The Jacksonville Planning Commission on March 19 signed off on plans to partially convert the vacant Regions Bank building at 1604 Margaret Street in Riverside’s Five Points into a restaurant, complete with limited drive-thru service and a sharp cut to on-site parking. Commissioners approved a zoning exception for outside sales and service tied to a drive-thru and an administrative deviation that trims required parking from 13 spaces to five. Both requests cleared the commission on separate 6-0 votes, wrapping up the issue at the commission level.
What the commission approved
The two-story, 4,589-square-foot building, constructed in 1927 and sitting between the Riverside Publix and the Five Points retail strip on Park Street, will only be partially converted, with some of the property left vacant. As reported by Jax Daily Record, owner Edward Ashurian bought the site through Homerick LLC in 2021 for $1.61 million and is president and founder of Ashco Centers, which owns neighborhood shopping centers around Jacksonville.
Neighborhood concerns over parking and traffic
Neighbors told the commission they fear a drive-thru paired with only five on-site spaces will spill cars into nearby residential streets and fill up existing parking lanes. “Allowing a reduction in parking at this use, as well as allowing a driveway at this scale for a restaurant … is really an incredible exception,” Shannon Blankinship of Riverside Avondale Preservation said. Attorney Steve Diebenow countered that ground-floor restaurant use is the most realistic path to bring the long-quiet property back to life, while Commissioner Joshua Garrison said the requested change fits the character of Five Points and pointed out that patrons there are often expected to park a short walk away, as reported by Jax Daily Record.
What happens next
Because the Planning Commission handled both the exception and the deviation, the approvals are final at that level and do not require a separate City Council vote. The commission is responsible for land-use reviews and has the authority to grant exceptions and deviations under the city’s planning procedures, according to the City of Jacksonville’s Planning Commission information. The next steps the public is likely to see will be permit applications, design review and any building permits before a tenant can start interior build-out or drive-thru work.
Why it matters for Riverside
Five Points is one of Jacksonville’s more walkable commercial districts, and supporters say a restaurant could restore activity to a prominent vacant corner while helping nearby businesses. Opponents worry that the size of the drive-thru and the reduced parking will push traffic and congestion onto neighborhood streets instead of simply solving a vacancy. With no tenant yet announced and documents presented to the commission showing the restaurant would not occupy the entire building, neighbors and nearby merchants are likely to be keeping close tabs on permit filings and construction activity at Margaret and Park.
