Four new tenants are planned at Jacksonville's College Park, alongside a separate shell space. They include a swim school with an indoor pool, a Lego resale shop, a tabletop gaming store and a coffee shop.
The new tenants include Fish N Flips Swim School, which will occupy 5,717 square feet at 973 University Blvd. N. with an indoor pool, at an estimated project cost of $459,450. Bricks & Minifigs, which buys, sells and trades Lego bricks and items, is taking 3,450 square feet at 923 University Blvd. N. at an estimated cost of $198,450.
Tower of Games, a shop focused on new and secondhand games, accessories and collectibles, will fill 2,460 square feet at 933 University Blvd. N. for an estimated $160,435. First Gear Coffee is slated for 1,778 square feet at 975 University Blvd. N., with an estimated project cost of $117,950. Dan Manjack, president of Agile Contracting, will operate it; the city is reviewing the firm's permits for the tenant improvements. A separate shell space carries an estimated cost of $74,450.
A Grocery Store Anchors a Bigger Vision
Winn-Dixie remains College Park's primary anchor, occupying almost 49,000 square feet at 999 University Blvd. N. The chain returned to the site in September 2023, more than 16 years after it had previously operated there from 1997 to 2007, ending what local officials described at the time as a long-standing food desert gap in Arlington, per the same account. Other current tenants include Arlington Bait & Tackle, Arlington Flower Shop, Chase Bank, Conie's Ice Cream, DaVita Dialysis, Dollar General, Legacy Ministries and Max's Restaurant.
Two additional tenants are also in the pipeline: Pediatric Associates is expected to occupy 7,513 square feet in unit 965, while PickUp USA Fitness, a basketball training gym, is expected to take 10,737 square feet in unit 945.
From Strip Mall to Mixed-Use Hub
JWB Real Estate Capital purchased the 73-year-old retail plaza, formerly known as Town & Country Shopping Center, after 903 University Blvd LLC paid almost $5.1 million for the 18.27-acre property in August 2019. JWB President Alex Sifakis told the Jacksonville Daily Record the company spent $18.5 million developing the first phase of the overhaul, which included parking lot renovations and facade work and wrapped up in early 2024. Sifakis said crews uncovered many hidden issues during the project but that JWB did not skimp on design, adding that the company is happy to be part of revitalizing the community. He also clarified that JWB did not buy the McDonald's or the gas station located on the property.
The redevelopment sits within the broader Renew Arlington Community Redevelopment Area, an effort to reverse decades of commercial decline near Jacksonville University. The Jacksonville City Council voted 18-0 in June 2021 to rezone the property to Planned Unit Development, clearing the way for mixed-use outparcels, apartments and retail, and the Renew Arlington CRA board approved roughly $1.31 million in code compliance grants plus $2 million in infrastructure funding, disbursed in annual installments of up to $400,000 over five years, to support the project. In September 2022, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation added a $10.76 million loan to fund the acquisition and early redevelopment, targeting the kind of low-income, low-food-access census tract the plaza sits within.
Hotel and Pickleball Courts Still to Come
More recently, the Jacksonville City Council voted 17-0 in April to approve Ordinance 2026-0170, a PUD modification clearing a 110-unit LivSmart Studios by Hilton extended-stay hotel for the outparcels, with construction required to start within five years and finish within ten. College Park is also expected to include a future shipping container market and pickleball courts.
The project also reflects JWB's growing footprint across Jacksonville's commercial and residential markets. The company recently promoted Melissa Gillispie to chief operating officer, consolidating oversight of its construction, residential rental portfolio of more than 5,700 homes and commercial developments under one executive role. JWB is simultaneously navigating other local projects, including a zoning review for Pearl Square's Block N9 office tower downtown and a pitch for a 20-story riverfront tower under the Gateway Jax banner.
