Friendship Fountain Restaurant Funded & Moving Forward

[Ken_FSU]

It is quite incredible the scrutiny for tiny amounts of affordable housing funding compared to projects like this

It's truly wild. As a city, we've committed three times more taxpayer dollars from the general fund for this single, ultra-luxury apartment complex ($38 million) than we've committed to affordable housing and homeless services for the entire year combined ($12 million).

Jacksonville has a 50,000 unit shortfall in affordable housing that our citizens openly report to be the most important issue in Jacksonville, and wildly unproven demand for $5k apartment rents on the river.

It's weird to me how elements of the city gets themselves worked into an uproar over spending money on parks or stadium improvements, but no one seems to be questioning a monstrous, near-$40 million cash hand out from taxpayers to Related.

Think of how hard those dollars could work if used for down payment assistance, beefing up an affordable housing trust like you see in cities like Atlanta, expanding beds in homeless shelters, subsidizing more workforce housing with state support, etc.

I'm sure it will be beautiful, I question if it will be full, and have no doubt that are better uses of taxpayer dollars, at a time when the city's general fund is already stretched thin. Subsidies for projects like the Gateway Publix development, stadium improvements, Laura Street Trio, parks, and even the Four Seasons all make sense to me. They're providing reasonably equitable public services, saving critically endangered historic building stock, or addressing a major gap in the market that will start generating bed tax dollars immediately. Don't see it with this one. REV grants and a $10 million completion grant? Sure. $38 million from the general fund. Woof.

[vicupstate]

It is quite incredible the scrutiny for tiny amounts of affordable housing funding compared to projects like this

It's truly wild. As a city, we've committed three times more taxpayer dollars from the general fund for this single, ultra-luxury apartment complex ($38 million) than we've committed to affordable housing and homeless services for the entire year combined ($12 million).

Jacksonville has a 50,000 unit shortfall in affordable housing that our citizens openly report to be the most important issue in Jacksonville, and wildly unproven demand for $5k apartment rents on the river.

It's weird to me how elements of the city gets themselves worked into an uproar over spending money on parks or stadium improvements, but no one seems to be questioning a monstrous, near-$40 million cash hand out from taxpayers to Related.

Think of how hard those dollars could work if used for down payment assistance, beefing up an affordable housing trust like you see in cities like Atlanta, expanding beds in homeless shelters, subsidizing more workforce housing with state support, etc.

I'm sure it will be beautiful, I question if it will be full, and have no doubt that are better uses of taxpayer dollars, at a time when the city's general fund is already stretched thin. Subsidies for projects like the Gateway Publix development, stadium improvements, Laura Street Trio, parks, and even the Four Seasons all make sense to me. They're providing reasonably equitable public services, saving critically endangered historic building stock, or addressing a major gap in the market that will start generating bed tax dollars immediately. Don't see it with this one. REV grants and a $10 million completion grant? Sure. $38 million from the general fund. Woof.

A lot of things in life in regards to government spending and priorities make a lot more sense when you understand this nugget of truth:

The first priority of government is to enrich the rich, or at least make them happy.

[thelakelander]

^This. With politics, throw logic out of the window.

[Jankelope]

That statistic of only $12 million for affordable housing for the ENTIRE CITY is absolutely crazy when it is the biggest single issue for Jacksonville citizens.

[Tacachale]

That statistic of only $12 million for affordable housing for the ENTIRE CITY is absolutely crazy when it is the biggest single issue for Jacksonville citizens.

Tell me about it. Every year the mayor has put robust affordable housing funding into the budget, only for it to be removed by City Council. Last year alone our proposed addition of $7 million was cut to $900k.

[jcjohnpaint]

Disgusting and sad. I hope none of them end up in a place where they need such help.

[Joey Mackey]

Probably blocked behind a paywall, but here is an interesting and relevant article from the NYT.

Austin highlights the alternative approach. Its leaders understood that expanding the housing stock in any way, even with luxury apartment buildings, would ease pressure for renters or buyers at lower income levels. Higher-income residents move into the new construction, creating less demand for older buildings and reducing the prices to live there. Instead of constraints, Austin offered perks. If an apartment building included affordable units or its design was environmentally friendly, the city relaxed restrictions on building height and size.

Reasonable minds can disagree whether the incentives going towards the Related Tower are the best use of that taxpayer money, but the project should still have some positive effect on rental prices. Any increase to the housing supply is good.

