- March 1, 2023
A Miami-based developer plans to convert a 323 E Bay St. into a music venue.
The 323 E Bay St. property now.
A historic image of the 323 E Bay St. building. It Is is a contributing structure to the Downtown Jacksonville Historic District recognized by the National Park Service.
A development group paid $1.4 million for the building Jan. 22.
The design calls for rooftop seating.
A line rendering of the proposed design.
Designs for a Miami-based developer’s plan to convert a historic building on East Bay Street into a music venue with a rooftop bar are up for final city review.
The Downtown Development Review Board is scheduled to vote Aug. 12 on final approval for 323 E Bay Street RE LLC’s proposed project 323.
The design changes for the two-story building at 323 E. Bay Street, submitted by Jacksonville-based JAA Architecture, include a 2,250-square-foot, covered and open-air rooftop bar.
The board’s staff recommends it approve Project 323’s final design, according to a report released Aug. 5. The board voted 9-0 in February to award the project conceptual approval.
Other cosmetic changes shown in renderings and outlined in the DDRB report include replacing entryway doors and windows, adding signage and installing new glass canopies on the building’s ground level.
City Council voted 19-0 on June 22 to grant the developer’s request to deem the building a local historic landmark.
On July 8, the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness for the proposed improvements with conditions.
According to documents, the commission wants to ensure the rooftop rail be installed at least two feet from the front wall and be secondary to the historic parapet.
The development group paid $1.4 million for the building Jan. 22.
The 323 E Bay Street RE LLC group comprises Eric Fuller and his Miami-based Fuller Entertainment LLC, Aleksander Lukaj and Albacore Jax LLC, which is led by Manjola Rajta of Jacksonville Beach.
The 0.13-acre site called Project 323 is next to a parking lot as well as Live Bar Seafood and Justice Pub.
The group bought the property from Insetta Family Properties LLC, which previously attempted to sell the property for an entertainment venue.
The East Bay Street building is a contributing structure to the Downtown Jacksonville Historic District recognized by the National Park Service, but the structure itself is not designated a national historic landmark.
