Park Place at San Marco moving forward

(Corner Lot Development Group)

The developers of Park Place at San Marco, an apartment development proposed for much of the current South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church property east of Hendricks Avenue, plan on breaking ground in the second quarter of 2021. Architectural plans will be submitted in December.

Park Place is a project by Corner Lot Development Group and Harbert Realty Services. It came together in 2019 following the church’s announcement that it would downsize into its core buildings and sell off the remainder of the property. This excess property, located between Hendricks Avenue, Mitchell Avenue, Mango Place, and Alford Place, will be replaced by the new development.

The project had been held up by pushback from a neighborhood group, Right Size San Marco, who took issue with the height, size and architecture of the building. After Park Place tweaked its plans and received approval from the city to move forward, Right Size San Marco filed lawsuits to halt the development. Those suits have been dropped, enabling the project move forward.

The developers also announced that they were working with Regency, the developers of the Publix-anchored commercial development proposed immediately to the north, to redesign Alford Place, the road between the two projects. They hope to turn the street into a pedestrian friendly strip with enhanced sidewalk features.

Lease signed for San Marco Publix

(Regency Centers)

There was also news on the long awaited East San Marco project at the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Hendricks Avenue. This development, planned to be anchored by a Publix, has seen numerous stops and starts since it was first proposed in 2002. The most recent iteration is a commercial center featuring the Publix and additional retail storefronts, as well as structured parking.

Site work began earlier in 2020, sparking hope that the project may finally be moving forward. The developer, Regency, has now announced that they have the Publix lease signed. This is a major step, as it has been apparent for some time that the actual lease was never signed. According to Regency, bids are in for the general contractor, and they will probably select one by next month. They plan to have the building shell ready for Publix to start buildout in summer 2022. That’s longer than typical shell buildout, but as this one involves structured parking, it’s unsurprising.

Next page: Big changes for the Square One building