{"id":243866,"date":"2026-04-23T22:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T22:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/243866\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T22:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T22:08:08","slug":"whole-foods-in-downtown-jacksonville-gets-official-opening-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/243866\/","title":{"rendered":"Whole Foods in downtown Jacksonville gets official opening date"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whole Foods Market<\/a> in downtown Jacksonville this week received an official opening day announcement.<\/p>\n

The major milestone for the city’s growing urban core will celebrate its grand opening May 21, according to a Thursday news release.<\/p>\n

The grocery store will anchor the $250 million One Riverside development<\/a> in the Brooklyn neighborhood, bringing a full-service, high-end grocer to an area that has long lacked walkable grocery options.<\/p>\n

When will the Whole Foods in downtown Jacksonville open?<\/p>\n

The downtown Jacksonville Whole Foods is expected to open May 21, despite earlier projections pointing to a September 2026 completion timeline.<\/p>\n

The first 300 shoppers on opening day will receive a Whole Foods Market limited-edition tote bag and a Secret Saver card featuring offers up to $100 off.<\/p>\n

Customers will also be able to enjoy\u00a0samples from\u00a0La Gringuita\u00a0Gourmet\u00a0Cookies<\/a>\u00a0and coffee from\u00a0Bold Bean Coffee\u00a0Roasters<\/a> on opening morning.<\/p>\n

Downtown Investment Authority<\/a> initially labeled Sept. 30 as a broader retail completion goal, meaning the store will open months ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n

Official job postings for the store are available now as well.<\/p>\n

Why is the store opening ahead of schedule?<\/p>\n

The shift from a fall timeline to a spring opening reflects accelerated construction and tenant build-out progress at One Riverside.<\/a><\/p>\n

The store\u2019s interior build-out permit was issued in 2025, and the broader development has rapidly filled with tenants, indicating strong leasing momentum.<\/p>\n

Hiring activity has already begun as well, which typically occurs a few weeks out from opening.<\/p>\n

Changing stores: Winn-Dixie on Chaffee Road set to close, become an Aldi<\/a><\/p>\n

Working the budget: Consumer Reports ranks cheapest grocery stores nationwide<\/a><\/p>\n

Where is the new Whole Foods located in Jacksonville?<\/p>\n

The new store is located at 1 Riverside Ave. in the Brooklyn neighborhood of downtown\u2019s northbank.<\/p>\n

It sits within the One Riverside mixed-use development, positioned at the base of the Acosta Bridge along the St. Johns River and near Riverside Avenue and the Emerald Trail corridor.<\/p>\n

What can shoppers expect from the new Whole Foods in downtown Jacksonville?<\/p>\n

The store will span roughly 38,000 square feet and include full grocery departments, prepared foods and dine-in seating.<\/p>\n

This will feature more than 800 local items from over 115 Florida-based suppliers as well.<\/p>\n

Whole Foods Market said it also will provide a food donation to\u00a0Gleaner\u2019s Dispatch<\/a>, a nonprofit organization which aims to enhance the ability of local food rescue organizations to transport surplus food to areas facing the greatest need.<\/p>\n

What is One Riverside?<\/p>\n

One Riverside is a major mixed-use redevelopment project transforming the former site of The Florida Times-Union into a dense urban hub.<\/p>\n

The development includes hundreds of residential units, riverfront retail and restaurants, fitness and lifestyle tenants and structured parking.<\/p>\n

The Whole Foods Market is the anchor tenant, meaning it\u2019s expected to drive daily foot traffic and support surrounding businesses.<\/p>\n

City leaders and developers see the project as a key step in revitalizing Downtown Jacksonville\u2019s Brooklyn district and increasing residential density.<\/p>\n

Award winning groceries: Publix, Winn-Dixie win big at National Pie contest in Orlando<\/a><\/p>\n

What other businesses are coming to One Riverside?<\/p>\n

Whole Foods won\u2019t open alone. The surrounding retail spaces are filling with complementary tenants, including a boutique fitness studio, a specialty donut shop, a riverfront restaurant concept and wellness and beauty services.<\/p>\n

The development is already fully leased, reinforcing expectations that the area will become a high-traffic destination once the grocery store opens.<\/p>\n

How will this Whole Foods impact downtown Jacksonville?<\/p>\n

The arrival of Whole Foods Market is widely viewed as a turning point for downtown living. It is part of a larger plan to improve livability, walkability and daily convenience in downtown while adding retail and dining options for revitalization efforts.<\/p>\n

Downtown Jacksonville has struggled historically with grocery access, making this a critical piece of infrastructure for long-term residential growth.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Whole Foods in downtown will open May 21 after plans for fall opening<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whole Foods Market in downtown Jacksonville this week received an official opening day announcement. The major milestone for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68422,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[107480,3404,3751,116,118,117,7909,107479,58835,107478],"class_list":{"0":"post-243866","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-brooklyn-neighborhood","9":"tag-grand-opening","10":"tag-grocery-store","11":"tag-jacksonville","12":"tag-jacksonville-headlines","13":"tag-jacksonville-news","14":"tag-riverside","15":"tag-riverside-development","16":"tag-urban-core","17":"tag-whole-foods-market"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243866\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}