Duval County

New restaurant and bar to serve liquor despite being close to a house of worship; request for liquor license and outdoor dining get approved

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new bar will be allowed to serve liquor despite being close to a house of worship.

The city and neighbors discussed the restaurant’s requests for a liquor license and an outdoor patio for nearly four hours Thursday afternoon at the Edward Ball building Downtown.

The goal was to make sure the neighborhood is safe for everyone involved, but after an approval of multiple variances, neighbors in the area where the bar is going say the opposite could result.

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The approval of the liquor license and an outdoor patio allows Time Out Sports Grill to fill the location on the corner of San Jose Boulevard and Haley Road.

“I think it’s a big win for Time Out, I think it’s a big win for the community, and I think it’s a big win for Mandarin,” owner Matt Harris said. “This area deserves more.”

Neighbors have expressed concerns over safety and loud noise from a bar next to the nearby neighborhood. The acceptance of Harris’ request for a variance from the city pushes their concerns further.

“I’m just really disappointed; it’s wild to think this is how it worked out,” neighbor Sarah Herman said. “They told us we had to spend so much time working on this ... and do the opposite of everything that was taken care of.”

The property isn’t zoned for liquor because it is less than 500 feet from a house of worship, and there are four nearby. By right, Harris could sell beer and wine but he wanted to add liquor.

Herman, who lives on Haley Road, is an Orthodox Jew and walks to service during Sabbath on Friday to Saturday night; a time when restaurants and bars tend to be the busiest.

“We were hoping for closure on the Haley Road driveway because there’s so much foot traffic and no sidewalk on the other side of the road,” Herman said. “There’s nowhere else for our children or pedestrians to walk except there.”

Harris told Action News Jax he has offered for security guards to be present on Friday nights and every holiday. He says he is also adding a 6-foot fence to help seclude the area.