Sights and Scenes: Pearl Square Construction

[Skybox111]

you can see n8 is still empty no one there i guess that equipment was from the apartment next to it. Wondering if investors are saying not to start construction until the pubix situation is done and to see if the apartments are going to be rented out quick enough to justify that tower to be built. Cause this should've started back in may and june more of this stalling approach needs to be addressed as to why nothing has happened.

[Ken_FSU]

you can see n8 is still empty no one there i guess that equipment was from the apartment next to it. Wondering if investors are saying not to start construction until the pubix situation is done and to see if the apartments are going to be rented out quick enough to justify that tower to be built. Cause this should've started back in may and june more of this stalling approach needs to be addressed as to why nothing has happened.

Gateway Jax is the group I'm least worried about in terms of following through in Downtown Jacksonville right now. Seems like it's less stalling, and more reprioritizing the order in which they deliver. Ambassador is moving fast. The office block is probably coming next, with a significant announcement about office tenant. Lighthouse Garage is moving swiftly. Publix should be nearing the finish line in terms of incentive negotiations. And don't forget they still work to deliver to the city over the next two months with Riverfront Plaza. It'll happen when it happens.

[thelakelander]

Here's been work recently on the N8 site. I've seen it myself.

[thelakelander]

Gateway Jax announces retail lineup for Vandeveer

Bagels, yogurt and a German-themed beer garden are part of the initial retail lineup for the Vandeveer mixed-use development in Downtown Jacksonville, developer Gateway Jax announced July 22.

The seven-story Vandeveer, the first project in Gateway Jax's more than $750 million Pearl Square district, is nearing an opening. The 205-unit apartment building at 515 N. Pearl St. is named after the late Thomas Vandeveer Porter, whose historic Porter House Mansion is immediately east of the building.

In a news release, Gateway Jax listed the retail lineup as follows:

• St. Augustine's Bar Citra will expand into a 2,000-square-foot space where it will sell coffee, pastries, seasonal plates and wines. The restaurant is led by spouses Rachel Gant and Andrew Deming.

• Buchner's Bierhalle of Murray Hill will turn the Porter House lawn east of the Vandeveer into Buchner's Biergarten starting this fall. The menu includes German beers and shareable small plates.

• After making its Jacksonville debut at St. Johns Town Center in late 2025, PopUp Bagels will open its second location in the city in a 1,443-square-foot space at Vandeveer. The chain is based in Westport, Connecticut.

• Go Greek Yogurt will open its first Northeast Florida location in a 1,141-square-foot space in the development. The menu includes yogurt and bowls.

• JetSet Modern Pilates will operate in a 2,495-square-foot space, joining two other locations in Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach. Plans call for a fall opening.

• Pearl Street Nails will open in a 2,032-square-foot space, one of more than 135 salons across the Southeast by its operator.

Except for Buchner's and JetSet, tenant openings have not been set. Gateway Jax said in the release that openings for those tenants would occur through early 2027.

"The retail mix at Vandeveer has been intentionally designed to bring daily life to the Urban Core, encourage everyday activation and support the kind of walkable, connected environment essential to Downtown Jacksonville's continued evolution," Bryan Moll, CEO of Gateway Jax, said in the release.

In 2024, Jacksonville City Council approved a $9.06 million REV grant and $4.63 million completion grant for the Vandeveer, then known as Block N11.

DLP Capital and JWB's Downtown Fund are the primary investors in the development.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/jul/22/gateway-jax-announces-retail-lineup-for-vandeveer/

[acme54321]

Here's been work recently on the N8 site. I've seen it myself.

Yeah I saw them drilling out there, for what I assumed were foundations, but now the site is mostly empty again.

