Neighbors: Unity Plaza in Jacksonville's Brooklyn area not living up to expectations

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sbraga, Hobnob, and now Brixx: All three restaurants are closed for business since the excitement around the re-birth of Jacksonville’s Brooklyn neighborhood and the opening of Unity Plaza in 2015.

The sign on the door of the now-closed Brixx Woodfired Pizza now says, "We believe this will one day be a vibrant and bustling area for the residents of Jacksonville. We wish we could have been part of the transformation."

Kristina Brookins moved to Brooklyn two years ago with a lot of hope for the neighborhood.

“I moved here for the whole experience, and there’s not much of a draw anymore,” Brookins said.

Unity Plaza was supposed to combine health, entertainment and food in a vibrant neighborhood that would bring people together.

The city and private partners invested $45 million into the project.

The plaza included an amphitheater, which was supposed to host yoga and other outdoor events.

Neighbors tell Action News Jax there were a lot of activities there at the beginning. Now, not so much.

“Evidently whatever was supposed to be here didn’t work,” Brookins said. “So hopefully the company that bought the building will bring different ideas.”

In December, the retail space on the bottom floor of the 220 Riverside apartments was sold ahead of foreclosure proceedings. This includes where Sbraga and Co., Hobnob, and Brixx were once open for business.

It’s now owned by a South Florida based property management company.

Cox Media Group