The Boulevard Navarre Beach
The Boulevard Navarre Beach is a 34-acre entertainment district planned for the heart of Navarre to create a live, work, and play community. The land was purchased in January 2018 for roughly $5.5 million.
The 275,000-square-foot site is owned by Navarre Beach Crossings LLC, a company registered to Craig Kruse and Chandler Huff. Also involved in the project is developer Merg Hoffman who has prior experience creating similar projects for areas throughout the Southeast. He also had a hand in the construction of the Publix shopping complex neighboring the property.
Initially made public in February 2018, conceptual site plans for The Boulevard Navarre Beach included a movie theater, retail shops, and restaurants all situated in a walkable plaza including a pond with a walking trail.
The presence of a movie theater would be a first in Navarre. Currently, the closest theaters to Navarre are the United Artists Santa Rosa in Mary Esther and the Breeze Cinema 8 in Gulf Breeze.
Multifamily housing may be added to the massive commercial development planned for the corner of U.S. Highway 98 and Highway 87.
Conceptual collages for the site show an apartment complex with high-end amenities, retailers such as Home Goods and Ross, a dog park and outdoor entertainment space, waterfront restaurants, and walkability throughout.
The property owners have applied for a conditional use through the county to allow up to 333 multifamily dwelling units on the 33-acre property. Director of Planning and Zoning Shawn Ward said based on the submittal, the commercial plans for The Boulevard are still in place but adding this new function to the property.
The conceptual site plan for the property has also changed, shifting much of the design east and dropping some of the retail and restaurant spaces off the plan.
Merganser Enterprises submitted the site plans to the county. The plans show parking for 1,040 cars, as well as four junior anchor stores, seven outparcels bordering US 98, and two restaurants near a retention pond on the east side of the site.
Most recently, COVID-19 government closures put the brakes on the project for nearly three months. But the owners have always been optimistic about the project’s future, though there are still no official dates for completion.
With the latest county approval, dirt could be moving soon at The Boulevard site.
There’s finally visible movement at the site of a proposed large-scale commercial and entertainment district. Signs advertising a hearing on the potential project have been posted along the highways, the first visible sign of life for the project.
We will keep this post updated as more information rolls out on the development. If you are looking for current things to do in Navarre Beach check out our post on that. We also have a post on current Navarre Beach shopping and Navarre Beach restaurant choices.