Downtown starts the new year with construction permitted for Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Co. in the Bank of America Tower.
The city issued a permit Dec. 26 for T.D. Barr Construction LLC of Winter Park to build-out 2,225 square feet of space at a project cost of $469,050 on the ground floor of the building’s southeast corner at 50 N. Laura St.
A gift shop and most recently an art gallery, The Creative Exchange, leased the space.
The tenant improvement in Unit 150 comprises construction of a Starbucks Coffee cafe on the first floor within an existing business shell. It will include electrical, plumbing and mechanical modifications; interior partitions and equipment; and modification of the existing storefront for new steps with a railing.
Plans indicate an interior entrance from the 42-story tower’s lobby as well as an exterior entrance into Starbucks from the south-facing side of the tower.
The recap
Starbucks was announced almost a year ago.
The Colliers Urban Division in Jacksonville posted Feb. 12 on Instagram that Starbucks would return Downtown into the Bank of America Tower at Bay and Laura streets.
Starbucks had stores in The Jacksonville Landing and at 11 E. Forsyth St. It closed the Forsyth location in 2008 and the Landing shop in 2011.
The Landing has been demolished. The 11 E. Forsyth St. space has been leased to restaurants, and the most recent, Lily’s Asian-American Food, closed in October.
The Colliers Urban Division is led by Colliers Senior Vice President Matthew Clark and senior associates Sam Middlekauff and Olivia Steinemann.
“The addition of Starbucks to the Laura Street corridor is important to the pedestrian experience,” the Instagram post read.
“Not only does it offer another option for downtown office users but it’s an established brand that is universally recognized by locals and people visiting our downtown.”
Clark said July 14 the shop would likely open this fall but that was extended as approvals progressed.
The incentives
The tenant is Starbucks Jax LLC, led by Jeremy Roberts of Orlando.
Roberts, who would operate the Starbucks-licensed store, applied for city incentives that were approved Oct. 15 by the Downtown Investment Authority board.
The board approved $133,200 in two grants.
The bulk of the incentive package is a $118,200 loan through the DIA’s Food and Beverage Retail Enhancement Program. The incentive will be structured as a forgivable, no-interest loan that will amortize at the rate of 20% on each anniversary date of the closing for five years, as long as the business remains open.
The remaining $15,000 was awarded as a Sidewalk Enhancement Grant.
The licensed Starbucks would have most of the same requirements as a corporate-owned Starbucks. That includes training, branding and available products.
A DIA staff report said the shop would offer a typical Starbucks menu, including standard drip coffee and espresso-based drinks, Frappuccinos, hot and iced teas, croissants, bagels, pastries, lunch sandwiches, protein boxes, snacks and treats like cookies and cake pops.
The report said hours will be 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and for special events only on Sunday.
It said the store plans to create a new entryway into Starbucks directly from the street, covered partially by the $15,000 Sidewalk Enhancement Grant. It will also place branded tables and chairs outside the Bank of America Tower on the sidewalk.
The report said Roberts is president of RE Management Group Inc., which owned and operated five Little Caesars franchises.
It identified him as the founder and owner of Orange County Brewers, an Orlando brewpub and restaurant, and the founder and owner of Brew Theory, a 45,000-square-foot beverage production and co-packing facility.
Roberts was awarded a five-store special license agreement from Starbucks in 2024.
Food and brew
Starbucks brings food and coffee back to the tower lobby, where Akel’s Delicatessen’s lease expired at the end of November.
The restaurant closed there in October and reopened Oct. 27 as Akel’s Deli & Grille in the former Royal Palm Cafe nearby at 1 Independent Drive in the former Wells Fargo Center, now called 1 Independent Square.
Owner Jonathan Bateh said the space became available in the summer, offering an opportunity to expand the Akel’s menu and provide more seating.
Akel’s also closed Ground Level Coffee in the Bank of America Tower lobby in the space adjacent to the planned Starbucks.
Other coffee establishments along and near Laura Street include Urban Grind Coffee Co. at 45 W. Bay St.; Chamblin’s Uptown at 215 N. Laura St.; Setlan Coffee Co. on the ground floor of the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, 333 N. Laura St.; and the St. James Cafe on the ground floor of City Hall, 117 W. Duval St.
And more in the lobby
Bank of America Tower is owned by New York-based Group RMC, which bought it in 2020.
Colliers represents Group RMC to lease the tower’s retail space. The CBRE real estate firm represents RMC in office leasing.
The tower lobby is targeted for more development.
Clark said July 14 that Ariete Hospitality Group of Miami continued working toward plans to renovate the closed Bank of America branch office space on the ground floor of the tower.
Ariete has several concepts, “and they never replicate a concept or a brand name,” he said.
Miami-area concepts include Cuban, French and other international menus along with cocktail bars.