The Jacksonville City Council voted Tuesday night to send a request to expand a Southside halal grocery store back through its hearing process before the Jacksonville Planning Commission and the Land Use and Zoning Committee.

A request to expand a halal grocery store on Beach Boulevard advanced through the Jacksonville City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee after the applicant withdrew a request to build an animal processing facility, according to News4JAX partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record.

A proposed slaughterhouse expansion to a Jacksonville halal grocery store was shut down after months of public pushback and negotiations with the owners, City Council President Kevin Carrico said.

The Jacksonville Planning Commission failed to recommend approval or denial of a measure that would allow a halal grocery store to open an animal processing facility on its Beach Boulevard property, according to our news partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record.

Dozens of residents gathered at a community meeting to express strong opposition to a proposed expansion of Apna Bazar on Jacksonville’s Southside, which plans to include a 30,000-square-foot addition featuring an animal slaughterhouse, sparking worries about noise, odors, and neighborhood impact.

Community members continued their push Wednesday evening to prevent a local grocery store from adding a meat processing facility at its Beach Boulevard location.

A halal grocery store in Jacksonville is attempting to add a meat processing facility to its Beach Boulevard property, marking its second attempt in less than a year to do so, following a similar request that was withdrawn in April 2024.