The company that wants to develop the old Kmart property at the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and 3rd Street in Neptune Beach has come back with a new proposal.
Tri Bridge Residential plans to tear down the old Kmart and put three, two story buildings on the front-half of the parcel known in the previous proposal as 500 Atlantic.
The buildings would include a 44 room boutique hotel as well as restaurants and retail space. Everything proposed in the updated plan is allowed in the commercially zoned area without seeking any variances.
Mary Frosio’s group, Neptune Strong, protested against previous iterations of the plan. But she said she can get behind this one. “We have always maintained that we wanted them to build within our code. And a hotel, retail and commercial are permitted. However, the one that’s not permitted, and the one that we vehemently opposed, was residential.”
Frosio said the concern now is what TriBridge might be planning for what will become vacant land once the Kmart is demolished. New plans for that part of the property haven’t been announced yet.
In August, the Neptune Beach City Council denied TriBridge’s request for a code-exemption to build a 175-unit apartment complex and a parking garage at 500 Atlantic.
The company appealed that decision and is still waiting for a ruling on the case.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
