an opportunity to really refine this building into something that is sophisticated on our waterfront that we can all be proud of.”
Restaurant a 'little jewel'
Although building the restaurant was a condition of the incentive deal passed by the Downtown Investment Authority board, MSA partner Beatriz Hernandez called the indoor-outdoor eatery May 13 the “little jewel inside” the RD River City site.
Renderings released in the DDRB staff report show a restaurant with 3,200 square feet of outdoor dining space, a 914-square-foot indoor dining area and 883 square feet for kitchen and storage. That totals 4,997 square feet.
The deal with the city requires a 5,000-square-foot restaurant to replace the existing River City Brewing Co. and promote riverfront dining Downtown.
The DDRB’s final approval will be contingent on Related’s guarantee that the restaurant shell structure is ready for build-out when the developer receives the apartment’s certificate of occupancy from the city.
DIA Operations Manager Guy Parola recommended the board mirror language in the project’s development agreement that has the same requirement.
Board members asked staff to give the developer flexibility to allow at least a portion of the restaurant’s pedestrian entrance to come through the park.
Law firm Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow partner Cyndy Trimmer, who represents Related in Jacksonville, said the developer has a verbal agreement with the city Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department to use the park.
DIA staff still wanted a condition that the restaurant ingress and egress be on the restaurant’s property.
The board urged compromise.
“Because of the natural and geometry of this site, it seems very difficult to be able to get an entrance to your restaurant that is opening, welcoming and provides everything you need to be successful without going through the park,” said board Chair Trevor Lee.
Before it signs off on the restaurant design, the board asked Related to make sure materials and color schemes shown in the building elevations look consistent and present detail in the restaurant loading and trash area to ensure they are properly screened from the apartment building’s view.
If approved by Council, Related Group would receive a $500,000 grant to build the restaurant as part of a city incentives package.
Board members Joseph Loretta, Christian Harden and Frederick Jones were absent for the vote May 13.
