Quote(https://photos.moderncities.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Neighborhoods/Downtown-LaVilla-Durkeeville-Walk---March-2026/i-fM5XZxN/0/LbZjrSQ7WHF2vZhSzPq6sWn5mKnjC74fN3MRjrbJ6/L/20260426_113104-L.jpg)
Construction sights and scenes from a recent April 2026 walk through downtown Jacksonville's rapidly rising Pearl Square District.
Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/sights-and-scenes-pearl-square-construction/
Awesome stuff. Hats off to Gateway/Moll. KEEP THE MOTOR RUNNING AND GOING!
Probably the reason why Pearl Square is becoming a reality when so many previous projects never ended up anything more than renderings is because Gateway Jax is building something Jaxsons can actually use.
Quote from: Aristocles on May 01, 2026, 12:29:24 PMProbably the reason why Pearl Square is becoming a reality when so many previous projects never ended up anything more than renderings is because Gateway Jax is building something Jaxsons can actually use.
I think competence, experience, and vision is a big part of it too, as is coming from somewhere
other than Jacksonville. A lot of the failed projects were fronted by the same old crony crowd blinded by their own local pessimism, biases, entitlement in terms of incentives, and backwards way of doing things. Gateway seems to be operating like a legitimate business. No nonsense. No ransoms. No secret out-of-town trips with the mayor. Just calmly and cooly formulating a plan, and executing a plan, like you'd see in every other city that isn't Jacksonville.
Quote from: Ken_FSU on May 01, 2026, 12:49:12 PMQuote from: Aristocles on May 01, 2026, 12:29:24 PMProbably the reason why Pearl Square is becoming a reality when so many previous projects never ended up anything more than renderings is because Gateway Jax is building something Jaxsons can actually use.
I think competence, experience, and vision is a big part of it too, as is coming from somewhere other than Jacksonville. A lot of the failed projects were fronted by the same old crony crowd blinded by their own local pessimism, biases, entitlement in terms of incentives, and backwards way of doing things. Gateway seems to be operating like a legitimate business. No nonsense. No ransoms. No secret out-of-town trips with the mayor. Just calmly and cooly formulating a plan, and executing a plan, like you'd see in every other city that isn't Jacksonville.
Right you are. Competence, experience, and vision are necessary to figure out what the Jacksonville market can actually use.
Quote from: Aristocles on May 01, 2026, 01:14:50 PMQuote from: Ken_FSU on May 01, 2026, 12:49:12 PMQuote from: Aristocles on May 01, 2026, 12:29:24 PMProbably the reason why Pearl Square is becoming a reality when so many previous projects never ended up anything more than renderings is because Gateway Jax is building something Jaxsons can actually use.
I think competence, experience, and vision is a big part of it too, as is coming from somewhere other than Jacksonville. A lot of the failed projects were fronted by the same old crony crowd blinded by their own local pessimism, biases, entitlement in terms of incentives, and backwards way of doing things. Gateway seems to be operating like a legitimate business. No nonsense. No ransoms. No secret out-of-town trips with the mayor. Just calmly and cooly formulating a plan, and executing a plan, like you'd see in every other city that isn't Jacksonville.
Right you are. Competence, experience, and vision are necessary to figure out what the Jacksonville market can actually use.
They have advantageous financing. Simple as that. That's why they're producing so comparatively quickly/robustly. And thank goodness.
Quote from: fsu813 on May 01, 2026, 02:32:02 PMThey have advantageous financing. Simple as that. That's why they're producing so comparatively quickly/robustly.
That comes with experience and proof of concept!
Exactly.
The difference between Gateway and what came before it that ended only in renderings is the meticulousness of their analysis of the Jax market, which was persuasive enough for the loan underwriters to give Gateway that great financing.
Some photos from this morning:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Development/Pearl-Square-District-Construction-/i-xHPbxWz/0/L2WCKJ3VCKkThZV3jVbX5phPfMbz9xbxmhSSHQLsd/X2/20260617_105125-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Development/Pearl-Square-District-Construction-/i-JvKQmjX/0/M66MwFQsN655CQ4zzqqZnCVDMSk2czDx8ks9tfg2m/X2/20260617_105228-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Development/Pearl-Square-District-Construction-/i-JhZqQwN/0/LSLg8nzrDvKNXJbXCQWG4qZW2jm5FKf2jTLDB9wcQ/X2/20260617_105320-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Development/Pearl-Square-District-Construction-/i-5WGssXS/0/MHqpZtDQ74VGZHPKXTpPmBBVWX49DvTcv99qJ7wtz/X2/20260617_105345-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Development/Pearl-Square-District-Construction-/i-Vtm4sDf/0/LVb268mfvZVLpDStKhBdwTT5wnvKzZjT8m7SJXcjV/X2/20260617_105419-X2.jpg)
Good stuff. I saw they were drilling foundation for N8 today
Drove by early and their new garage was magically like fully built. I have no idea how these guys move so fast. It's incredible.
