St. Johns County doesn't slow down, and this week's Thursday Night Live had a lot to unpack — a possible fast-food newcomer in Nocatee, a hotel permit finally clearing, a big apartment project, and a land-use vote that could shape the north side of Nocatee for years. Here's the roundup, with the rumor separated from what's actually been filed.

1. A Chick-fil-A May Be Coming to Nocatee — But It Isn't Approved Yet

St. Johns County received formal plans on August 24, 2026, for a restaurant identified in filings as Chick-fil-A, proposed at Nocatee and Crosswater Parkways, north of 355 Pine Lake Drive. The county's Development Review Committee is scheduled to discuss the project on September 9, 2026 — you can track the agenda directly through St. Johns County's Development Review Division. Chick-fil-A first showed interest in this corner back in 2023, but that earlier attempt stalled.

The bigger question locals are already raising is traffic. This corner sits close to the Chop House, Añejo Cocina Mexicana, and First Watch, where parking is already tight, and it's on a stretch that Nocatee residents cross by golf cart daily. A separate county agenda item calls for a new signal and full median opening at Crosswater Parkway and Village Lake Drive, which would allow left turns that currently aren't possible — a strong signal the county is aware of the congestion this corner would need to handle.

This is a filed application under county review, not an approved or open restaurant. The September 9 Development Review Committee meeting is a procedural step, not a final vote.

2. Nocatee Town Center Is Adding More Dining and Fitness Options

The new Marketplace at Nocatee shopping center, anchored by a second Publix off Valley Ridge Boulevard, is filling in fast. SoFresh, a fast-casual bowl-and-salad concept with existing locations in Ortega Park and Durbin Park, is building out a spot there with a late-summer 2026 opening planned. BODYBAR Pilates, a reformer-based Pilates studio started by local Twenty Mile residents, is also joining the center.

Residents on the show also mentioned a few additional openings around town — a build-your-own-poke or revolving sushi concept near Nease High School, and a new Italian restaurant replacing a previous tenant inside Nocatee Town Center. Names and opening dates for those smaller openings were still shifting as of this recording, so it's worth confirming directly with the Nocatee Town Center directory before making dinner plans around them.

For reference, the original side of Town Center around Crosswater Parkway already anchors some of the community's most-searched spots — GreenWise Market, Starbucks, Panera Bread, First Watch, Jersey Mike's, Timoti's Seafood Shak, The Loop Pizza Grill, Treylor Park, and Ben & Jerry's all sit within a short golf cart ride of the new Marketplace expansion. If you're touring homes nearby, it's worth walking both sides of Crosswater Parkway before you decide which part of Nocatee fits your routine.

3. Beachwalk's Margaritaville Hotel Just Got Its Building Permit

After roughly two years in planning, St. Johns County issued a $10.5 million building permit on August 24, 2026, for a four-story Compass Hotel by Margaritaville at Beachwalk, the master-planned community off County Road 210. The hotel will span about 65,117 square feet with 111 rooms, plus 68 multi-bedroom cottages ringing Beachwalk's 14-acre Crystal Lagoon. The cottages will be managed by the hotel and are not permitted to operate as short-term Airbnb-style rentals — no guest or group can occupy one for more than three consecutive months.

This permit clears the way for actual vertical construction, which is a meaningful milestone after several rounds of zoning changes. Beachwalk's existing Crystal Lagoon already anchors a retail center with Publix, Wawa, and BJ's Wholesale Club, and a full-service restaurant is also planned for the hotel site.

4. EverRange Adds a 275-Unit Apartment Community

The city of Jacksonville approved a $48.74 million permit for EverRange Apartments, a five-building, four-story complex with a clubhouse, planned for 12331 Ever Range Parkway. EverRange is The PARC Group's newest master-planned community just south of the St. Johns County line, and its master site plan calls for a mix of single-family lots, rental units, and commercial space — so apartments alongside the single-family neighborhoods were part of the plan from the start, not a late addition.

5. SilverLeaf and RiverTown Rank Among the Nation's Top-Selling Communities — Nocatee Doesn't, and That's a Good Sign

RCLCO's mid-year 2026 update to its Top-Selling Master-Planned Communities list ranks SilverLeaf 7th nationally and RiverTown 20th. Nocatee, long a fixture on that list, didn't make the cut this time — not because interest has dropped, but because Nocatee is nearly built out. Other 2026 reporting puts Nocatee's total home count above 11,300 with fewer than 250 homesites left. When a community runs out of new lots to sell, it naturally drops off a new-home sales ranking even while resale demand stays strong.

If you're comparing SilverLeaf, RiverTown, and Nocatee for a move, remember they're at very different stages: SilverLeaf and RiverTown still have significant new construction ahead, while Nocatee buyers today are shopping a resale-driven market.

6. The 4,462-Acre Agricultural Enclave North of Nocatee Heads Back to Commissioners September 1

Under Florida's new Senate Bill 686, which took effect July 1, 2026, landowners can ask a county to fast-track undeveloped agricultural land toward development, skipping the usual rezoning process. St. Johns County commissioners approved two smaller applications on August 19, 2026, but continued a much larger one — roughly 4,462 acres owned by the Davis family and The PARC Group, north of Nocatee near Twenty Mile — to September 1, 2026 for further review.

