Build Up Downtown

So much fun last week exploring downtown with CREW Jacksonville. Linzee O. with Build Up Downtown was an amazing and passionate guide. Got to meet some new friends and see all the fun projects planned to help grow our downtown and our communities!

Gateway Jax is designing a five-story “boutique” office and retail building #Downtown on the site of a warehouse immediately north of the development group’s first construction project, principal Bryan Moll announced Feb. 26. Ric Anderson reports. Jacksonville Daily Record Downtown Vision Inc. Build Up Downtown

The City of Jacksonville issued permits Feb. 24 for CSX Corp. to renovate the second floor of its #Downtown headquarters at 500 Water St. at a combined project cost of almost $2.37 million. Jacksonville Daily Record Downtown Vision Inc. Build Up Downtown Joe Hinrichs

🚧 Drivers: big changes coming to Downtown Jax! The Adams & Forsyth Two-Way Mobility Project kicked off this week, restoring two-way traffic to these streets. Expect single-lane closures in phases (details below!) for about 120 days total as we work on paving, signals, and more. It may not feel like a big deal, but this project will help encourage economic growth, boost property values, and support more efficient use of on-street parking and rideshare services. It will also enhance retail visibility and occupancy rates, improve walkability and pedestrian safety, increase sidewalk activity, and elevate residential demand and quality of life. Think about it this way: when streets are two lanes of one-way traffic, people drive faster and don’t necessarily take in their surroundings as much. With two-way streets, traffic slows down and drivers pay a tad more attention to where they are and what’s happening around them, i.e. shops, restaurants, and pedestrian activity. ⚠️ What to expect: Phase 1: Forsyth (N) single lane 2/22, Adams (S) single lane 3/1 (60 days) Phase 2: Forsyth (S) and Adams (N) single lane following phase one completion (60 days) Expected Completion: Summer 2025 Expect temporary single-lane closures as the City works on improvements, but know it’s all for a more vibrant, pedestrian-friendly future in our Downtown. Downtown Investment Authority City of Jacksonville #DTJax #TwoWayTraffic #walkable #InfrastructureisImportant

🏙️ The Universal Marion building, JEA’s former headquarters, is on the market! JEA issued an RFP today that seeks proposals to activate or redevelop the buildings ““in a manner that best serves the community’s interests.”” Scoring criteria emphasize proposed uses, design, and economic benefit to Downtown, demonstrating JEA’s wishes that these buildings further contribute to Downtown’s momentum. Interested parties have until April 8 to respond. JEA’s board will be the one to review and approve a sale, and applicants will be required to coordinate with the City and DIA. The 2.47-acre parcel contains two tall buildings and structured parking. When it opened in 1963, the 19-story tower was the tallest building on the Northbank and second tallest in the city. Its “distinctive hexagonal ‘honeycomb’ windows make it highly recognizable on the city’s skyline,” according to Jax History. The building’s first major tenant was the Universal Marion Company of Miami, with Purcell’s and Ivey’s department stores on its bottom floors. The Universal Marion tower was the third phase of a project that became known as “Downtown Center,” which was a mixed-use development complementing the nearby May-Cohens. It famously housed the Embers, a revolving rooftop restaurant on the 18th floor of the building. The complex was sold to JEA in 1988, which inhabited the buildings until 2022, when the utility company moved into its brand new headquarters at the corner of Adams and Pearl streets, next to the Duval County Courthouse. The JEA board voted in August 2024 to declare the complex of buildings and parking as surplus property. Located only one block from City Hall and two blocks from the Pearl Square development, this site will make a great buy in Downtown’s North Core. We think this building is a market indicator to watch, as several industry experts have suggested that the building would lend itself well to office-to-residential conversion—an emerging trend in the post-pandemic world. As #DTJax momentum builds, we’re excited to see what’s next for this historic building! And who knows: maybe the return of the rotating rooftop restaurant?!

Starbucks is making a comeback to DTJax after 14 years 🤩 The Seattle based company is no stranger to Downtown Jacksonville and we’re excited to welcome them back! The Urban Division announced this morning that the space will be blown out to create a street-facing storefront with hopes to expand into the retail corridor of downtown. “The Seattle-based coffee giant signed a lease for space on the ground floor of the Bank of America Tower at 50 N. Laura St. The space will be blown out to create a street-facing storefront with doors opening onto Laura Street. The owner, Group RMC, has embarked on a second phase of renovation for the office tower, focusing on ground-floor restaurant and retail that is open to the public.” Article: Jacksonville Business Journal written by Emma B. Full Read: https://lnkd.in/dVhc78QX