^Its a team will real life experience of pulling urban projects off and not the typical nonexperienced downtown savior that we've grown accustomed to. Its refreshing to see that area change quickly after decades of abandonment.
Just wow. Just got back from working in London for few week and garage was just going up when I left. That was fast. Great to see work/digging on N8. I have no idea why our thick-headed council wants to pull incentives on this. Northcore has not seen action like this in what, 50 years or more?
Quote from: jcjohnpaint on June 18, 2026, 07:56:00 AMJust wow. Just got back from working in London for few week and garage was just going up when I left. That was fast. Great to see work/digging on N8. I have no idea why our thick-headed council wants to pull incentives on this. Northcore has not seen action like this in what, 50 years or more?
They should pull other incentives from other projects and allocate to Gateway. Finish one that's truly revitalizing DT and not commit to pipe dreams and aspirational projects from novice developers.
QuoteI have no idea why our thick-headed council wants to pull incentives on this.
It comes down to the three P's.
Poisonous
Partisan
Politics
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.
Quote from: Skybox111 on July 21, 2026, 07:47:53 PM 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.
Here's been work recently on the N8 site. I've seen it myself.
QuoteGateway 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/
Quote from: thelakelander on July 21, 2026, 09:47:11 PMHere'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.
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.
Quote from: acme54321 on July 23, 2026, 12:58:19 PMQuote from: thelakelander on July 21, 2026, 09:47:11 PMHere'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.
I was right nothing happening empty.
Quote from: Ned Plimpton on July 23, 2026, 03:04:26 PMQuote from: acme54321 on July 23, 2026, 12:58:19 PMQuote from: thelakelander on July 21, 2026, 09:47:11 PMHere'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.
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/
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.
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.
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?
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.
Quote from: simms3 on August 05, 2026, 09:45:15 AMI 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
Believe me, I get it. The Trio is a project that should've been done over a decade ago. The ball is slowly starting the roll again and it's a good thing from a resurrection standpoint to get that part of DT going.
The can both are catalyst in their own way depending on who you ask.
But take a look at any new master plan development around the city right now. They are all anchored by a Publix because Publix is a draw. Even established neighborhood such as Alta and YB recently got a Publix a few years back. People want Publix and it's not a make or break, but it's up there.
Publix downtown will have ton of foot traffic and on gamedays, you can simply pick up anything you forgot within minutes for example. The other grocers you mentioned are nice to have.
Quote from: simms3 on August 05, 2026, 09:45:15 AMThe 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.
I feel the Chamber is mostly a tool of developers and those who make dollars off of their projects - land owners, real estate brokers, bankers, contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, consultants, etc. As such, they appear to support attracting companies oriented toward locating in the suburbs over Downtown. With high office vacancy rates currently, the complexity and new investment needed to add more office workers doesn't compare to a giant distribution warehouse, industrial facility like manufacturing and assembly, etc. Noting too, that most office buildings are owned by out of town investment funds, not local interests that lobby everyday for their share of the economic pie.
Along these lines, the Chamber seems to focus as much or more on enriching existing businesses living off the government teat (incentives, benefits from road expansions, big local infrastructure projects that favor local vendors, etc.) than attracting new ones to compete with those already here for customers, labor, etc.
Not saying the Chamber doesn't successfully attract new businesses, I just think that agenda gets watered down with their other interests. In fairness, the Chamber's membership is local businesses so they have to cater to their priorities as much as anything else.
The ideal touchpoint for attracting new businesses should be the City's Office of Economic Development which should be agnostic to what businesses they cater to for moving here or expanding if already here.
Really interesting breakdown of the Publix situation here. Gives me more confidence than the Daily Record article, which leaves out a lot of key context. Really happy to see all parties working together to come up with a solution. No threats from either side. Just constructive problem solving.
https://jaxtoday.org/2026/08/05/incentives-downtown-jacksonville-publix/
^Good article. Glad to see it.
Not sure if this link will work
https://youtu.be/4jJBD_F3XKg?is=4mwYEwGavxrgDPGr (https://youtu.be/4jJBD_F3XKg?is=4mwYEwGavxrgDPGr)
Personally, I just don't see any great companies relocating here at this time, no matter how much money we throw at them. Keep investing in DT north core for a few more years and maybe we will be in a better place. At this time, we are not on the radar. I don't think it is only Publix, but realizing what a serious developer that is actually doing something can make happen.
Quote from: jcjohnpaint on August 06, 2026, 09:31:40 AMPersonally, I just don't see any great companies relocating here at this time, no matter how much money we throw at them.
I asked the AI slop machine who we should target, just to see what would come back. Interesting list.