We covered this specific application in detail, including what's confirmed versus what's still speculative, in our full guide to the 4,462-acre agricultural enclave north of Nocatee. If you live near Twenty Mile, Timberland Ridge, or the northern edge of Nocatee and have concerns about traffic, schools, or density, the September 1 meeting is the venue to speak up.

7. Growth Keeps Testing County Infrastructure

A few other projects reflect just how much the county is trying to keep pace with growth:

• County Road 210 is being widened to four lanes for roughly two miles, from the Silver Leaf area toward the Greenbriar intersection

• A new connector road is opening near Twenty Mile / Silverleaf's Courtney Vista area to help ease school drop-off traffic

• Silverleaf's rapid growth (planned for more than 16,000 homes at build-out) has renewed talk of a future high school for the area, though no site or timeline has been finalized

None of this is unusual for a county growing this fast — but it's exactly the kind of detail that matters when you're comparing a home in an established neighborhood to one in a community still under construction.

Local Favorites Near These Projects

If you're touring homes around any of the communities above, these are the established, already-open spots worth building your route around — not the pending permits, but the places locals actually use every week.

Nocatee (Town Center & Marketplace at Nocatee)

• GreenWise Market and Publix — the community's two grocery anchors, on opposite sides of Crosswater Parkway

• First Watch, Timoti's Seafood Shak, The Loop Pizza Grill, Treylor Park, and Añejo Cocina Mexicana — the core sit-down dining lineup

• Starbucks, Panera Bread, Jersey Mike's, and Ben & Jerry's — quick stops for coffee, lunch, or dessert

• Orange Theory Fitness and Anytime Fitness — the established gyms, soon joined by BODYBAR Pilates at Marketplace at Nocatee

SilverLeaf (Silverleaf Parkway & St. Johns Parkway)

• Publix — at 55,701 square feet, the largest Publix in Northeast Florida, with a Pours café and attached liquor store

• M Shack, SoFresh, and My Tiffin — the shopping center's growing dining lineup

• Avalon Nails & Spa, Club Pilates, and The UPS Store — everyday services

• Dunkin' and Fifth Third Bank — the confirmed outparcel tenants along SilverLeaf Parkway

Note: Chase Bank is not part of SilverLeaf's shopping center — that project is a separate Chase location near Sawgrass Village in Ponte Vedra Beach. SilverLeaf's confirmed bank tenant is Fifth Third.

RiverTown (Greenbriar Road & Longleaf Parkway)

RiverTown Shops off Greenbriar Road and Longleaf Parkway is still filling in, with a Fifth Third Bank branch among its newer additions. RiverTown's amenity draw remains its riverfront pool complex and lazy river on the St. Johns River, which residents and prospective buyers can tour by appointment through the community's welcome center.

Beachwalk (County Road 210)

• Publix, Wawa, and BJ's Wholesale Club — the retail anchors already open at Beachwalk's commercial center

• Crystal Lagoon — the 14-acre centerpiece amenity the new Margaritaville hotel and cottages will surround

Frequently Asked Questions

Don't Let a Pending Permit Change Your Mind After Closing

A Chick-fil-A, a hotel, an apartment complex, a 4,462-acre land vote — none of these show up on a standard listing sheet, but every one of them can affect your commute, your CDD assessment, or the view out your back window a year from now. The buyers who avoid surprises are the ones who ask what's pending near a property before they write an offer, not after.

I track county filings, DRC agendas, and PARC Group announcements across Nocatee, RiverTown, SilverLeaf, EverRange, and Beachwalk every week. If you're looking at a home near any of the projects above, let's pull the actual filings for that specific address before you decide.

LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR NEXT MOVE

Call/Text: (904) 599-2125

Email: greg@livinginjacksonvillefl.com

Website: https://www.livinginjacksonvillefl.com/

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About Greg DeTullio, Broker/Owner, Living in Jacksonville FL Team

Greg DeTullio is a Florida-licensed Real Estate Broker and the founder of the Living in Jacksonville FL Team. With a decade of industry expertise, he has successfully managed over 200 closed transactions and earned five-star Google reviews. Greg specializes in Jacksonville relocation services and new construction within St. Johns County, proudly serving Nocatee, SilverLeaf, RiverTown, St. Johns, EverRange, Ponte Vedra Beach, and the surrounding Northeast Florida communities.

Living in Jacksonville FL Team | Phone: (904) 599-2125

Equal Housing Opportunity. Greg DeTullio, FL Real Estate Broker License #BK3332620, is a member of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR). This article is general information only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. Confirm your specific costs, tax obligations, and transaction details with your attorney, tax advisor, lender, or closing officer.

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• Nocatee development (2)
• RiverTown Florida (2)
• Nocatee Town Center (2)
• EverRange apartments (2)
• SB 686 Florida (2)
• St. Johns County news (2)
• SilverLeaf real estate (2)
• Beachwalk Margaritaville hotel (2)
• Nocatee Chick-fil-A (1)
• St. Johns County 2026 (1)
• Ponte Vedra development (1)
• agricultural enclave St. Johns County (1)