The Downtown Investment Authority board approved $132,662 in city incentives Sept. 17 for a jazz club to move from San Marco to Downtown.
The nine-member board, with Chair Patrick Krechowski absent, unanimously approved the grant to Breezy Jazz House for its proposed move to 337 E. Bay St.
The jazz club plans to use the money to renovate the Bay Street space, which is expected to cost $301,736. The grant is structured as a forgivable, no-interest loan that will be amortized at 20% at the closing date of each of the next five years, provided the club is still in the Downtown location.
The establishment, owned by Thea Jeffers, operated Downtown along East Adams Street in 2016 before moving to 1402 San Marco Blvd. in 2020.
According to designs attached to a DIA staff report, the club plans to put a bar and dining space, a stage, a kitchen, bathrooms and an office in the new location. Breezy will occupy 3,649 square feet.
The club will sit on the first floor of 337 E. Bay St., a two-story building, amid a block of nightlife entertainment. Also operating on the 300 block of Bay Street are Myth Nightclub, Element bistro + bar and Decca Live.
Keane’s Irish Pub and the Besa Bakery and Tea Room Speakeasy are also building out in the block after being granted DIA incentives, with $200,000 for the pub project and $215,000 for the bakery.
The DIA board vote constituted final action on the Breezy incentive. It does not require approval by the Jacksonville City Council.
During public comments preceding the vote, the proposed incentive for Breezy brought praise from Jacksonville resident Ernest Smith.
“We are ecstatic for the type of entertainment this is going to bring,” said Smith, who serves on the Urban Core Citizens Planning Advisory Committee, but was not speaking for the CPAC. “We are completely elated for the business moving back Downtown.”
The building at 327-345 E. Bay Street was built in 1909 and was designated as a local landmark in 2022. It was bought by its current ownership group in 2020. The DIA staff report said the building’s landmark designation did not impact the staff’s funding recommendation.
The staff report said the jazz club plans to retain its two full-time, management-level employees and 10 part-time staff members from its San Marco location, and it expects to hire additional workers for the Downtown location.
The club’s menu will include shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, crab bites, cheesesteaks and more. Breezy will target local music enthusiasts, tourists, college students and young professionals, according to the staff report.
“Their proposed location in the Elbow district, joining other live venues with diverse music specialties, will also be a great draw for new customers to experience Breezy’s offerings,” the DIA staff report reads.
The club will also feature live music performances with artists from Jacksonville and around the country.
The jazz club plans to be open from 11 a.m. to 9.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.