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.