Plans for Daily’s LaVilla gas station and convenience store submitted to city

[thelakelander]

Civil engineering plans for a disputed Daily's gas station and convenience store in LaVilla have been submitted to the city of Jacksonville.

First Coast Energy LLP prepared the plans for the property, bordered by Forsyth, Bay, Broad and Jefferson streets. They show a 20,554-square-foot convenience store on the southeast corner of the property, with a bank of fuel pumps roughly in the middle between entry and exit points on Bay and Forsyth streets.

Also shown are 36 parking spaces, with electric-vehicle charging stations in the northwest corner.

As approved by the DDRB, the property would include 16 fueling stations, a 5,000-square-foot restaurant and Bold City microbrewery, and a rooftop bar.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2025/jan/15/plans-for-dailys-lavilla-gas-station-and-convenience-store-submitted-to-city/

[jcjohnpaint]

I really don't understand why they need the entire block. The 7-11 on main is 1/4 of the size. I get they will have a bigger building, but an entire block?

[Charles Hunter]

Do the civil engineering plans match what the DDRB approved?

[Jax_Developer]

Do the civil engineering plans match what the DDRB approved?

Looks like it. They have no lack of parking lol.

[Charles Hunter]

Do the civil engineering plans match what the DDRB approved?

Looks like it. They have no lack of parking lol.

Probably needed for overflow parking from the crowds going to visit the 2nd level deck of JTA's AV barn across the street! 

[thelakelander]

Parking for the UF graduate students and Florida Semiconductor Institute across the street. Crazy that a JTA maintenance shed and a gas station are the highest & best uses of parcels immediately adjacent to the proposed UF campus.

[Ken_FSU]

Parking for the UF graduate students and Florida Semiconductor Institute across the street. Crazy that a JTA maintenance shed and a gas station are the highest & best uses of parcels immediately adjacent to the proposed UF campus.

Hopefully in the future we can carve out a little of the parking for self-storage.

[thelakelander]

Don't give anyone ideas lol!

[Jax_Developer]

Do the civil engineering plans match what the DDRB approved?

Looks like it. They have no lack of parking lol.

Probably needed for overflow parking from the crowds going to visit the 2nd level deck of JTA's AV barn across the street! 

LOL! This whole area is mind bending from an urban use perspective.

[Joey Mackey]

Well, it is better than nothing. Currently, that block is literally nothing.

[Jax_Developer]

That's what happens when parcels never hit the open market & you have a small group controlling who gets what.

[jaxlongtimer]

Maybe Costco should put gas pumps Downtown too.  Might become Downtown's busiest attraction.  And then nickname Downtown "Gasoline Alley."

[heights unknown]

Good (I guess).

[Captain Zissou]

This was one of many examples of the Brian Hughes and Lenny Curry mayoral frat house, which has now moved on to DC.  I was hoping this would die off or be revised by the current administration, but no dice.  This feels on par with a replacement for our center-stage riverfront Hooters that was bulldozed in 2019.  Tufsu will be so relieved. 

[Ken_FSU]

This was one of many examples of the Brian Hughes and Lenny Curry mayoral frat house, which has now moved on to DC.  I was hoping this would die off or be revised by the current administration, but no dice.  This feels on par with a replacement for our center-stage riverfront Hooters that was bulldozed in 2019.  Tufsu will be so relieved.

I don't think the average Jacksonville citizen will ever truly grasp the chain of events that led to the removal of the Jacksonville Landing, and how it will shape downtown redevelopment for decades to come.

1. Cordish Companies, who has a proven track record of revitalizing Festival Marketplaces just like the Jacksonville Landing (https://www.cordish.com/portfolio/waterside-district), took an active interest in redeveloping the Landing here in Jacksonville (https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=90KAu9zv72c).

2. Lenny Curry and Sam Mousa begin having secretive talks with Shad Khan about development near the stadium, and eventually take a secretive, off-the-books trip on Shad Khan's private jet to meet with Cordish and the Jags (https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2017/07/25/mayor-curry-top-staffer-take-trip-jaguars-owner-shad-khan-s-jet-discuss/15766186007/). All talk of redevelopment shifts from the Landing down to the stadium district.

3. At almost the exact same time these talks began, Lenny Curry begins aggressively posturing to take over the Jacksonville Landing, demolish it, and turn it into a non-competiting park (https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2017/06/21/mayor-lenny-curry-wants-jacksonville-landing-under-city-ownership/15760473007/#).

4. After months of withholding permits, making veiled threats, secretly pulling back security, and doing anything else in his power to squeeze Sleiman out, Curry eventually decides to just buy out Toney Sleiman for over $20 million (https://news.wjct.org/first-coast/2019-02-20/sleiman-mayor-reach-jacksonville-landing-deal-that-could-result-in-demolition).

5. The Jacksonville Landing is demolished (assist to City Council for approving 17-0) to make way for a new Lot J sports & entertainment complex that fails spectacularly, in large part because of the absurd $50 million "breadbox loan" (e.g. cash grant) demanded by the Jags. Fun fact that I don't think has ever been publicly disclosed - Cordish begged Shad Khan & the Jags to remove the breadbox loan from the deal before the City Council vote, fearing it would sink the whole thing. And, just like we see with Trent Baalke, Shad knows best.

6. Jacksonville is left with nothing in terms of a concentrated downtown retail, dining, and entertainment venue. Hoping we eventually get one, but we already had one that we paid $25 million to get rid of.

Curry and Hughes were obviously the brainchild behind this whole thing, but there's no universe where the Jags weren't complicit with the demolition of the Jacksonville Landing as well to prevent competing redevelopment. Toss in their torpedoing of an (admittedly unrealistic) convention center RFP process at Ford on Bay, and even though they've been a good partner at the stadium district, I don't think it's unfair to say they were part of the problem as well during the Curry administration.

Wild to think of all the thought that has gone into creating a new riverfront epicenter of downtown activity that is highly visible and iconic when we had it from the beginning.