Among the total construction costs estimated at almost $1.96 million, the city is reviewing a dozen sign permits for the Chick-fil-A restaurant under development in North Jacksonville.
To date, the city has issued permits totaling almost $1.82 million for site clearing, building construction and fire system and electrical work at the site at 705 Duval Station Road.
Another $112,000 in project work remains in city review.
Clayton Signs Inc. of Lake City, Georgia, is the contractor for the 12 sign permits at $27,655.
The permits include monument, elevation and wall signs along with a flagpole, clearance bars and menu boards.
Almost three years after plans surfaced, followed by neighborhood complaints, the proposed Chick-fil-A near the entrance to the North Creek subdivision landed the primary permit for construction Nov. 21 for W.H. Bass Inc. to build the project at a cost of $1.3 million.
The city issued a site-clearing permit Nov. 11 at $182,000, followed by fire and electrical permits Nov. 25 and Dec. 2.
Electrical and accessory structure permits are in review.
The 5,033-square-foot Chick-fil-A with a dual-drive-thru will be developed on 1.39 acres.
Site plans show the restaurant will have 92 seats, including outdoor patio dining, two canopies and 63 parking spaces.
Bohler Engineering FL LLC of Boca Raton is the civil engineer. W.H. Bass is based in Johns Creek, Georgia.
Site cleared
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Inc. is building the restaurant at northeast Duval Station and Bradley Cove roads.
As of Nov. 21, the site was cleared and erosion control was in place.
RBSSSS LLC of Jacksonville Beach is the property owner. It intends to lease the property to Chick-fil-A.
Ramzy Bakkar, president of the Bakkar Group in Jacksonville Beach, manages RBSSSS.
The permit applications follow Bohler Engineering’s submission of civil engineering plans to the city in August 2024.
The site is across Duval Station Road from First Coast High School.
As proposed, it will have two full access driveways on Lady Lake Road east of Bradley Cove Road.
A Daily’s gas station at 711 Duval Station Road is to east. There also is an access road to the Publix Super Markets Inc.-anchored Duval Station Centre shopping center to the east at 731 Duval Station Road.
Duval Station Road connects with Starratt Road at the Publix shopping center entrance.
Bohler Engineering also submitted an application in August 2024 to the St. Johns River Water Management District for a minor modification to the property’s environmental resource permit for the project.
Neighborhood opposition
In June 2024, City Council voted 12-7 to approve Ordinance 2023-0856 to rezone the land and change the Planned Unit Development district to accommodate the project. The PUD is called the Northcreek Commercial Outparcel PUD.
The proposed restaurant was the topic of dozens of hours of debate at Council and committee meetings after it emerged in early 2023. After being put on the back burner amid a first round of opposition by the city, the project re-emerged in December 2023.
Neighbors raised concerns about traffic safety, congestion, crime and a reduction of property values stemming from the restaurant.
On June 5, 2024, the Council Land Use and Zoning Committee voted 6-1 to recommend passage of the rezoning request after a public hearing on a traffic study for the project that was paid for by Chick-fil-A.
Based on the results of the study, the city is requiring a new traffic light at Bradley Cove and Duval Station roads, which Chick-fil-A is funding, and a continuous right-turn lane into the restaurant.
Reggie Gaffney Jr., whose District 8 includes the restaurant parcel, proposed amendments that included sign restrictions, requirements for trees along a buffer strip and a prohibition on walk-up windows. Council approved the amendments.
The rezoning request was granted to property owner RBSSSS LLC, which applied to rezone the land as a Planned Unit Development.