{"id":809922,"date":"2026-05-20T13:31:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/809922\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T13:31:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:31:18","slug":"parking-plan-first-residents-and-retail-timeline-take-shape-at-pearl-square-downtown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/809922\/","title":{"rendered":"Parking plan, first residents, and retail timeline take shape at Pearl Square downtown"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. <\/strong> \u2013 A stretch of downtown Jacksonville that has long seen empty lots and quiet sidewalks is beginning to change as construction and planning ramp up around the Pearl Square development.<\/p>\n

News4JAX recently toured the site again with Gateway Jax CEO Bryan Moll, who said the project is moving into a more visible phase as leasing, retail and infrastructure plans come into focus.<\/p>\n

RELATED | Pearl Square to bring apartments, restaurants, beer gardens & jobs to Downtown Jacksonville<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Leasing at the Vandeveer building is expected to begin in August, and developers say activity will build quickly once residents begin moving in, with temporary activations and retail concepts opening inside the building.<\/p>\n

Rooftop Terrace and Pool (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Inside Vandeveer, about 22,000 square feet of retail is planned, designed to bring a mix of food, fitness and neighborhood businesses into the ground floor space.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoffee shops, a wine bar at night, three meals during the day. Jet Set Pilates, a bagel place, ice cream,\u201d Moll said.<\/p>\n

Vandeveer Interior Kitchen (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

That vision is already drawing reaction from businesses nearby, who say they hope the project brings new life to a quieter part of downtown.<\/p>\n

At E-Luxe Hair Studio, located next to the development, hairstylist Sabrina Sellers said increased foot traffic is exactly what the area has needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like this side of downtown has been dead for a little while,\u201d Sellers said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to bring more business \u2014 and more food is great, especially for lunch breaks for us, because we like to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED | \u2018More life to this side of Downtown\u2019: Local businesses excited as Downtown Jacksonville prepares for Pearl Square<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Another longtime downtown business owner, Marvin Herrmann of Starving Like Marvin, said he is watching the changes with excitement as construction continues nearby.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all excited. I wish they could open up tomorrow, so I can put my chef hat on,\u201d Herrmann said.<\/p>\n

Developers say the goal is to create a district that supports both new tenants and existing businesses by building consistent foot traffic throughout the day.<\/p>\n

JETSET Pilates, one of the incoming tenants, said in a written statement that the project reflects the city\u2019s broader direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just feels like the direction Jacksonville is heading,\u201d the company said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just another building or shopping center \u2014 it\u2019s creating a place where people can actually come together, take a class, grab coffee or dinner, meet friends, and feel connected to the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company added that it aims to be more than a fitness studio, focusing on community, energy and shared experiences.<\/p>\n

Pearl Square retail corridor (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

One of the largest anchors planned for Pearl Square is a new Publix grocery store. The current building on the site is expected to be demolished next month.<\/p>\n

In its place will be a roughly 35,000-square-foot Publix on the ground floor, with parking above and a 250-unit apartment building planned next door.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can only create a place like this where there isn\u2019t much foot traffic today by doing it at scale,\u201d Moll said. \u201cBecause you need people living\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Parking will also play a major role in the development. Gateway Jax says the project will include about 2,500 parking spaces total, serving residents, visitors and nearby businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make it as frictionless as possible,\u201d Moll said. \u201cWe are doing that with technology\u2026 red lights, green lights for available spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond parking, developers are working with the Florida Department of Transportation and the city\u2019s Public Works Department on a \u201croad diet\u201d along Beaver Street.<\/p>\n

The plan would reduce the roadway to one lane in each direction while adding wider sidewalks and protected bike lanes designed to improve safety and walkability.<\/p>\n

Those bike lanes are expected to connect directly into the Emerald Trail, linking Pearl Square into downtown Jacksonville\u2019s broader pedestrian network.<\/p>\n

Officials say permitting and design work are still underway, but emphasize that parking, access and walkability remain key priorities as the project continues to move forward.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 A stretch of downtown Jacksonville that has long seen empty lots and quiet sidewalks is…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":809923,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5136],"tags":[5229,18362,3188,723,7310,109478,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-809922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-america","tag-downtown-development","tag-fl","tag-florida","tag-jacksonville","tag-pearl-square","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116607155646236088","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/809923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}