ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — It was announced July 8 that Thompson Thrift Development have plans to put in the Terrassa Apartment in St. Augustine, a 324 unit luxury style apartment complex. The complex is expected to be built at 500 Outlet Mall Blvd. in St. Augustine.
It's expected to bring in more people to the St. Augustine area, but some locals are conflicted. While one side thinks the money should go somewhere else in the community, some people are excited about the revenue it could bring in for their businesses.
Jeff King, who works at the car dealership across from where the apartments will be built, says it is about time. "It’s taken awhile to get going as a lot of these projects do. But it’s good to see they are finally starting to move some dirt, and get the project, you know, above ground."
Javel Faeron, who is a St. Augustine local, does not think it is a good idea, especially with the amount of traffic is going to bring into an already congested area. “The same Circle K near where they are building the apartment, every single day that I go by there it is traffic congestion now.”
Traffic is annoying to some, but King, who works at a car dealership, is happy to have more potential customers. “More traffic means you have more people coming into the dealership. Means you have more people coming into the ford’s garage restaurant, more opportunities for people to experience,” he said.
This plan is not only expected to bring in more people, but for all the businesses in the area, they are excited to see the potential. Baptist Health is also planning to build in the area, with the whole project set to be completed in fall of 2026.