Pearl Square’s first apartments near completion as Downtown Jacksonville adds housing, retail, and a grocery store
A new wave of downtown housing is moving from plans to construction
Downtown Jacksonville’s NorthCore area is poised to add hundreds of apartments as the Pearl Square redevelopment advances from site work and permitting into vertical construction across multiple blocks. The district is planned as a large, multi-block mixed-use neighborhood intended to combine new residential buildings with street-level retail, public-realm upgrades and, eventually, a rehabilitated historic hotel.
The first residential building to deliver is the seven-story Vandeveer at 515 N. Pearl St. It is planned for 205 apartment units and ground-floor retail space. Development timelines publicly discussed by project representatives indicate first move-ins are targeted for late summer 2026.
What is under construction and what is in review
Permitting and public incentive actions over the past two years outline the near-term pipeline. In October 2024, construction started on the 515 N. Pearl St. building. A second project at 425 W. Beaver St. has been described in public records as a mixed-use building planned for 286 multifamily units, nearly 20,000 square feet of retail space and on-site parking. City actions have also included approval of incentive packages tied to these early phases.
Further south and west within the same redevelopment area, a substantially taller project has been under city review. Plans for Block N8 at 440 W. Beaver St. have been described as a minimum 21-story building, clarified in permit documentation as a 22-floor mixed-use structure with 537 rental units and about 30,000 square feet of ground-floor leasable retail space, along with structured parking.
Grocery store and daily services: a key piece of the plan
A full-service grocery store is planned within Block N7 at 119 W. Beaver St., where redevelopment plans call for demolition of an existing structure and construction of a residential tower of roughly 14 to 15 stories with about 250 apartments and integrated structured parking. The store concept includes a pharmacy and is planned at roughly 31,000 to 32,000 square feet, with additional retail space in the same block.
Project scale and how it fits downtown’s broader growth strategy
Pearl Square has been described in public development materials as a roughly $750 million effort spanning multiple blocks in NorthCore. The plan includes approximately 1,250 new residential units and about 200,000 square feet of retail space over time, alongside street upgrades such as widened sidewalks, landscaping and public-space concepts.
Near-term delivery focuses on the first mid-rise apartment buildings with ground-floor retail.
Mid- to longer-term plans add a high-rise residential component and a larger retail footprint.
A historic hotel property in the area is slated for redevelopment as part of the broader district vision.
As the first buildings open, the immediate test will be whether new residents and retail demand arrive in tandem—an outcome downtown planners often cite as essential to sustaining additional private investment.
With the first building aiming for occupancy in 2026 and additional blocks moving through review and approvals, the next year is expected to bring clearer signals on leasing demand, retail commitments and construction pacing across the district.