The first big public green light is on for the former Regency Square Mall, and that long-quiet asphalt sea along Atlantic Boulevard and Monument Road is about to get busy. Jacksonville officials have signed off on early work for the project now branded The Nexus at Regency, clearing the way for site preparation along the frontage and outparcels. Neighbors should start seeing heavy equipment, roadway tweaks and utility crews in the coming months as the developer shifts from paper plans to pavement work.
City signs off on civil plans
On March 26, Jacksonville approved civil engineering development and sketch plans that let the developer prepare eight outparcels, each roughly 1.1 to 2.25 acres, and start on shared infrastructure. Blackwater Development President Rurmell McGee said the approvals allow his group to “take this next step in the transformation of the Regency Square Mall,” marking the move from planning to on-the-ground work, according to the Jax Daily Record.
Developer, design team and the purchase
Lake City based Blackwater Development bought most of the mall on April 9, 2025, for about $19.1 million and tapped Thomas Duke Architect as the principal design firm for the redo. The company plans to rebrand the property as The Nexus at Regency and redevelop the site with multifamily housing, national retail and financial institutions. Blackwater said it expects to announce the first wave of tenants once deals are finalized, according to Blackwater Development.
Site-clearing permit filed and project scope
On March 27, the developer applied to the city for a site clearing permit through Besch and Smith Civil Group Inc., estimating almost $3.7 million for the initial phase. The filing covers asphalt and sidewalk removal, curb work, storm drainage, sanitary sewer, water and fire mains, subgrade and base preparation, paving, striping and signage to ready the outparcels for tenants, according to the Jax Daily Record.
Who’s being courted for the outparcels
Regulatory filings and utility requests point to a 2,786 square foot Raising Cane’s on Outparcel 1 at the main entrance, a fuel and convenience site labeled “CK Atlantic Blvd & Monument Rd” that appears to match a Circle K layout, a Chase bank on Lot 6 and the existing Firestone Complete Auto Care staying put on Lot 7. Dutch Bros has been identified for a kiosk on the property, and civil plans indicate the closed JCPenney would remain freestanding while much of the East Mall from Impact Church to the JCPenney would be demolished to carve out new lots. Those user notes and site maps appear on the developer’s project materials, per Blackwater Development.
Litigation and settlement shape the schedule…