Hailing it as an innovative adaptation amid the struggles of brick-and-mortar retailers to compete with online shopping, the Jacksonville City Council approved a rezoning to allow for construction of apartments in the parking lot of The Avenues mall.
In a 17-0 vote, Council granted final approval July 22 on Ordinance 2025-0367, which rezones 94.6 acres of The Avenues from Planned Unit Development to a new PUD that allows for 266 apartments. The mall is north of the junction of Philips Highway and Southside Boulevard.
The apartments are planned for a 3.46-acre portion of the property at the north end of the mall near the parking garage owned by the Dillard’s department store chain.
The previous PUD did not permit residential uses on the site.
The final Council vote came after the Planning Commission and Council Land Use and Zoning Committee both approved the rezoning unanimously. During the July 15 meeting of the LUZ Committee, several members praised the developer for the idea.
“I love it, the fact we’re using pre-existing parking … for a mall that needs a little bit more life,” said member Raul Arias, whose District 11 includes the mall. “What we don’t want is a mall to turn into the Regency Mall, where little by little things die down. So this is a great use of space.”
The Regency Square Mall at 9501 Arlington Expressway is down to two outdoor tenants after the last two remaining indoor tenants announced in May that they were closing.
Lake City-based Blackwater Development LLC bought the bulk of the Arlington mall property April 9 and plans to redevelop it.
Council member Rahman Johnson, who sits on the LUZ Committee, said the project could become a model for other mall properties.
“So this could be a way for other places in the area to say, ‘Here’s a paradigm for how we can move forward.”
A staff report from the city Planning and Development Department lists owners of the property as Jacksonville Avenues Limited Partnership, based in Indianapolis; Mall of the Avenues 6 Limited Partnership, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Store 2430 LLC, based in Plano, Texas; Dillards Inc., based in Fort Worth, Texas; and Belk Inc., based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The applicant for the rezoning was the Brennan Manna Diamond law firm representing Jacksonville real estate developer Corner Lot.
The developer says the apartments will be priced at market rate.
Plans call for landscaping changes and tree replacement. The developer has committed to replacing all trees removed.
City Planning and Development Department Planning staff recommended approval of the rezoning, emphasizing the project’s role in promoting smart growth principles. Among them, the project utilizes infill land, is served by full urban utilities and aligns with goals of the 2045 Comprehensive Plan by supporting mixed-use development and transit-adjacent residences.