[Jagsdrew]

It is quite incredible the scrutiny for tiny amounts of affordable housing funding compared to projects like this

It's truly wild. As a city, we've committed three times more taxpayer dollars from the general fund for this single, ultra-luxury apartment complex ($38 million) than we've committed to affordable housing and homeless services for the entire year combined ($12 million).

Jacksonville has a 50,000 unit shortfall in affordable housing that our citizens openly report to be the most important issue in Jacksonville, and wildly unproven demand for $5k apartment rents on the river.

It's weird to me how elements of the city gets themselves worked into an uproar over spending money on parks or stadium improvements, but no one seems to be questioning a monstrous, near-$40 million cash hand out from taxpayers to Related.

Think of how hard those dollars could work if used for down payment assistance, beefing up an affordable housing trust like you see in cities like Atlanta, expanding beds in homeless shelters, subsidizing more workforce housing with state support, etc.

I'm sure it will be beautiful, I question if it will be full, and have no doubt that are better uses of taxpayer dollars, at a time when the city's general fund is already stretched thin. Subsidies for projects like the Gateway Publix development, stadium improvements, Laura Street Trio, parks, and even the Four Seasons all make sense to me. They're providing reasonably equitable public services, saving critically endangered historic building stock, or addressing a major gap in the market that will start generating bed tax dollars immediately. Don't see it with this one. REV grants and a $10 million completion grant? Sure. $38 million from the general fund. Woof.

Curious question, is the 50k shortfall Duval County or Jax metro?

I ask because I've seen more noise about affordable housing developments being denied in SJC by the commish in the news than approval citing traffic and congestion.

[Ken_FSU]

It is quite incredible the scrutiny for tiny amounts of affordable housing funding compared to projects like this

It's truly wild. As a city, we've committed three times more taxpayer dollars from the general fund for this single, ultra-luxury apartment complex ($38 million) than we've committed to affordable housing and homeless services for the entire year combined ($12 million).

Jacksonville has a 50,000 unit shortfall in affordable housing that our citizens openly report to be the most important issue in Jacksonville, and wildly unproven demand for $5k apartment rents on the river.

It's weird to me how elements of the city gets themselves worked into an uproar over spending money on parks or stadium improvements, but no one seems to be questioning a monstrous, near-$40 million cash hand out from taxpayers to Related.

Think of how hard those dollars could work if used for down payment assistance, beefing up an affordable housing trust like you see in cities like Atlanta, expanding beds in homeless shelters, subsidizing more workforce housing with state support, etc.

I'm sure it will be beautiful, I question if it will be full, and have no doubt that are better uses of taxpayer dollars, at a time when the city's general fund is already stretched thin. Subsidies for projects like the Gateway Publix development, stadium improvements, Laura Street Trio, parks, and even the Four Seasons all make sense to me. They're providing reasonably equitable public services, saving critically endangered historic building stock, or addressing a major gap in the market that will start generating bed tax dollars immediately. Don't see it with this one. REV grants and a $10 million completion grant? Sure. $38 million from the general fund. Woof.

Curious question, is the 50k shortfall Duval County or Jax metro?

I ask because I've seen more noise about affordable housing developments being denied in SJC by the commish in the news than approval citing traffic and congestion.

COJ only!

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/02/13/jacksonville-ramps-up-affordable-housing-construction-but-the-city-is-still-50000-units-short/

[Tacachale]

Probably blocked behind a paywall, but here is an interesting and relevant article from the NYT.

Austin highlights the alternative approach. Its leaders understood that expanding the housing stock in any way, even with luxury apartment buildings, would ease pressure for renters or buyers at lower income levels. Higher-income residents move into the new construction, creating less demand for older buildings and reducing the prices to live there. Instead of constraints, Austin offered perks. If an apartment building included affordable units or its design was environmentally friendly, the city relaxed restrictions on building height and size.

Reasonable minds can disagree whether the incentives going towards the Related Tower are the best use of that taxpayer money, but the project should still have some positive effect on rental prices. Any increase to the housing supply is good.

^This. There's a shortage of housing all across the board. Adding to the supply helps the shortage. And when it can be done in an infill area that already has basic infrastructure like roads, power and water, so much the better. Unfortunately there's still a gap in the affordable sphere due to City Council cutting it from the budget as well as things like the chronic underfunding of the state's Sadowski funds for affordable housing, a massive issue in its own right.

One real heartbreaker for me was what happened with the affordable housing fund]. This was a plan that dedicated $10 million for a loan (not a grant, a loan) that would be used to fundraise $30 million in private dollars. We determined we could finance 500-1000 new affordable housing units with that alone. Council cut it. It was cut from the budget.