QuoteOwnership of the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District filed a master plan with the city in its next step to regenerate the North Springfield neighborhood.
Companies associated with Miami-based Future of Cities, which bought and assembled the properties comprising the 8.3-acre site, applied Jan. 10 with the city for more rezoning as a Planned Unit Development and for a land use amendment.
Future of Cities proposes a mixed-use development at 2336 N. Liberty St., a site bounded by Main, 15th and Liberty streets and the rail line, with three parcels south of the line.
The Jan. 3 master plan and PUD implementation document outlines road and street widths, the proposed Emerald Trail, phasing estimates, parking pedestrian circulation, building uses and heights, and architectural visualizations.
Full article: https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2024/jan/16/phoenix-arts-innovation-district-in-north-springfield-files-master-plan-with-city/
I believe the PUD allows 150 ft height. That would be quite the tower, out of scale for the area.
The tallest building in the vicinity used to be the Florida Rock headquarters off West 21st Street. It was demolished about 10 years ago:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cKdQAFjaJEM4CJW56
So Swisher and UF Health's buildings are the big ones now.
Quote from: thelakelander on January 18, 2024, 05:31:01 PM
The tallest building in the vicinity used to be the Florida Rock headquarters off West 21st Street. It was demolished about 10 years ago:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cKdQAFjaJEM4CJW56
So Swisher and UF Health's buildings are the big ones now.
Why was this building taken down?
I'm not sure. I wish they would have kept it.
Quote from: Jax_Developer on January 18, 2024, 06:55:39 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on January 18, 2024, 05:31:01 PM
The tallest building in the vicinity used to be the Florida Rock headquarters off West 21st Street. It was demolished about 10 years ago:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cKdQAFjaJEM4CJW56
So Swisher and UF Health's buildings are the big ones now.
Why was this building taken down?
It's
easier in Jacksonville!
Quote from: fsu813 on January 18, 2024, 04:24:42 PM
I believe the PUD allows 150 ft height. That would be quite the tower, out of scale for the area.
At this point it's hard to believe there would be any sort of market for that.
No, but the PUD increases the value of the property and allows for some large scale infill to take place when and if the market ever arrives. I don't personally have a problem with it but its up to the adjacent residential areas to rally against the potential increase in density or change in sense of place if they are largely in opposition. On the other hand, they can also support the opportunity at increased density.
The City/Springfield probably got lucky that the PUD caps the height at 150 feet. I've posted in another thread about the Live Local Act that the state adopted last year. One of the key provisions of it is that a residential project that is comprised of 40% affordable units can build a building as tall as what is allowed within a mile. The Phoenix Arts and Innovation District is right next to two schools that are zoned Public Building and Facilities-1 (PBF-1). The PBF-1 district explicitly says there is no maximum height in that zoning district. Hypothetically, the Burj Khalifia could be built there under the Live Local Act.
A lot of developers are using the Live Local Act to play games of chicken with municipalities to gain some leverage in the development review process. In this case, they may be using it to to push the allowable height to 150'. I know I would.
I don't think 150' would be that impactful on anything to the south as there is a nice buffer between the homes south of the tracks, but it would probably stick out a bit north of 15th street. Either way, sometimes you have to make sacrifices if you want quality development. I doubt the development program makes any sense financially without the additional height.
Quote from: CityLife on January 19, 2024, 09:05:03 AM
The City/Springfield probably got lucky that the PUD caps the height at 150 feet. I've posted in another thread about the Live Local Act that the state adopted last year. One of the key provisions of it is that a residential project that is comprised of 40% affordable units can build a building as tall as what is allowed within a mile. The Phoenix Arts and Innovation District is right next to two schools that are zoned Public Building and Facilities-1 (PBF-1). The PBF-1 district explicitly says there is no maximum height in that zoning district. Hypothetically, the Burj Khalifia could be built there under the Live Local Act.
A lot of developers are using the Live Local Act to play games of chicken with municipalities to gain some leverage in the development review process. In this case, they may be using it to to push the allowable height to 150'. I know I would.
I don't think 150' would be that impactful on anything to the south as there is a nice buffer between the homes south of the tracks, but it would probably stick out a bit north of 15th street. Either way, sometimes you have to make sacrifices if you want quality development. I doubt the development program makes any sense financially without the additional height.
