Line dancing, seafood, pingpong, TVs and a marshfront view.
Creekside, originally called The Green, is coming to the St. Nicholas area not far from San Marco.
The 22,000-square-foot building at 3434 Atlantic Blvd. will be a combination family entertainment center, fresh locally sourced seafood restaurant and live entertainment and event venue with a 300-foot patio that owner Dr. Rene Pulido said has “beautiful vistas overlooking Millers Creek Marsh.”
Pulido, 49, a physician and president of Emed Multispecialty Group, said the project is “a work of love” with his wife, Laura, who has a degree in business management from the University of North Florida.
Creekside’s focus will be a place “where families and people of all ages can gather and celebrate the special moments in their lives,” he said.
Pulido called it an oasis in the center of Jacksonville, next to a recently renovated fire station.
“It will overlook the beautiful Millers Creek and marsh and have plenty of open, comfortable spaces,” he said.
The city issued a permit Sept. 5 for Advance Design & Construction LLC of Jacksonville to build the shell of the structure on the 2.07-acre site at a job cost of $500,000.
William E. “Ed” Tully III of Ponte Vedra is the civil engineer. Donnell Landscape Design Inc. of Jacksonville is the landscape architect. The architect is Solomon Olopade, also the manager of Advance Design & Construction.
Plans show a building with a first-floor patio-bar area and an interior multipurpose area and kitchen. A mezzanine floor has a 2,000-square-foot VIP lounge and a multipurpose area of 8,360 square feet.
Renderings show the main floor with tables and seats; a big-screen TV; and pingpong and billiards tables. The outside covered patio area and bar has seating and TVs.
Pulido said he and his wife will operate Creekside. He said the menu will showcase “the freshest, locally-sourced seafood,” with dishes priced in the $10-$20 range.
He said Creekside is in the final stage of development and on track for a grand opening in April 2025.
“My wife, Laura, and I are developing Creekside to give back to the community and realize a lifelong dream,” he said, calling it “a passion project” rooted in family history.
He said they own the property.
“I am a local, born and raised in St. Nicholas, with deep roots in this community,” Pulido said Sept. 11 by email.
Pulido attended Assumption Catholic School and played football at Bishop Kenny High School, both in St. Nicholas. He is a 1993 graduate of Bishop Kenny.
“After graduating from medical school, I did my residency program locally at Mayo Clinic and opened my first medical clinic across the street from the high school I graduated from, next to my parents’ restaurant, Havana Jax, which recently celebrated its 30-year anniversary,” Pulido said.
Pulido said he has always been passionate about the service industry, stemming from Havana Jax.
He said his parents’ restaurant “supported my journey into medicine.”
“My parents’ business paid our way for my brothers and I to go to medical school and I have always been appreciative because of that.”
He said his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago. He took over the management of Havana Jax for a couple of years, “and that is where I met and fell in love with my wonderful wife, Laura, who was the manager at the time.”
“We have been blessed with a successful primary care practice that allows us to give back to the community and we are thrilled we are now on the verge of realizing our lifelong dreams with Creekside.”
The S3DA structural and mechanical design firm in Jacksonville posted on its s3da-design.com site that the project features “a dedicated recreation center, dancing area and a fully equipped kitchen for a restaurant. The dancing area is tailored to host various events, requiring specialized acoustics and lighting to create an inviting atmosphere.”
It says the kitchen “is designed with efficiency and functionality in mind, equipped with state-of-the-art appliances and systems to support the restaurant’s culinary operations.”
Pulido said hours are planned to be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday-Saturday; and a Sunday brunch that starts at 10 a.m. and live music until 8 p.m.
Pulido said they plan to offer live music during dinner from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, with a different theme nightly.
For example, he wants to make country music and line dancing one of its bigger nights, along with Top 40, Latin and techno.
Creekside will be available for rent for private events, including weddings.