Developers release plans for last high-rise condo in Jacksonville Beach

8-story building grandfathered in before ordinance limited height to 3 stories

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Jacksonville Beach residents, or those who'd like to be residents, can now get their first look at a new high-end, high-rise condo planned for the city.

Developers have released renderings for the Waterfall Condominiums, which they are calling the first and last building of its kind in the city

Height restrictions keep new buildings at the beaches from being more than three stories tall. But the beach property on which the condos will be built, at 14th Avenue South and 1st Street South, was grandfathered in, allowing for a high-rise residential structure.

VIRTUAL TOUR: Click here for an inside look at the condos

The area has been an empty lot for years, but builders plan to break ground this summer and complete the project in 2020.

Bryan Weber, the developer, with the Klotz Group, gave News4Jax a sneak peak of what's coming.

The eight-floor complex will have two penthouses on the top level with 42 residences total, ranging in size from 2,721 to 3,077 square feet with expansive terraces, according to a media release.

“This is just a special piece of land because it won’t be replicated,” Weber said.

“Each residence has access to the second level amenities, which include an oasis pool deck with club and pool, summer kitchen, lounge seating and fire pits,” the release describes. “The owner fitness amenity and furnished clubroom and lounge overlook the ocean. A private overnight guest suite accommodates visiting family and friends.”

But the floor plans won’t be in everyone’s budget, with prices starting at $1.2 million.

Weber said he thinks there is a market for the high-rise.

“If you look around the state of Florida, throughout the state of Florida, high-rises like this in locations like this are very popular,” Weber said.

Not everyone’s excited about the high-rise. A neighbor across the street said he's losing his beach view.

“That’s terrible to us. I paid good money for this place, and now I can’t even see the ocean anymore,” Mike Keating said.

But Weber said the new condos will help, not hurt, the community.

“We are only 42 residences, so it is not a highly dense property,” he explained. “It’s not a 20-story high-rise with 200 residents, so I think it’ll fit perfectly in the neighborhood.”

The developers are hosting a kickoff party Thursday night. If they can sell half of the units, they can start construction.

The sales office for Waterfall Condominiums will be open at 1401 1st St. South, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250.

For more information, visit waterfallcondominiums.com.


About the Author:

Lifetime Jacksonville resident anchors the 8 and 9 a.m. weekday newscasts and is part of the News4Jax I-Team.