Growth continues at St. Johns County mixed-use development The Fountains at St. Johns.
Housing, lodging, more restaurants and retail and an educational space are planned to join about 30 tenants already operating at the site anchored by Ascension St. Vincent’s Health Center - St. Johns County.
The Fountains at St. Johns is built on nearly 100 acres at northeast County Road 210 West and Interstate 95 in northern St. Johns County.
It is being developed in three phases: Fountains South, Fountains North and Fountains East.
Cross Regions Group is the developer. President and Chief Executive Officer David Ergisi said most of the space in phase one is “spoken for.”
Tenants include Culver’s, Endeavor Health Center and day care Lil Voyagers Academy.
“Right now we have 100 acres of development that has more than 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurants and it’s supported by a hospital with 2,600 employees,” Ergisi said. “Think about the synergy there.”
Educational space is expected to be the first project to be completed. Jacksonville University broke ground in May 2023 on an educational facility at The Fountains at St. Johns and is on track for a summer opening.
It is the university’s first presence in St. Johns County and its second beyond the Jacksonville area. The other is in Palm Coast.
The first floor of the two-story, 12,000-square-foot building will be used as an educational facility for JU’s health sciences programs. The second floor will be leased to another tenant. The contractor is Dana B. Kenyon Co. The architect is Don Scott Fraser of Design Development Architecture.
An apartment project is expected to be next.
Madison Communities, an affiliate of real estate investment and development firm Madison Capital Group, will start leasing units this summer at the Madison Fountains apartments. It will feature 276 units in five four-story buildings. The project broke ground in November 2022.
Livemadisoncommunities.com says amenities will include “luxury finishes,” a clubhouse with a fitness center, an outdoor lounge and kitchen, a pool and a deck with grilling stations and cabanas. Advertised rents range from $1,580 to $2,445.
Benco Construction, Madison’s affiliated general contracting group, will manage the project. Madison Communities has other developments in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Lodging, more retail and restaurants are planned for development this summer.
Cross Regions Group applied for two permits April 24. One is to add 25,000 square feet of retail and 10,000 square feet of restaurant space to the site. The other is to build a Home2 Suites by Hilton with 137 rooms, according to site plans.
GAI Consultants Inc. is the engineer for both projects.
Ergisi said other projects in planning include a 147-unit age-restricted, active-living facility and retail east of the retail and restaurant addition. Assisted living and memory care facilities are planned nearby.
A “pre-learning” school is also planned. None of those projects has moved past the conceptual phase.
Ergisi said he wants The Fountains at St. Johns to be an all-in-one community when it’s fully developed.
“A nurse can live in those multifamily units. She can walk from her apartment, drop the kids off at the child care facility, walk to the hospital, punch in and work her shift,” he said.
“During lunch, she’ll have dozens of options where she can eat. Later she can pick up the kids, pick up pizza, pick up the cleaners and walk home without ever starting the car.”