The Jacksonville Planning Commission approved a zoning exception to allow Bleu Chocolat Cafe in Springfield to serve beer and wine.
The restaurant is under renovation at the former Three Layers Cafe at 1602 Walnut St. and East Sixth Street. The 2,300-square-foot space is in an historic building developed in 1926.
Bleu Chocolat plans for two dining areas and patio seating. The city issued building and plumbing permits last week for tenant build-out.
The restaurant will be operated by a partnership of three pastry chefs. Sister Chefs Group LLC consists of Erika Cline, Linda Evans and Tanisha Guy.
They plan to serve a combination of Caribbean and Florida cuisine with an emphasis on local ingredients.
Cline, who spoke at the commission meeting, has experience as a pastry and dessert chef.
She studied and worked in Detroit under master chef Milos Cihelka; worked as a pastry chef and originator of a chocolate program at the five-star Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant in Nassau, Bahamas; worked six years as a pastry chef at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club; served as a judge on the Food Network’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll Pastry Challenge” and twice appeared as a guest chef at New York City’s James Beard House.
The commission also approved a zoning exception for a Yoga Studio and Day Spa in a 2,400-square-foot unit in the Butler95 Business Center.
The applicant intends to provide public and private yoga classes, community events, teacher training and massage.
The commission recommended Land Use and Zoning approvals for:
• A large-scale Future Land Use Map Amendment to change 28.37 acres of wetlands designated as Low Density Residential to Conservation. The property is southwest of Garden Street and Jones Road.
The application is associated with a rezoning of an adjacent 167.71 acres revising the undeveloped 2006 Planned Unit Development to increase the number of single-family lots from 449 to 458 and allowing 50- and 60-foot wide lots consisting of a minimum 6,000 square feet each
• A small-scale Future Land Use Map Amendment to change 9.84 acres on the south side of A.C. Skinner Parkway from Business Park to Community/General Commercial uses.
A companion rezoning application seeks to change the property and an additional 7.53 acres, totaling 17.37 acres, from Industrial Business Park and Commercial Office to Planned Unit Development.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority owns the property and intends for it to be developed for up to 370 apartment units along with commercial use live-work units.
The number of live-work units will be 20 to 80 percent – or 74 to 296 - of the maximum allowed 370 units.
• A small-scale Future Land Use Map Amendment to change 4.79 acres at 8050 Baymeadows Circle W., the former Baymeadows Inn, from Community/General Commercial to Residential-Professional-Institutional.
A companion application proposes rezoning from Commercial Community/General-1 to Planned Unit Development for a 103-room micro-apartment community. The applicant plans to convert the vacant hotel into studio and one-bedroom units ranging from 250 to 500 square feet.
The applicant is Stratford Management Co., represented by Rogers Towers.
The future land use map amendments and rezonings require Land Use and Zoning Committee as well as City Council approvals.