QuoteScreening criteria
A prospect scores well if it hits most of these:
1. 200–1,500 employees. Big enough to matter, small enough that one board vote moves it.
2. HQ in CA, NY, NJ, MA, IL, or CT. Where the cost savings is most significant.
3. Ops-heavy, not client-facing. Work that doesn't require sitting near capital or customers.
4. Founder- or PE-controlled. Widely-held public companies rarely move; concentrated ownership does.
5. A lease expiring in 24–48 months, or a facility decision already pending.
6. Existing Southeast footprint — a plant, a data center, a service center. Nobody moves cold.
7. Cost pressure visible in filings — margin compression, restructuring, "operational efficiency" language.
8. A pre-existing Florida tie — an exec who lives there, a board member, a university connection.
The list
Fintech / payments / insurtech — leverage FIS, Dun & Bradstreet, Nymbus, Paysafe as proof
Payoneer (NYC) — cross-border payments; LatAm/Caribbean trade orientation matches JAX's port geography
Flywire (Boston) — payments ops scale poorly at Boston wage rates
Marqeta (Oakland) — card issuing; Bay Area cost structure is the pitch
Lemonade (NYC) — insurtech claims/service ops are exactly what Jacksonville absorbs well
Better Home & Finance (NYC) — mortgage tech with a cost problem and Manhattan rent
Cross River Bank (Fort Lee, NJ) — fintech-bank infrastructure; NJ tax and comp exposure
Deluxe Corp (Minneapolis) — legacy payments; long-running cost-transformation story
Logistics / port / e-commerce — leverage JAXPORT, I-95/I-10, megasites
Hyundai Glovis America (Irvine, CA) — auto logistics; the Savannah Metaplant corridor makes Northeast Florida the obvious center of gravity
GXO Logistics (Greenwich, CT) — enormous distribution footprint run from one of the most expensive HQ zip codes in America
Hub Group (Oak Brook, IL) — intermodal; Illinois tax and an increasingly Southeast-weighted network
SEKO Logistics (Itasca, IL) — PE-backed freight forwarder, e-comm heavy
NFI Industries (Camden, NJ) — family-controlled 3PL, which makes a move actually decidable
Lineage (Novi, MI) — cold chain; Florida produce and protein volumes support a southern ops HQ
Space / aerospace / defense — leverage Cecil Spaceport, Redwire, Otto, Star Catcher, $12B military base
Astranis (San Francisco) — satellite manufacturing at SF occupancy cost is the least defensible math in the sector
Impulse Space (El Segundo) — in-space mobility; Redwire and Star Catcher give it peers on the ground
K2 Space (Torrance) — large satellites need floor space California charges dearly for
Vast (Long Beach) — station hardware; proximity to Cape launch cadence is a real argument
Ursa Major (Berthoud, CO) — propulsion; test infrastructure and Cecil's acreage fit
AAR Corp (Wood Dale, IL) — MRO; Cecil already hosts heavy maintenance, and Illinois is the push factor
StandardAero (Scottsdale) — same MRO logic, PE lineage, East Coast gap in its network
Ophthalmic and medical device — the most defensible cluster pitch Jacksonville has
CooperVision (San Ramon, CA) — contact lenses; J&J Vision's 30-year presence means the talent already exists
STAAR Surgical (Lake Forest, CA) — ophthalmic implants; small, cost-sensitive, perfect cluster fit
Glaukos (Aliso Viejo, CA) — glaucoma devices; same adjacency, same California cost problem
Sight Sciences (Menlo Park, CA) — small enough to move, ophthalmic enough to belong
Bausch + Lomb U.S. commercial ops (Bridgewater, NJ) — a business-unit relocation, not a full HQ, which is the realistic ask
How I'd rank them
The ophthalmic five are the highest-conviction group — Jacksonville can make an argument there that no other metro can make, because the labor pool literally already exists. Hyundai Glovis and AAR are the highest-expected-value single targets. The space names are the highest-variance: several will move somewhere in the next three years, but Jacksonville is competing with Cape Canaveral, Huntsville, and Texas for each one.
The fintech names are the most plausible and the least differentiated — Jacksonville's pitch there is largely "cheaper," which Charlotte, Tampa, and Nashville also say.
I mean that's pretty impressive. I'm not going to say everything I want to say, but if I were in JaxUSA I would be utilizing that AI to come up with a focus. They definitely aligned themselves around a similar focus in the not so distant past, but some of those folks have moved on and I just haven't heard anything in a while about what we want to attract.
I work in the real estate world, for a larger firm, so I hear a lot about relocations and expansions happening all over. I'm on Costar and so many other sites every day. I do feel like Jacksonville gets left behind - I hear about activity in pretty much every other city around us, it feels like. I certainly wish we were "in" more headlines.
I do believe everything we want from downtown development onwards would flow downwards from a better job market here, which could be made better by corporate expansion and relocation.