An eyesore at a main entry point to Downtown Jacksonville would be razed under a proposal in review by the Downtown Investment Authority board.
At its July 15 meeting, the board is scheduled to consider whether to spend up to $75,000 to demolish the partially constructed Sax Seafood & Grill at 816 W. Union St.
The derelict building was abandoned while it was being built in the early 2000s and has been vacant since, offering a downtrodden sight for thousands of motorists taking the nearby Union Street exits on Interstate 95. More drivers can see the rear of the building, which is visible from Beaver Street.
In 2003, the city partnered with the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and Jax Casual Dining LLC to develop the restaurant on 1.77 acres of city-owned property.
A DIA staff report said Sax Seafood & Grill was planned as a 6,089-square-foot jazz-themed restaurant and “was envisioned as a catalyst for development within LaVilla.”
The report said that after the developer invested $1.8 million in the restaurant, the project halted during the recession. The city reclaimed the property in 2008 and has owned it since.
In a 2016 story describing a tour of the building, the Daily Record reported: “A step into the vacant 816 W. Union St. structure looks like crews just left in the middle of the job. Construction debris and piles of wood lie all over the floor. The original plans for the restaurant are lined neatly on the half-built bar.”
The DIA staff report said several attempts at redeveloping the building flickered and failed after the city regained ownership of the property in 2008. In 2013, the DIA and the city Office of Economic Development issued a request for proposals to revive the building with an additional. 0.83 contiguous acres, but the RFP was not awarded.
The 2016 Daily Record story focused on an open house hosted by the DIA in hopes of attracting a new developer.
Despite such attempts, the DIA staff report says, “this decades old vacant building remains an eyesore that is repeatedly vandalized.”
Staff says the demolition is in the city’s best interest because it resolves “safety issues associated with having a vacant, partially constructed, partially secured building located in the LaVilla Neighborhood of Downtown, and also makes the site more attractive for potential future development.”
The staff report notes recent improvements in LaVilla such as the University of Florida graduate campus under development near the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center; the 1.76-mile LaVilla: Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Heritage Trail, which opened in June with 22 markers denoting the district’s history and culture; and the Emerald Trail, which includes the 1.3-mile LaVilla Link that opened in May 2024.
As outlined in DIA Resolution 2026-07-03, funding for the demolition would come from the DIA and would not need Jacksonville City Council approval. DIA staff would work with the city Office of General Counsel to file Council legislation to provide final approval for the demolition.
The DIA board meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the main Jacksonville Public Library at 303 N. Laura St.