New to The Elbow: Dapper D’s Cigars Downtown will transform 11 Ocean St., next to Cowford Chophouse, into a new fast casual restaurant and cigar bar and cocktail lounge.
The establishment will receive a grant from the Food and Beverage Retail Enhancement Program Targeted Retail Activation: Food And Beverage Establishments Grant (FAB-REP) in an amount not to exceed $187,620, supporting the build-out of the new concept.
Lettuce Eat is slated to serve up healthy lunches and late night grub by mid-July at 333 Bay St. It will be a salad bar restaurant founded by a contractor aimed at construction crews, offering a healthy alternative for fast-casual lunch.
The concept fills a 2,900-square-foot space with about 50 seats to accommodate lunch patrons who can pay by the pound from a “big boy” salad bar. For late night visitors, Lettuce Eat will offer hot, quick food like ramen noodles and hot dogs.
Company logos adorn the interior wall space, sponsorships from trade schools and construction vendors that represent the restaurant’s target market and aspiration to serve as a hub for homeowners to access vetted contractors while driving business blue collar businesses.
Lettuce Eat will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 8 p.m. On weekends, Lettuce Eat will also open for late night bites from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Currently undergoing a substantial rehabilitation to update mechanical systems and retain historic architectural features that make this building one of the finest in the downtown Historic District, The Greenleaf will provide 44,000 square feet total of leasable space. The building received local landmark status in October 2023.
The Oak Steakhouse intends to open on the first floor in the former Jacobs Jewelers space. Indigo Road Hospitality Group announced that the steakhouse will open in early 2026. Regus coworking currently leases space on the eighth and ninth floors.
JWB Real Estate Capital anticipates using the second, fourth, fifth, 11th, and 12th floors for its headquarters. The project cost for four of the company’s targeted five floors is almost $2.53 million. Interior build-out permits were issued June 2025.
The building was completed in 1927 and is one of the few remaining examples of the mixed-use commercial buildings constructed in Downtown soon after the Great Fire of 1901. It was designed by Marsh & Saxelbye, a prominent local architecture firm during the Florida land boom.
The Downtown Investment Authority approved a $4.97 million forgivable loan package in August 2023 for JWB to finance improvements at the building at an estimated cost of $16.88 million.
Located in a beautifully restored 100-year-old building with striking art-deco character, Oak Steakhouse will offer an elevated dining experience rooted in tradition. Guests will enjoy Prime Certified Angus Beef®, a seasonally driven menu featuring local and regional ingredients, a world-class wine list, and gracious, attentive service in a space that’s both sophisticated and welcoming. The Oak Steakhouse intends to open on the first floor in the former Jacobs Jewelers space in early 2026.
Charleston, S.C.-based Indigo Road Hospitality Group, which operates the steakhouse concept and Japanese cuisine restaurants O-Ku, including one in Jacksonville Beach, announced the project in November 2024.
The newest dining concept coming to The Elbow: a modern European-style bakery by day and elevated dessert and cocktail lounge by night, with a refined, full-display bakery counter and cozy tea room speakeasy, a standalone offering in Downtown Jax. The establishment will occupy a 3,590-square-foot space on the ground floor of the Churchwell Lofts building, named for the proprietor who used it to sell dry goods, shoes, and notions beginning in the 1920s. The building was constructed in 1905.
Total bakery build-out costs are listed at $550,000 in a DIA term sheet on the project. Besa is receiving $215,000 in public funding through the Downtown Investment Authority, composed of a Retail Enhancement Program Targeted Retail Activation: Food and Beverage Establishments Grant (FAB-REP), and a $15,000 forgivable loan under the Sidewalk Enhancement Grant Program.
The waterfront of the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts is being transformed into an engaging, dynamic park that celebrates Jacksonville’s rich musical heritage. Planned features include the Musical Heritage Garden, which honors local musicians and composers through interactive art elements and a dedicated Walk of Fame. The park will also offer a children’s music play area and a cutting-edge outdoor projection venue highlighted by a sculptural projection tower.
