Habit Burger seeks permits for site work on new North Jacksonville restaurant near River City Marketplace
Project moves from city review into early construction-stage approvals
The Habit Burger & Grill is advancing plans for a new, ground-up restaurant in North Jacksonville, with city permitting activity now focusing on site work and related improvements for a property near River City Marketplace. The proposed location is at 15022 Max Leggett Parkway, east of Interstate 95, on an outparcel associated with BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse and the Parkway Shops retail area.
The development is planned on roughly three-quarters of an acre and is being positioned as the chain’s third Jacksonville-area restaurant, following two earlier projects that involved renovating previously occupied restaurant buildings.
Design, cost estimates and site configuration
Plans under review describe a compact restaurant footprint intended to prioritize drive-thru service while maintaining limited dine-in seating. The building is designed for 1,957 square feet of interior space with seating for 22, plus a 275-square-foot patio with eight seats. A single drive-thru lane is part of the site layout.
Project documents identify WFO Construction Inc. as contractor for an estimated $1.4 million development. Separate permitting activity includes a trash enclosure with an estimated value of $15,000 and a site-work package estimated at $271,731.
Location: 15022 Max Leggett Parkway, near River City Marketplace (east of I-95)
Site area: about 0.75 acres
Restaurant size: 1,957 square feet interior plus 275-square-foot patio
Seating: 22 indoors and 8 on the patio
Drive-thru: single lane
Utilities and parking assumptions
Utility planning for the site has been underway since at least 2025. A service availability determination letter was issued for a 2,063-square-foot building concept that included a pickup lane. Under the planning materials tied to that concept, surface parking for 27 vehicles is allocated to the Habit Burger use, with additional parking capacity available in the broader shared lot serving nearby businesses.
The restaurant site is owned by BJ’s Restaurant Inc., and the parcel has been characterized in prior marketing as a surplus pad area within the larger commercial development pattern along Max Leggett Parkway.
Local expansion and corporate backdrop
The North Jacksonville project follows the chain’s entry into the Jacksonville market through adaptive reuse of existing restaurant buildings. The company opened a Beach Boulevard location in October 2025 in a converted former Bojangles site. A second location at 9171 Baymeadows Road—also a conversion of a former restaurant space—has been slated to open on Jan. 28, 2026.
The proposed North Jacksonville restaurant would be the first of the three local sites built from the ground up rather than converted from an existing building.
The Habit Burger & Grill is based in Irvine, California, and has been part of Yum! Brands since 2020.