By: Amelia Espinales
Across the Jacksonville area, traditional mall culture has changed. Empty storefronts, online shopping, and newer shopping destinations have raised questions about the future of enclosed malls. Luckily, to revive a classic way of shopping, local development plans show that the malls themselves may not be disappearing, they may just be evolving.
One of the biggest examples is Jacksonville’s Regency Square Mall. Once one of Jacksonville’s major shopping destinations, the mall declined over several decades before its interior closed in 2025.Demolition of the former food court and east wing began this September 2026 as a part of plans to redevelop most pf the property into The Nexus at Regency. Plans for the site include new retail, restaurants, residential development and other commercial uses.
Other malls are trying to adapt before that point. At the Avenues, Jacksonville City Council approved rezoning in 2025 that allows a four-story, 266-unit apartment on a portion of the mall property. The project would replace underused parking with housing while the mall remains open.
Orange Park Mall is also getting a makeover. The current owner, Second Horizon Capital, has completed upgrades including new interior paint, LED lighting, and improvements to the food court. Plans also call for transforming the former Sears property into an open-air retail development. Plans presented to Clay County in August showed an even larger vision for the former Sears property, including new national retailers and five outparcels replacing portions of the existing parking area.
The mall experience Jacksonville residents remember may be changing, but redevelopment at Regency, The Avenues and Orange Park Mall suggest these properties are not necessarily going away. They are being rebuilt around what people want from them now.