4 Exciting Things Coming to the Beaches Area

The Beaches are routinely one of the hottest areas for development in Jacksonville. That being said, exciting projects can sometimes be few and far between due to the limited amount of undeveloped or unoccupied land in the area.

But right now, there are actually several exciting things coming to the Beaches area as it enjoys the same development boom that the rest of Northeast Florida is experiencing.

Here are just a few of the most intriguing projects proposed for Jacksonville’s beaches.

NOTE: An earlier version of this article included a Keg and Coin project that now appears to be on hold.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET

A few years after the grocer first announced its intention to open in Jax Beach, Whole Foods Market is set to begin construction this summer within the Pablo Plaza shopping center at 2050 3^rd St. S.

The new building will go where Office Depot once sat – the office-supply chain moved to a newly-built unit in the same shopping center.

Once open, it’ll join the growing number of grocery options at the Beaches, including Trader Joe’s and Lucky’s Market. It’ll be the Jax area’s second Whole Foods, with the other being in Mandarin.

MARGARITAVILLE BEACH HOTEL

As we’ve mentioned previously, Jax Beach is soon to be home to a brand-new Margaritaville Beach Hotel.

The 202-room hotel along Ocean Front will feature several amenities including a coffee shop, a beachside pool, and a two-story LandShark Bar & Grill location.

The bar will also feature an observation deck that looks out over the water. Similarly, the hotel itself is designed to provide as many of its units as possible with an oceanfront view.

If everything goes according to plan, you should be able to waste away in Margaritaville as soon as 2021.

MEDICAL CANNABIS

The Beaches have missed out on the medical cannabis boom in Jacksonville – that is, up until now.

New-to-market Zen Leaf is looking to open this summer within the former Jaxon Social location at 1161 Beach Blvd. MedMen is planning to open at 308 3^rd St. S., and Trulieve wants to open its second Jax location at 102 6^th Ave. N. And MUV also expects to open at the Beaches later this year, though they have yet to announce the planned address as of publication.

The Beaches could go from zero dispensaries to as many as four by the end of the year.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Affordable housing is set to come to Jax Beach soon as well.

Vestcor is working with the Jacksonville Housing Authority to redevelop property that was once home to an aging apartment community into a brand-new, 127-unit affordable housing project.

The Waves at Jacksonville Beach, as its referred to in plans, will be a series of two-story buildings encompassing multiple city blocks between 7th and 10th streets. It’s being built to replace aging affordable housing developments that once stood at the various properties and will fill a much-needed gap in quality affordable housing.