To further enrich the experience, the DIA is curating a nightly projection show and acquiring interactive artworks that pay tribute to the city’s storied music legacy, creating a vibrant destination for residents and visitors alike.
The Walk of Fame will be a pathway embedded with the names of artists and composers who have ties to Jacksonville, ensuring their contributions are permanently celebrated within the park’s landscape. To guide this effort, the DIA assembled a committee of local historians, musicians, authors, and industry professionals to develop selection criteria and recommend honorees.
The inaugural class of inductees for the Jacksonville Music Walk of Fame is as follows:
1. 38 Special
2. 69 Boys
3. 95 South
4. Allman Brothers Band
5. Blind Blake
6. Charlie “Hoss” Singleton
7. Classics IV
8. Frederick Delius
9. Glenn Jones
10. Gram Parsons
11. Jahaan Sweet
12. JJ Grey & Mofro
13. Johnson Brothers (James Weldon Johnson & John Rosamond Johnson)
14. Lil Duval
15. Limp Bizkit
16. Longineu Parsons II
17. Lynyrd Skynyrd
18. Ma Rainey
19. Mae Axton
20. Marcus Roberts
21. Molly Hatchet
22. Pat Chappelle
23. Quad City DJs
24. Ray Charles
25. Shinedown
26. Tedeschi Trucks Band
27. Tim McGraw
28. Ulysses Owens, Jr.
29. Walter Orange
30. Yellowcard
Together, these elements will create an inspiring public space that honors Jacksonville’s influential role in music history and invites the community to celebrate it for generations to come.
Status: In Design; Construction Commenced Early 2025
Expected Completion: Spring 2026
The first site to break ground in Pearl Square, Block N11 will be a seven-story building at 515 N. Pearl St. to emerge as a 21,000-square-foot mixed-use project with ground-floor retail and 205 apartment units. It broke ground in October 2024. This first parcel marks the start of construction of Gateway Jax’s Pearl Street District, which covers five blocks in Downtown’s NorthCore.
Block N11 received a $9.06 million REV grant and $4.63 million completion grant from the Downtown Investment Authority for a minimum six-story building with at least 194 residential units and 21,333 square feet of leasable retail space. The block is bounded by Ashley, Pearl, and Church streets, as well as the historic Porter Mansion.
The owners of the Decca Live in Downtown Jacksonville are seeking to open a new Irish pub next door, according to the Downtown Investment Authority.
The DIA has approved a request from co-applicants 323 E Bay Street LLC and Bay Street Warehousing LLC for a $200,000 incentive to establish Keane’s Irish Pub at 315 E. Bay St.
An interior plan of the project shows 13 bar seats, two rows of wall-mounted bench seating with 17 accompanying chairs, 12 tables, a lobby and kitchen.
Construction is now underway on Pearl Square’s second major development site at 425 W. Beaver St. This 286-unit mixed-use project is poised to reshape the city center with new apartments, retail, and a pedestrian-friendly design. This site is projected to be completed in 2027 and will cost approximately $110 million. Block N4 broke ground in May 2025.
Block N4 received a $14.1 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant and $6.84 million completion grant from the Downtown Investment Authority for a minimum six-story building to include at least 266 residential units and 19,155 square feet of leasable retail space. The block is bounded by Union, Pearl, Beaver, and Clay streets.
In October 2021, the Jacksonville City Council approved plans for a 176-room Four Seasons hotel with 25 private residences, a 137,000-square-foot Class A office tower, and City-owned marina. One Shipyards Place is a six-story office building under construction by Iguana Investments across Gator Bowl Boulevard from EverBank Stadium. Office space is available and currently leasing on the building’s fifth and sixth floors.
Total Project Investment $387.6 Million
Expected Completion: April 2026
