Dunkin' is scouting a new outparcel at Dunn Village Shopping Center in the Dinsmore area of Northwest Jacksonville, near Northwest Dunn Avenue and Rolling River Boulevard.
The project surfaced after JEA issued a service availability determination letter on October 5 confirming utility connection capacity for the site, according to Jacksonville Daily Record, which first reported the filing in its Mathis Report column by Karen Brune Mathis. A service availability request simply means a project is being explored, and under JEA guidelines updated for 2026, developers must secure this kind of letter through the SagesGov platform before filing municipal building permits — a step that reserves utility connection points for up to two years but does not guarantee a closed land deal or permit approval, per the agency's own guidance, cited in Hoodline's earlier coverage of a separate Jacksonville drive-thru filing.
Metro Franchising, Dunkin's largest New York-area franchisee, was the subject of a September 2024 majority-stake acquisition by private equity firm Beach Point Capital Management LP, which aimed to fund growth beyond the Northeast and into Southeastern markets, according to World Coffee Portal. Metro Franchising was founded in 1998 and operates more than 100 Dunkin' locations.
Dunn Village Shopping Center
Dunn Village Shopping Center sits at Northeast New Kings Road and Dunn Avenue.
The shopping center has a track record of landing recognizable brands on its outparcels. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen received a $900,000 city construction permit in September 2023 for a 2,514-square-foot location with a drive-thru on Outparcel F, after purchasing that site in December 2022 for $450,000. Around the same time, local ice cream institution Dreamette expanded into Northwest Jacksonville with a 1,185-square-foot walk-up shop inside Dunn Village next to Arble Bakery — the ninth shop for the 75-year-old Jacksonville brand.
Miami-based landlord Saglo Development Corp. has owned Dunn Village since September 2017, when it purchased the 72,728-square-foot retail complex along with 28.6 acres of surrounding land earmarked for future commercial buildout, according to The Real Deal.
Part of a Wider Drive-Thru Wave Along I-295
Dunkin's interest in the Dinsmore corridor lines up with a broader run of quick-service chains targeting routes near Interstate 295. Wisconsin-based Culver's filed a JEA service availability request for a 4,300-square-foot drive-thru about a quarter-mile north of the interstate on Lem Turner Road, a proposal Hoodline detailed in its report on the chain's 11th Northeast Florida location.
Dunkin' is also pursuing growth elsewhere in the region: in March, the chain went through St. Johns County planning review for a freestanding 2,000-square-foot drive-thru in the SilverLeaf master-planned community, a project Hoodline covered as it hit the county hot seat.
Dunkin' and Its Parent Company
Dunkin' currently counts at least 40 locations in Duval County and 69 across Northeast Florida, according to the Daily Record's tally. That regional footprint includes one location in Baker County, 10 in Clay County with an 11th coming soon, two in Nassau County with a third on the way, and 16 in St. Johns County.
Dunkin' is part of the Inspire Brands family.
Questions about final site plan design, traffic impact on Dunn Avenue and formal city zoning approvals remain open.
