JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — A busy shopping mall in Jacksonville Beach is now approved to transform into a 5-story shopping center.
Jacksonville Beach City Council almost unanimously approved the Town Center at 6th Avenue North strip mall, across the street from the Casa Marina hotel and Margaritaville, to become a building five times as tall with a parking garage, shops, and housing space.
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Corner Lot Development is behind the project and hasn’t yet shared whether the housing space will become up to 125 hotel rooms or up to 36 apartment or condo-style homes.
“It’s very shocking, the plaza is a staple in this neighborhood,” said Joshua Riley, who lives in Jacksonville Beach. He comes to the shopping mall to visit Trulieve and Delicomb, two places he’s worried will be forced out by the new development.
“Change is inevitable, but it’s surprising to see,” Riley said.
Read: Casa Marina Hotel and Restaurant moving to sale, closing for renovations in 2026
Duval County property records show the strip mall was built in 1975, before the City of Jacksonville Beach had its 35-foot maximum building height limit law in place. Jacksonville Beach City Council says this is why the developer is able to build a 59-foot-tall shopping center on the property.
“There’s nothing that we could do because it is just under the older code,” said city councilmember Bill Horn during Monday night’s meeting, “this is a property that was grandfathered in with the ability to build to that height.”
In a statement to Action News Jax regarding the height for the shopping center, Corner Lot Development told us:
“The rezoning didn’t change any height already allowed. The height on the parcel was allowed by right.”
Even though the height may be allowed, some neighbors are worried the look will be bad for the beach.
“At a certain point, locals lose what made it special,” said Alex Jenkins, who has lived in Jacksonville Beach all of his life. “Hopefully, the city council doesn’t seek to accommodate out-of-towners more than locals.”
Construction for the new building hasn’t started yet, but is expected to take about three years.
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