Construction has begun on Jacksonville University’s first location in St. Johns County — in the Fountains at St. Johns.
The private university has not finalized what programs it will offer at the 12,000-square-foot site at County Road 210 West and Interstate 9, but the university says they will be health care sciences programs.
Cross Regions Group is developing the mixed-use site, which already has several medical facilities, including Endeavor Health and Bartram Dental Center. Ascension St. Vincent’s also opened a 150,000-square-foot hospital and 82,500-square-foot medical office building there in 2022.
The JU center will be the university's first learning site in St. Johns County, in the first floor of the two-story building to be used as an educational facility.
Christine Sapienza, JU's executive vice president of partnership and development, said the school is "thrilled" to bring its health care sciences programs to a new site.
“We are particularly excited to explore and develop unique learning opportunities at this strategically located site, which sits right in the heart of a rapidly-growing area and next door to the outstanding Ascension St. Vincent's Health Center-St. Johns," Sapienza said in a news release.
Fountains at St. Johns also includes a planned 160-room Home 2 Suites by Hilton hotel, 174 apartments with 30,000 square feet of first floor retail and a 13,000-square-foot Chappell Schools.
Also planned: 276 more apartments from Madison Capital and a Town Square with 35,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, an assisted living facility and a wellness center.
Completion of the new JU facility is expected in summer 2024. JU spokeswoman Laura Phelps said information about programs at the site will be released later.
"In the coming weeks and months, we'll work to identify the exact programs that will be offered at this site," Phelps said. "That process involves close coordination with our accrediting bodies, as well as current and potential partners that would support applied learning in a clinical setting."
