The Downtown Investment Board voted unanimously Aug. 20 to approve a $156,000 grant to help establish a Japanese restaurant in LaVilla.

Koto Jax LLC plans to use the funds, granted by the nine-member board under the DIA’s Retail Enhancement Program, to renovate leased space at 927 W. Forsyth St. to open Koto Izakaya & Listening Room.

Applicants Raymond De Padua, managing partner of Koto Jax LLC, and Justin Raulerson, general manager, plan to renovate a 10,400-square-foot space at a cost of $692,115, according to an application to the DIA. The company has a 10-year lease in the building with two optional extensions.

The restaurant is the second in Duval County for Koto Jax LLC, according to a DIA staff report. The company manages a similar establishment, Izakaya Ko, in Jacksonville Beach

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