>
Riverfront restaurant, shops planned next to Fernandina Beach city marina
A long-vacant riverfront parcel on North Front Street — once targeted by the city for public acquisition as part of a waterfront park and flood-protection effort — is being redeveloped into a marina-centered commercial complex featuring a restaurant, retail shops, and boating facilities under a proposal heading to Fernandina Beach’s Technical Review Committee this week.
The proposal, submitted by Osteen Company LLP, seeks early city technical guidance on a project known as Riverside, a water-dependent commercial development that would include marina docks, a restaurant, specialty shops, and retail shops, totaling approximately 28,000 square feet of development according to application materials and schematic plans submitted to the city.
City staff are scheduled to review the project Thursday as part of a first step review by the Technical Review Committee (TRC), an advisory process intended to identify zoning, environmental, infrastructure, and design issues before a formal development application is filed.
According to the project description and supporting materials filed with the city, the Riverside concept includes:
-
A water-dependent marina along the Amelia River
-
Dock facilities associated with marina use
-
Restaurant spaces oriented toward the riverfront
-
Seven retail and specialty shop spaces within the development footprint
-
Commercial buildings collectively totaling approximately 28,000 square feet
-
Vehicular access from Front Street, which is city-maintained
No residential units are proposed as part of the project, and the application identifies the development as strictly commercial in nature.
The 0.88-acre property is zoned Industrial Waterfront (IW), carries a future land use designation of Industrial Waterfront, and lies within the city’s Community Redevelopment Area.
The site fronts directly on the Amelia River, is located in a VE flood zone, and includes wetlands, all of which will factor into future permitting and design requirements.
The applicant’s representative is Ron Flick, acting on behalf of Osteen Company LLP under a notarized owner authorization signed by property owners Richard S. Simmons and Pamela O. Simmons, according to the submitted documents.
Initial drawings were submitted by Studio Z Architecture of Charlotte, North Carolina, which did previous design work for Flick's company The Compass Group, according to the company's website.
The proposed riverfront restaurant will fill a void with the planned demolition of Brett's Waterway Cafe at the city marina, which ended its lease with the city and closed last year. Brett's is scheduled to be demolished later this year. Plans submitted to the TRC show a second-story bar overlooking the river.
In 2019, the Fernandina Beach City Commission authorized actions described at the time as the first step toward eminent domain, with city officials citing plans for a public waterfront park facility, flood-mitigation needs, and constraints along the Front Street corridor related to roadway and sidewalk improvements near the railroad.
City officials disclosed during public meetings that a written purchase offer of $850,000 had been made to the property owners and expired without a counteroffer. The city ultimately voluntarily dismissed the eminent domain action in 2021 and later approved a settlement resolving attorney-fee litigation connected to the case.
Historical deed records show the site is part of Fernandina Beach’s original water lots, established in the 19th century to support maritime commerce. A 1984 warranty deed includes detailed language governing dock access, bulkheads, and waterfront walkways — provisions reflecting the site’s long-standing water-dependent character.
Thursday’s TRC meeting will not result in project approval. First step reviews are intended to flag technical and regulatory issues such as floodplain compliance, stormwater management, access, utilities, and consistency with the city’s Land Development Code.
Any formal proposal for the Riverside project would return for additional review and could ultimately require public hearings before the Planning Advisory Board and City Commission.
Comments
8 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
rswarner
How about including in the concept a Marine science portion for educattional and training purposes. The laboratory is all around us - with many supporting educational, scientific, commercial, Navy, and marine intermodal logistics resources to draw upon that do not exist elsewhere.
https://www.whoi.edu/,
https://www.ju.edu/msri/,
https://www.vims.edu/,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oceanographic_institutions_and_programs
Monday, February 9 Report this
Mark Tomes
This property has been an eyesore for years, and should've been acquired by the city a long time ago. However, the property owners do have certain rights to develop it, but this is the time now to demand very strict adherence to environmental standards (including wetlands protection and long-term erosion control), parking requirements, building height requirements, and everything else necessary to keep the development public–friendly.
Monday, February 9 Report this
Frghtdg
It's an eyesore and blight on our downtown. Stop trying to impede progress and work with the developer to make it happen, not try and stop it. Our waterfront is an embarrassment to our community.
Monday, February 9 Report this
DaveLott
Mark,
As noted in the article, the City tried to purchase the property several times and even at one point threatened an eminent domain taking. Simmons got a commercial appraisal of $4 million (County property appraiser has market value at $1.1 million) and told the City that if they paid that he would sell, but not for a penny less.
Monday, February 9 Report this
Mingnmilo
I'm all for private sector financed development like this in this area as it is unsightly. However...
Where are all the added shoppers, employees, diners, and tourists going to park their cars absent a parking facility? One cannot discern from the illustration if the largest green-colored parcel is a parking garage, maybe?
Monday, February 9 Report this
Northofboarder
Your waterfront is doing fine and it's always a draw. Brunswick GA has government controlled poorly planned inaccessible dredged fill blocked waterfront. Enjoy and improve what you have ... Because it's a narrow-minded after thought elsewhere ....
Monday, February 9 Report this
Karen1952
Just a reminder, Simmons owns the Trengali property and Compass Group was the developer. Compass Group has been involved in 40 lawsuits over the past 20 years, several of them involving the City. If history shows us anything, we should look to the past to predict future behavior. Anyone care to bet this will end up in litigation just like Trengali? With the crack legal team we have, this isn’t going to end well.
Monday, February 9 Report this
CaptainCrunch
A 28,000 square foot structure on a fraction acre lot that’s 1/2 underwater sounds like a bad idea to me. It’s right next to railroad tracks and, there’s no parking. What are they thinking. It’s another example of developers building stupid things and leaving the future owners holding the bag.
Monday, February 9 Report this