This is really interesting. It's actually why I have a pipe dream that the Regency 'could' be a catalyst site if the state gave a damn. That BOA tower is 13-stories I think, and with all that land there... I have to imagine there is a way to be creative with the affordable housing financing & incentives. I've mentioned before how Florida seems to lack housing that integrates both fixed & market rate units but a bill like that should allow for better economics for buildings to go taller, in theory. Same idea applies in this area but it's hard to see someone taking that chance anytime soon.
Also CityLife, doesn't this implode the Beaches 35' height restriction? Lol...
Quote from: CityLife on January 19, 2024, 09:05:03 AM
The City/Springfield probably got lucky that the PUD caps the height at 150 feet. I've posted in another thread about the Live Local Act that the state adopted last year. One of the key provisions of it is that a residential project that is comprised of 40% affordable units can build a building as tall as what is allowed within a mile. The Phoenix Arts and Innovation District is right next to two schools that are zoned Public Building and Facilities-1 (PBF-1). The PBF-1 district explicitly says there is no maximum height in that zoning district. Hypothetically, the Burj Khalifia could be built there under the Live Local Act.
A lot of developers are using the Live Local Act to play games of chicken with municipalities to gain some leverage in the development review process. In this case, they may be using it to to push the allowable height to 150'. I know I would.
I don't think 150' would be that impactful on anything to the south as there is a nice buffer between the homes south of the tracks, but it would probably stick out a bit north of 15th street. Either way, sometimes you have to make sacrifices if you want quality development. I doubt the development program makes any sense financially without the additional height.
Think we'll see the first (or among the first) Live Local Act-enabled projects in Jax pop up on Main Street just north of Springfield soon...
Quote from: Jax_Developer on January 19, 2024, 09:58:30 AM
Quote from: CityLife on January 19, 2024, 09:05:03 AM
The City/Springfield probably got lucky that the PUD caps the height at 150 feet. I've posted in another thread about the Live Local Act that the state adopted last year. One of the key provisions of it is that a residential project that is comprised of 40% affordable units can build a building as tall as what is allowed within a mile. The Phoenix Arts and Innovation District is right next to two schools that are zoned Public Building and Facilities-1 (PBF-1). The PBF-1 district explicitly says there is no maximum height in that zoning district. Hypothetically, the Burj Khalifia could be built there under the Live Local Act.
A lot of developers are using the Live Local Act to play games of chicken with municipalities to gain some leverage in the development review process. In this case, they may be using it to to push the allowable height to 150'. I know I would.
I don't think 150' would be that impactful on anything to the south as there is a nice buffer between the homes south of the tracks, but it would probably stick out a bit north of 15th street. Either way, sometimes you have to make sacrifices if you want quality development. I doubt the development program makes any sense financially without the additional height.
This is really interesting. It's actually why I have a pipe dream that the Regency 'could' be a catalyst site if the state gave a damn. That BOA tower is 13-stories I think, and with all that land there... I have to imagine there is a way to be creative with the affordable housing financing & incentives. I've mentioned before how Florida seems to lack housing that integrates both fixed & market rate units but a bill like that should allow for better economics for buildings to go taller, in theory. Same idea applies in this area but it's hard to see someone taking that chance anytime soon.
Also CityLife, doesn't this implode the Beaches 35' height restriction? Lol...
You know what, I was wrong about the Live Local Act in relation to Phoenix Arts and Innovation District. The height allowance says that a city/county cannot restrict the height below the highest currently allowed height for a
commercial or residential development within 1 mile. The Public Facility Zoning District couldn't be used, as it is institutional, not commercial or residential. Though, I didn't even realize that the City has no height restriction in its Light Industrial (IL) Zoning District, which is what most of Phoenix is currently zoned as. So they can likely just make the argument that they are capping the height to 150' on a site that previously had no height restriction.
For Regency and the Beaches, the project simply has to be within a mile of something that is
currently zoned for more height, not what has already been built. In the case of the Beaches, I think the 35' restriction would still be in effect. Not sure what the zoning is like near Regency.
The legislature is considering amending the Live Local Act to reduce the 1 mile allowance to .25 miles and also restrict buildings to 125% of the height of buildings on adjacent parcels. So that will limit some of the compatibility concerns that a lot of people around the state have. Right now, it's basically the wild west.