[blueyaj22]

That's a great retail lineup, especially when considering how much more is to come. Does anyone know if these are in addition to the Japanese restaurant to be developed by Indigo Road that was previously reported as being attached to this building? Or is that concept no longer a part of Vandeveer or Pearl Squares plans? I was excited for that one: It will feature a chef-driven Japanese restaurant on the ground floor developed by Indigo Road Hospitality Group, offering wood-fired dishes from a robata grill, sushi, and sashimi.

[Ned Plimpton]

Here's been work recently on the N8 site. I've seen it myself.

Yeah I saw them drilling out there, for what I assumed were foundations, but now the site is mostly empty again.

Likely soil testing and environmental surveys as part of preconstruction. 

[Skybox111]

I was right nothing happening empty.

[acme54321]

Here's been work recently on the N8 site. I've seen it myself.

Yeah I saw them drilling out there, for what I assumed were foundations, but now the site is mostly empty again.

Likely soil testing and environmental surveys as part of preconstruction. 

It was a large auger drill rig like you'd use for cast in place pilings.  Much larger than a rig used for soil testing.

[Ken_FSU]

Back to the drawing board on the Publix incentives deal. Of all of the completion grants to push back on, the finance committee chooses the most important.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/aug/04/incentive-package-for-downtown-publix-hits-roadblock/

[jcjohnpaint]

No kidding! These council members are clowns. Especially for an entity that is show more progress in the north core than the last 50 years.

[thelakelander]

Looks like we're going through the same cycle that has plagued downtown revitalization for decades. Basically the stops and starts, largely related to politics and a lack of coordinated long term planning. There's momentum and we pull back on incentives too soon. Things drag out, the place struggles and then another administration/council comes in to invest and do things their way. Some momentum starts to build and then the cycle starts over again. Let's hope not to travel the road well known this time around because we already know what the ultimate result will be.

[MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain]

This is thee project. Should've approved it as is - this is the catalyst they were all looking for. It still get built, but so many question - does it look the same, or is it reduced? When does it get built if more cash needs to be secured? Additional Rev grant will certainly be needed.

But for future projects going forward, how does it help or hurt the core DT Jacksonville? What does it mean for future gateway projects that haven't even been announced? How about the 17 story tower on riverfront plaza? Sports and Entertainment district will need significant money to get going. Did we just shoot ourselves in the foot?

I think 1 developer in particular abuses the completion grants. But this project should be granted the ask.

I get other parts of the downtown overlay not needing completion grants. Will they rewrite how much can be given out in completion grants and cap it?

[simms3]

I disagree that this was "the" project.  I believe the Laura St Trio would have been more important to finish than this one being that it is in the absolute heart of downtown and ANY visitors, workers, etc coming to our downtown encounter it.

Simply having a Publix walkable to downtown won't fix all of our problems - at this point we have literally 4 groceries within a 2 minute drive, from Aldi's to Whole Foods and everything in between.

We need jobs jobs jobs that pay higher salaries and hire 20-somethings in Jacksonville for any higher-end/higher-density apartments, let alone downtown, to work.  We should start focusing on that more.

The Chamber should be scrutinized a lot more for the work it does, or doesn't do.  City leaders should be told that they need to prioritize job growth more.  We give $30-50M to individual apartment buildings, but that same money is probably enough to lure a decent sized company to our city that will hire and bring people with it and create a ripple effect.  We need the renters first, and then these apartments will come.

We need business (and I'd argue tourism) for more hotels.  Let's take this opportunity to refocus on the fundamentals before we focus again on the end product.

But, as a sidenote, I'm personally WAY more inclined to give money to Gateway Jax or to Shad Khan than some other developers who have demonstrated they are willing to abuse the system.

[Ken_FSU]

I disagree that this was "the" project.  I believe the Laura St Trio would have been more important to finish than this one being that it is in the absolute heart of downtown and ANY visitors, workers, etc coming to our downtown encounter it.

Speak of the devil, it finally changed hands today.

Hoping this is the start of big - yet realistic - things for the property.

https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2026/08/05/laura-street-trio-auction.html