JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Jacksonville Beach could look very different in the next few years as plans are underway to build several name-brand hotels.
The projects are making waves with residents and tourists -- some who think it’s much needed and others who worry it’ll take away from the quaint beach feel.
Regardless, there’s a building boom at the beach.
(Click on renderings provided by City of Jacksonville Beach to enlarge)
Cranes and construction crews are moving along north of the pier, where there will be an eight-story Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville hotel. The highly-publicized project will come with 202 rooms, a restaurant and beachfront pool.
Across the road on First Street, the city approved a plan for a six-story joint hotel and apartment building with 54 apartments, 57 extended stay rooms and a shared pool. It’s called the “Dolphin LLC Project.”
At Beach and Third Street, the city’s busiest intersection, the permit has been approved for a three-story, 80-room Elements by Westin hotel.
Additionally, in front of the Jacksonville Beach Pier, there are plans to knock down a three-story building, which houses the Pier Cantina and Sandbar, to build a Springhill Suites by Marriott. The area must be rezoned before this can happen, said City of Jacksonville Beach Planning and Development Department Director Bill Mann.
“It’s a plus for the economy. It definitely is,” said Jim Snowden, who has lived in the area for a decade.
Locals and tourists have mixed reactions to the projects up and down Jacksonville Beach’s main strip.
“Leave it alone,” said Tim McKenzie, who was visiting from Tennessee. “I’d rather see the older-looking buildings myself.”
“As long as it’s good quality, I think it would be fantastic,” Georgia resident Kristie McClenny said during her stay at a beachfront hotel with her family.
Mayor Charlie Latham supports the change. He thinks it will make the beach a more family-friendly destination.
“When hotels come in and they’re nice hotels, it brings in that clientele and the gaps get filled in by businesses that want to be here,” Latham remarked. “Ice cream shops, mom and pop type places.”
Besides the four big hotel projects, there are others.
A vacant building north of the Seawalk Pavilion will be renovated with about 15 hotel rooms and a restaurant.
A lot on First Street next to Lynch’s Irish Pub is under construction. While a tenant isn’t secured yet, plans show it should offer rooftop dining and drinks. All are moves that the mayor said will make the area more appealing for residents and visitors.
“You are bringing in people who spend money for the city,” Latham said.
Many of the plans are still in the works, so Mann said they don’t have an exact timeline for completion. He said most projects should be done by 2021 and 2022. He also said all the hotels will having parking on site, whether it be surface or a garage.