Last spring, ownership for the Loop Pizza Grill learned that they would have to search for a new location for the popular Avondale restaurant, which had served the Jacksonville, Florida, community for three decades.
Now, they've found it. The Loop will be the first tenant of a new multi-use space at Sadler Point Marina.
Loop ownership recently signed the lease for a 3,100-square-foot space in a 18,000-square-foot building in Sadler Point Marina, said Brooks Busey, who owns the marina with his family.
The space, located at 4619 Roosevelt Blvd., for many years housed Pier 17 Marine, a marine supply business.
The Loop will be the first tenant of a new multi-use space at Sadler Point Marina
development came from Busey, who had seen other dynamic developments of working waterfronts and was inspired by the use of waterfront locations for more than just boating. He envisioned the building, located in the marina on the Ortega River, as incorporating restaurants, retail spaces and space for community and nonprofit events.
That vision inspired Loop co-founders Mike Schneider and Terry Schneider.
"This is an exciting vision for Jacksonville," Mike Schneider says. "The fact that the Sadler Point Marina development will engage the community feels like a perfect fit for the Loop, because that's what we're all about."
The restaurant will draw some design inspiration from the Loop's St. Johns Town Center prototype, but it will be updated and modified to fit the unique location. It will seat 116 guests, with additional seating on the patio.
Like the former Avondale location, the new Loop will also take advantage of the waterfront location, and it is only about a mile from the former space.
"The Avondale community has supported us from the start," Schneider said. "We're happy we have found a location that will continue to serve that community, while allowing us to become part of some new neighborhoods."
The last day at the current Avondale location is December 11. Loop ownership is eager to continue serving the community, and the new space is expected to open in early spring 2017.
