Publix and the partnership behind the Gateway Jax multiproperty development announced in early September that the grocer would open a 31,000-square-foot store in ground-floor space in Gateway’s Block N7 mixed-use development at 119 W. Beaver St.
Publix will lease space in the building for a full-service store that will include a pharmacy, they said.
The building is the former main auditorium of First Baptist Church. Gateway plans to raze it and build a 15-story residential tower with about 250 apartments and integrated parking with 400 spaces.
It is part of Pearl Square, Gateway’s $750 million development in the NorthCore area of Downtown.
In December 2024, the Downtown Investment Authority board endorsed a $2.1 million incentive package aimed at incorporating a grocery store into the Block N7 project.
In May 2025, Gateway broke ground on its second structure, a mixed-use building at 425 Beaver St. designed to include 286 multifamily units, nearly 20,000 square feet of retail space and on-site parking.
It is northwest of Gateway’s first construction site, 515 Pearl St., where construction continues after commencing in October 2024.
City Council approved a $14.1 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant and a $6.84 million completion grant for 425 Beaver St. and a $9.06 million REV grant and $4.63 million completion grant for 515 Pearl St.
On Sept. 12, city-owned utility JEA selected a $1 million bid from Jacksonville-based Live Oak Contracting LLC to buy the former JEA headquarters building and transform it into a mixed-use development.
The purchase, which is pending approval by the JEA board, includes the 19-story office tower at 21 W. Church St. along with adjacent properties. Live Oak’s bid was selected over one from Jacksonville Beach-based Simple State Inc., which offered no money for the building but also submitted plans to convert it to residential and retail uses.
Live Oak’s plans include 180 residential units, rooftop amenities, office space and ground-floor uses.
In 2023, JEA moved from the old headquarters into its seven-story structure at 225 N. Pearl St., which it leases.
July brought the completion of work to convert portions of Forsyth and Adams streets to two-way traffic, as they were originally configured before being made one-way in the mid-20th century.
Work involved installing traffic lights and signage, striping the streets and adding tree planter boxes and protected areas for streetside dining.
Work began in April 2024 on the $4.6 million restoration project. Proponents of two-way conversions say the reconfigurations reduce traffic speed and foster safer mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists, improving the livability of urban environments and promoting patronage of street-level retail stores and restaurants.
The city’s I Dig Jax website, jacksonville.gov/idigjax, says the first phase of the Riverfront Plaza park will open to the public in early 2026. The $38 million initial phase includes a playground on top of a pavilion building, an event lawn, new bulkhead, improved Riverwalk and plaza space connecting to the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts.
Work is nearing completion on the pavilion building, which will include a small café space, restrooms, mechanical rooms and storage space to support the park. Among other improvements, work has begun on a splash pad.
Construction of the second phase is expected to begin by the end of 2025. It will include a beer garden and rain garden, plus a bicycle and pedestrian connection to the Main Street Bridge.