Just over a month after the First Street Grills final New Years Eve bash, another popular eatery on the Intracoastal Waterway closes its doors for the last time. The Lighthouse Grill, located at the San Pablo River bridge on Beach Blvd. has been sold to Chase Properties, Inc., whose plan is to offer multifamily housing with Intracoastal access on the 2.4 acre waterfront site.
The new development, called Lighthouse Point, will consist of 37 townhouses designed in a West Indies tradition, and will sell from $650,000 to 1.5 million. Residents will also have the opportunity to own a boat slip on the property.
After denying a proposal to construct an 80 high, 94 unit condominium on the property two years ago, the city of Jacksonville Beach approved this project as the buildings fall under the cities 35 foot height limit, a restriction passed overwhelmingly by voters in the 2004 election that has until now been seldom enforced.
The trend in Jacksonville Beach has been for developers to buy up large parcels of land, tear down the existing structures, and put up 7 to 10 story condominiums. As a result, many of the popular restaurants and night spots that helped...