River City Marketplace (RCM) is a quasi-regional outdoor shopping mall in the Northside of Jacksonville, Florida and the only one north of the St. Johns River. It opened its doors on November 17, 2006 with three major anchor stores including Walmart, Lowe's and the former Hollywood Theatre. The fourth, Gander Mountain, opened ten months later. The 125-acre (0.51Â km2) shopping district is located south of Airport Road on the east side of Interstate 95, two miles (3Â km) east of Jacksonville International Airport (JIA). When Phase II is fully built out, the project will have cost over $300 million to build and boast more than 100 retailers.
Original Plans
The original plan for the $300 million, 425-acre (1.72Â km2) mixed use project included a 125-acre (0.51Â km2) shopping district, 900 residential units, 300 hotel rooms, and 133,000 ft2 of light industrial space. The retail center, developed by Ramco Gershenson, will eventually include 1,130,000 square feet (105,000Â m2) of retail space and should attract shoppers from Nassau County and southeast Georgia.
Movies
Hollywood Theaters built a 62,000 sq ft (5,800 m2) stand-alone building at the mall's south end. All 14 screens featured stadium seating when it opened on September 21, 2006. Portland, Oregon based Hollywood Theaters planned to spend nearly $14 million on the project, which is managed by Wallace Theaters. In 2013, it was purchased by Regal Entertainment Group to become Regal Cinemas River City Marketplace 14.
Current status
While the RCM that exists today is not exactly what the "developers originally intended", it "is still the largest shopping center to be constructed on [Jacksonville’s] Northside" and provides "an array of retail destinations that previously" were only available across the river or in Orange Park, a drive of approximately 20 minutes. One residential complex has been opened, with another on hold until the financial crisis of 2007â€"08 abates.
References
External links
- Ramco Gershenson website
- Property brochure