Jacksonville has its first Main Street America program! 🏘️ Florida Avenue Main Street cut the ribbon on the organization’s economic revitalization efforts last week! What does that mean for Downtown? 🔽 Florida Avenue Main Street (FAMS) is a newly formed nonprofit committed to the revitalization of the Historic Eastside’s business corridor. As part of the nationally recognized Florida Main Street network, FAMS will support local businesses, attract new investment, and encourage economic development and preservation. 📈🚀 FAMS is Jacksonville’s first ever Main Street, designated in January 2024. It’s a coordinating program with Main Street America, which helps build economic power in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts in more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities across the country. FAMS is focusing on the A. Philip Randolph Boulevard corridor—historically referred to as Florida Avenue. Nigelle Kohn, a fourth generation Eastsider, was recently tapped as executive director after her 7+ years leadership at Family Foundations of Northeast Florida. A vibrant Downtown requires healthy neighborhoods surrounding it, and myriad initiatives are in motion to ensure Jacksonville’s urban core is a more active, safe, thriving, and attractive destination. Although the Historic Eastside isn’t within most definitions of “Downtown,” the neighborhood is a vital link in our urban core’s fabric and is directly adjacent to the Sports and Entertainment District. 🏙️🏟️ In addition to the efforts of LIFT JAX the recent reopening of @thecorneratdebs the Community Benefits Agreement accompanying the Jaguars’ Stadium of the Future deal, and several others, the Out East neighborhood is beginning to receive some of the preservation and investment it deserves. This Main Street designation is just one huge example! Learn more at https://lnkd.in/eBy9uQZ2!

Next Thursday, the DIA Board of Directors will consider a major land swap deal with Gateway Jax that will allow the UF graduate campus to get underway and activate two severely constrained riverfront sites straddling the Main Street Bridge. What’s happening? 🏙️ UF’s new campus: The City and DIA are negotiating a 22-acre land disposition in LaVilla, near the Prime Osborn & Regional Transportation Center. 🏙️ Key parcels: The first sites in focus include Parcels A, B, the historic train station, the convention center building, and 801 W. Bay St. 🏙️ The twist? The City owns all of the land, EXCEPT Gateway Jax owns 801 W. Bay—a strategic move by the developer, who purchased land in each of the areas UF was previously considering for its campus. To integrate 801 W. Bay into the campus, DIA is proposing a land exchange with Gateway Jax. In return, Gateway Jax would receive: 📍 Riverfront Plaza Site (~1 acre): This small development pad must be built up in height to meet resiliency needs, seamlessly integrate with the park plans in progress, and comply with a 30-foot setback from the Main Street Bridge—further limiting buildable space. (Previously, American Lions proposed a tower here, but market conditions made it financially unfeasible.) 📍 East of Main Street Bridge: Development here faces multiple restrictions, including a 50-foot setback from the bulkhead, an existing 30-foot sewer line that can’t be moved, a 50-foot easement along the bridge, stepped height restrictions from the river, and an easement on the Hyatt side. Additionally, removing an existing bridge off-ramp could cost a developer $3.25 million or more. What’s next? 🐊 UF has an accelerated timeline, with classes at 801 W. Bay starting as early as August & a business program launching in January 2026. If approved by the DIA and City Council, UF must: ✔ Begin design of at least one Class-A educational building within 6 months of closing ✔ File for construction permits within 2 years ✔ Start construction within 6 months of permit approvals This is an elaborate deal with many moving parts. We will keep you updated as things progress!

Exciting news for Downtown Jacksonville! Rafael and Carmen Godwin, proud Jacksonville natives with deep family roots in our city, have acquired the historic Mag’s Café at 231 N. Laura St. Their vision? To revitalize this iconic corner with a new restaurant and residential spaces, honoring its rich history and contributing to the future of #DTJax. In part ownership with Alan and Ellen Cottrill of Avant Construction Group, together they will work to rebuild the block. The Godwins purchased the property at 231 N. Laura St. and an attached retail building at 38-44 W. Monroe St. behind the café as well. The Goodwins are working toward the historical landmark designation for Mag’s Cafe and the Monroe street property to unlock the DIA’s Downtown and Preservation and Revitalization Program incentives, and bringing the restaurant up to code in order to bring a new tenant in. Rafael spoke with the Jacksonville Business Journal and said he is lucky to have fallen into a project that can help shape the future of downtown. “It hurts me when I see we have something called the Town Center but it’s not even a town center, we have one right here,” he said, sitting in Chamblin’s Uptown in the heart of downtown. Last Slide — Rafael Godwin’s great grandfather Seaborn Padgett, on the right, pictured in James Weldon Johnson Park, formerly Hemming Plaza, circa 1928. Article: Jacksonville Business Journal written by Emma B. — https://lnkd.in/eTp34Nqv

Last week, the Lofts at Cathedral officially celebrated its grand opening. The unique project incorporated renovation of an historic building as well as new construction, introducing 120 total new apartment units to the Cathedral District of #DTJax. 💒 Offering an array of studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments, Lofts is a mixed-income development with 90 units in the new building and 30 in the historic YWCA building. As of last week, the apartments were 62% occupied and 78% pre-leased. 🔑 Built in 1949-50 as the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), the historic brick building served as a refuge for unmarried young women in a time when this type of housing was a societal norm. As things changed, the organization transformed and became Community Connections in 1978. It was an organization—championed by former Sheriff Nat Glover and State Attorney Harry Shorstein—that offered homelessness and transitional housing services. It closed in 2016. The YWCA’s historic lobby area was saved and adaptively reused. Pictured are its spacious club room (with historic fireplace intact), original mailboxes, and telephone booth. The Lofts at Cathedral costs included a $5.45 million renovation of the YWCA building, with an Affordable Housing Support Loan of $625k from the Northbank CRA Trust Fund as well as City Council approval of $2.39 million in forgivable and deferred principal historic preservation (DPRP) loans. Total project costs were about $40 million. The project was developed by local affordable housing leader Vestcor and designed by local architecture firm Group 4 Design. 🏗️