Quote from: CityLife on January 19, 2024, 10:28:55 AM
Quote from: Jax_Developer on January 19, 2024, 09:58:30 AM
Quote from: CityLife on January 19, 2024, 09:05:03 AM
The City/Springfield probably got lucky that the PUD caps the height at 150 feet. I've posted in another thread about the Live Local Act that the state adopted last year. One of the key provisions of it is that a residential project that is comprised of 40% affordable units can build a building as tall as what is allowed within a mile. The Phoenix Arts and Innovation District is right next to two schools that are zoned Public Building and Facilities-1 (PBF-1). The PBF-1 district explicitly says there is no maximum height in that zoning district. Hypothetically, the Burj Khalifia could be built there under the Live Local Act.
A lot of developers are using the Live Local Act to play games of chicken with municipalities to gain some leverage in the development review process. In this case, they may be using it to to push the allowable height to 150'. I know I would.
I don't think 150' would be that impactful on anything to the south as there is a nice buffer between the homes south of the tracks, but it would probably stick out a bit north of 15th street. Either way, sometimes you have to make sacrifices if you want quality development. I doubt the development program makes any sense financially without the additional height.
This is really interesting. It's actually why I have a pipe dream that the Regency 'could' be a catalyst site if the state gave a damn. That BOA tower is 13-stories I think, and with all that land there... I have to imagine there is a way to be creative with the affordable housing financing & incentives. I've mentioned before how Florida seems to lack housing that integrates both fixed & market rate units but a bill like that should allow for better economics for buildings to go taller, in theory. Same idea applies in this area but it's hard to see someone taking that chance anytime soon.
Also CityLife, doesn't this implode the Beaches 35' height restriction? Lol...
You know what, I was wrong about the Live Local Act in relation to Phoenix Arts and Innovation District. The height allowance says that a city/county cannot restrict the height below the highest currently allowed height for a commercial or residential development within 1 mile. The Public Facility Zoning District couldn't be used, as it is institutional, not commercial or residential. Though, I didn't even realize that the City has no height restriction in its Light Industrial (IL) Zoning District, which is what most of Phoenix is currently zoned as. So they can likely just make the argument that they are capping the height to 150' on a site that previously had no height restriction.
For Regency and the Beaches, the project simply has to be within a mile of something that is currently zoned for more height, not what has already been built. In the case of the Beaches, I think the 35' restriction would still be in effect. Not sure what the zoning is like near Regency.
The legislature is considering amending the Live Local Act to reduce the 1 mile allowance to .25 miles and also restrict buildings to 125% of the height of buildings on adjacent parcels. So that will limit some of the compatibility concerns that a lot of people around the state have. Right now, it's basically the wild west.
Ah okay, I misunderstood that. Was thinking you could match another building's height within 1 mile as long as it met the affordable requirement.
QuotePhoenix District's Tony Cho: Total investment in the North Springfield project could reach $500 million
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Miscellaneous/Miscellaneous/i-7CSkHFZ/0/NhST6gTVj9RZ45j7x5gFmfZjbVR8GkgjQMcLfSDs7/L/emerald_station_5_t850-L.jpg)
With the first phase of the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District partially complete, the principal developer behind the mixed-use project in North Springfield says he and his team are planning vertical construction that would help push the total investment to as much as $500 million.
Tony Cho, founding managing partner of PHX JAX, said during a Jan. 16 event at the district that the first new construction project would be a 290-unit mixed-income apartment development on Main Street. A community grocery also is part of the plan, with other major projects to follow.
QuoteAs CEO of Miami-based Future of Cities, Cho had a lead role in similar developments that began with adaptive reuse at Miami's Wynwood Art District, Magic City Innovation District and Little Haiti.
"This is what's called a covered land play, which means basically you're getting a return just from the adaptive reuse and then in the vertical development, that's where the profits really lie," he said, adding that the return from the adaptive reuse element in the Phoenix district will be 8%.
Over the past 20 years, Cho said, he had delivered returns on investment of 40% or more from covered land plays.
"I think this will be our best project," he said. "But I think what's more exciting about this is that it will accomplish more of the social and environmental goals than Wynwood did, than Magic City did."
Full article: https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2025/jan/16/phoenix-districts-tony-cho-total-investment-in-the-north-springfield-project-could-reach-500-million/
More proposed for the Springfield warehouse district, this time with a distinct family-friendly theme:
https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2025/jan/23/planning-commission-endorses-plans-for-food-court-and-mini-golf-operation-adjacent-to-phoenix-district/