Old Ind Life Bldg ---> luxury condos + grocery store?

[bl8jaxnative]

The old Independent Life Building, the empty one by Sweet Pete's, has an owner with big plans for it.  Is residential downtown starting to become a thing?   Or wait and see if this or any other projects actually break ground and follow-up the few going on right now?


https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/old-independent-life-building-slated-for-downtown-apartments-grocery-store

[thelakelander]

Residential in downtown has been a thing for a while now. When projects actually get built, they tend to lease up real quick.

[Kerry]

I remember when this project was first announced....5 years ago.

[billy]

Not the same people.

[thelakelander]

Yep. Totally different group and project.

[Tacachale]

Lol!

[Captain Zissou]

Klassic Kerry....

[Steve]

I remember when this project was first announced....5 years ago.

But hey....good to have you back! I was wondering if you said, screw this place and moved to OKC permanently! I strangely missed the whole, "Find the negative in holding the winning lottery ticket," viewpoint.

[heights unknown]

Klassic Kerry....

Captain Zissou....he probably ate some bad deer meat, so disregard.

[Ken_FSU]

Developer claims to have a grocery operator on board.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/group-planning-to-renovate-downtown-building-says-it-has-operator-for-a-grocery-store

[Kerry]

Both stories in this thread are amazingly similar for being 5 months apart.

[Ken_FSU]

Looks like the multifamily component of the Ambassador Hotel project has been canceled, with those multifamily/garage efforts instead being focused on the Independent Life project.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/augustine-development-postpones-apartments-garage-at-ambassador-hotel

[heights unknown]

Looks like the multifamily component of the Ambassador Hotel project has been canceled, with those multifamily/garage efforts instead being focused on the Independent Life project.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/augustine-development-postpones-apartments-garage-at-ambassador-hotel

Makes sense to me. Acquiring the former Independent Life Building and redeveloping/constructing multi-family there, along with the garage, ensures no duplication by having it also at the Ambassador Site along with the garage. I would guess it's a "money thing" as well because if you are building/constructing the same thing on two sites, across the street from each other, and you're constructing the same thing at the same time, that's a little bit more money being thrown around in my opinion for the two developments. I'm not as well versed in this stuff as you all are, but I've learned a lot since joining this forum. I hope we see more developments and redevelopments of this nature rise up and Jax gets it together and gets moving.

[marcuscnelson]

Looks like the multifamily component of the Ambassador Hotel project has been canceled, with those multifamily/garage efforts instead being focused on the Independent Life project.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/augustine-development-postpones-apartments-garage-at-ambassador-hotel

Damn. I'd ask if they could just give the multifamily component to someone else, but with how the economy's looking, that's not happening.

[thelakelander]

I got a tour of these buildings today. Sounds like a pretty cool project. The grocery component isn't a 20k square foot traditional grocery store. It's a mix of a market and a five vendor food hall. IMO, that makes a lot more sense than the idea of a chain like Whole Foods or Publix opening in the Northbank.

Across the street, the Ambassador would be a boutique hotel with a restaurant on the ground floor at the corner of Julia and Church streets. Vestcor is out but the plan to build apartments on the site is not. The development will be phased. A parking garage would be built in the middle of the block behind the Ambassador. It will serve both blocks and eventually be wrapped Texas donut style with infill apartments. The old Marine National Bank Building next to the Ambassador would be retrofitted into apartments as well. I'm looking forward to seeing if they can pull this off.