Jacksonville will have a new place soon for the whole family to play, including the dog.
The Block Jax, a combination dog care facility and entertainment complex, plans to open March 20 in time for the second day of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, developer Daniel Moffatt said.
It will comprise a covered outdoor food hall, craft beer bar, fenced-in children’s play area, 30-foot-wide LED video wall, lawn and arcade games, a golf simulator and other amenities, in addition to a Kanine Social kennel, day care, boarding and play yard facility.
The Block Jax at 7520 Quarter Mill Road is expected to operate 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays, Moffatt said. Mondays and Tuesdays will be reserved for private functions.
Unless a band is performing or there is a special event, admission will be free, he said.
The venue is an open-air space built from shipping containers. Coverings provide shade, two ceiling fans keep the place cool and the area is heated for use in winter.
Restaurants include The Bearded Piglet barbecue, Chancho King Ecuadorian restaurant, Dairy Joy ice cream, Dark Side Tacos, The Hungry Owl Jax Asian food, Stack’d smash burgers, Just Kitchen Jax pita bar and Slingin’ Wieners Jax hot dogs.
Owners lease the spaces and individual 200-square-foot kitchens. The restaurants resemble food trucks without wheels.
Southern Swells Brewing Co. plans a brewery on-site, serving its craft recipes as well as other beers.
The Block Jax wil use a QR code system that enables customers to order from their tables instead of standing in line. Cash is not accepted, only credit cards.
A 30-by-16-foot flat-screen TV can show up to four games at once, a feature Moffatt said he expects will be in demand for college football and basketball season, NFL Sundays and special events such as the upcoming World Cup soccer matches.
The mezzanine is for adults age 21 and older. No children or pets are allowed.
Below is a 4,000-square-foot children’s play area with life-size Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders-type games, where kids can play. The playground is fenced, and parents or guardians must sign a safety waiver.
Moffatt, who created the first Kanine Social dog park and bar in the Brooklyn area of Downtown, owns The Block Jax property through Containerland RE Holdings LLC.
The company bought the 2.5 acres at southwest Interstate 295 and Butler Boulevard in November 2023 for $2.25 million from S-15 Land Holdings LLC, part of the Hines privately owned global real estate investment, development and management firm.
The project cost is $8.5 million to $9 million, Moffatt said. Jacksonville-based Equity Builders of Florida LLC was the contractor.
Kanine Social is a paid venue. Weekday passes cost $12, weekend passes cost $17. Annual passes start at $445.
Kanine Social at The Block Jax will provide 8,000 square feet of area for dogs to run.
“We don’t have a specific little dog area. We found at Kanine Social that most of the times, people who are bringing their little dog to a dog park, they do fine with any type of dog.” Moffatt said.
“As long as they’re socialized and as long as the big dogs are fine around little dogs, then everybody can hang out together.”
Dogs on leashes less than 6 feet can be in the pavilion area. No retractable leashes are allowed.
Moffatt opened the first Kanine Social at 580 College St. in the Brooklyn-Riverside area. The membership-based dog park offers dog owners a chance to enjoy an adult beverage while their dogs run and play.
When Moffatt found the Quarter Mill Drive property while looking for a site for his second Kanine Social location, his imagination began to roam.
“We looked at this site and started to get the thought process of, what about doing more than what we do already?” Moffatt said.
“Rather than just dogs and beer and people coming out, let’s do a food hall where people with kids can come out. People who are empty nesters can come out and find something fun to do, and then it kind of just expanded into The Block.”
Moffett found corporations including RTEAM, the Tom Bush Family of Dealerships and First Citizens Bank to sponsor events, the pavilion and the dog park.
For more information about The Block Jax, visit theblockjax.com or follow @theblockjax on Instagram.