Jacksonville’s Avenues Mall owner wants to build 266 apartments in the parking lot

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The owner of The Avenues Mall, the Jacksonville Avenues Limited Partnership, filed paperwork with the city of Jacksonville asking for approval on a plan to build a 4-story, 266-unit apartment building on the northern end of the mall property.

Action News Jax took a look at the site plan and found it would be built on the existing parking lot next to the parking garage and Dillard’s store at The Avenues.

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The plans don’t share anything about how much the apartments would cost or when they would be finished, but they do say the 400 parking spots in the nearby parking garage and 68 outdoor parking spots around the complex would be available for those living there.

Some people we heard from told us they believe an apartment complex could benefit the area, but believe the mall, itself, would need an upgrade, too.

“I’m sure it would help with the foot traffic,” Britney Chung said, who lives in Jacksonville, “but it depends on the business you’re talking about because, as I’m speaking right now, I just don’t have any shops I like at The Avenues.”

City Councilman, the owner, turned down Action News Jax’s request for an interview about the apartments proposal.

“I’m sure an apartment may bring in a few more shoppers,” Haley Brenneck said, a shopper we spoke with outside the nearby Target by the Deercreek neighborhood. “I’m just not sure it will make too much of a difference.”

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Action News Jax also reached out to City Councilman Raul Arias, who represents the district where The Avenues Mall resides. His office told us he is out of town and will likely be unavailable for an interview for the next two weeks.

The apartment proposal went before the Jacksonville city council on Tuesday night for a public hearing and is scheduled for another public hearing before the city’s Land Use and Zoning Committee on July 15th. No date has been scheduled for a final vote on the proposal.

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