The FIVE live music venue in Five Points seeks a zoning exception and waiver to sell and serve liquor, beer and wine for on-premises indoor consumption.
FIVE intends to open at 1028 Park St. in the space formerly used by the closed Sun-Ray Cinema.
The applicant is Josh Billue of Marathon Live in Nashville, Tennessee.
Marathon Live says on its fivejax.com site that the FIVE live music venue is coming to Jacksonville in January with the first shows, Palaye Royale, scheduled Feb. 22; Alexandra Kay, Feb. 23; Dirtwire, Feb. 28; Zach Top, March 5-6; and more shows booked into October.
FIVE operates through JRFMJAXTOO Inc.
Property owner 1028 Park LLC is based in Decatur, Georgia.
Andrew Seng and Jay Weaver, founders of Union South Partners, bought the building through 1028 Park LLC on May 16, 2024, for $7 million from 5 Points Theatre Building LLC, led by the Shad family.
The deed was in care of The Seng Co. of Decatur.
The theater was the former Sun-Ray Cinema, which had operated a two-screen movie theater in the building since 2011. Its lease expired and was not renewed. It closed July 6, 2024.
The space previously was leased to nightclub Club 5, which also featured live music and sold alcohol. Club 5 opened in 1991 and closed in 2004.
The city has been reviewing a permit application for the estimated $1.2 million renovation of the two-story, 13,320-square-foot theater space for Marathon Music.
Marathon Live announced July 8 that it planned to convert the cinema into the FIVE venue. The zoning exception application says the club will sell food but is not seeking to qualify as a full-service restaurant under the zoning code.
The four-story, 35,000-square-foot building, designed by architect Roy Benjamin, was built in 1927 and opened as the Riverside Theatre. It was the first theater in Jacksonville to screen films with sound while also accommodating live theater performances.
The building also has tenants occupying retail and office spaces that will remain in place for the duration of their existing lease agreements.
Andrew Seng and Jay Weaver, founders of Union South Partners of Decatur, Georgia, bought the building May 16 for $7 million through 1028 Park LLC. The seller was the Shad family through 5 Points Theatre Building LLC.
Ordinance 2025-0008 would approve zoning exception E-24-59 for the club.
The Jacksonville City Council Land Use & Zoning Committee introduced the bill Jan. 14.
Public hearings are scheduled at 5 p.m. Jan. 28 at Council and 5 p.m. Feb. 4 at the LUZ committee.
Both meetings are in Council chambers on the first floor of City Hall at 117 W. Duval St. Downtown.
FIVE also seeks a waiver to reduce the minimum distance between a liquor license location and a church or school from 1,500 to 325 feet.
A companion to the zoning exception, WLD-24-19 is the waiver.
For that, the Jacksonville Planning Commission scheduled a public hearing for 1 p.m. Jan. 25 in the first-floor hearing room at the Edward Ball Building at 214 N. Hogan St. in Downtown Jacksonville.