The vacant lots at the corner of Hendricks Avenue and Emerson Street could soon see some activation pending approval of a rezoning application submitted to the Jacksonville City Council.
Ordinance 2026-0693 seeks to rezone three parcels at that intersection – 3757 Hendricks Avenue, 3747 Hendricks Avenue and 3710 Grandy Avenue – from Commercial Community/General -1 (CCG-1) and Residential Low Density-60 (RLD-60) to Commercial Office (CO). A companion ordinance, 2026-092, is seeking to change the land use designation through a small-scale amendment to the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) series of the 2045 Comprehensive Plan.
In February 2024, Resident News reported on the demolition of structures on the two Hendricks Avenue parcels, both owned by Raaj Properties, LLC, according to county records. According to JaxEpics, the city issued a third demolition permit for the Grandy Avenue property, also owned by Raaj Properties, LLC.
According to county records, the LLC owns five of the seven parcels bordered by Hendricks Avenue, Greenridge Road, Grandy Avenue, and Emerson Street. The remaining two parcels have private residences.
Public records reflect that the LLC’s principal agent is Rajesh Shetty; its address matches the Gate Parkway/295 location of Florida Eye Specialists, of which Shetty is the founder and currently the CEO and managing partner.
Florida Eye Specialists currently has 17 locations in Northeast Florida, including one in San Marco on San Marco Boulevard and one in Riverside on Stockton Street.
The pair of applications are listed on the agenda for the Land, Use and Zoning (LUZ) Committee’s Oct. 6 meeting.
Resident News reached out to Shetty for details regarding his plans for the parcels, but did not receive a response by press time.