2. Independent Life Building

233 West Duval Street (Downtown)

Recently approved for a $3 million Historic Preservation Trust Fund grant, St. Augustine-based Augustine Development Group is moving forward with plans to retrofit the former Independent Life Building built in 1955.

Stretching 260 feet into the air, future plans for the 19-story, 162,000-square-foot tower involve the second through 18th floors being converted to 240 market-rate apartments and the rooftop being remodeled to include a high-end seafood restaurant, lounge and terrace with a pool.

The building’s 21,000 square feet of ground floor retail space will be leased to a grocery store operator that plans to include spaces for food and beverage vendors. Construction on the $28 million project should begin within the next six months.

Rendering of the Independent Life Building project by Dasher Hurst Architects.

1. Union Terminal Warehouse Company

700 East Union Street (Eastside)

When completed in 1913, the Union Terminal Warehouse Company was said to be the largest and finest warehouse in the state of Florida. Built of cast-in-place reinforced concrete, the 330,000 square foot building was acquired by Atlanta-based Columbia Ventures in December 2018. Recently the developer applied for a building permit to spend $34 million to redevelop the property into a mix of uses.

Using historic tax credits and Opportunity Zone equity as key components of the capital stack, Columbia Ventures intends to convert the top three levels into 228 market rate apartments and a roof with a rooftop terrace and community garden.

The lower levels will be transformed into a mix of small office tenants, affordable maker and raw entrepreneur space with a mix of food and beverage operators. Anticipated to be completed by 2023, the redevelopment is expected to generate more than 150 construction jobs and more than 200 permanent jobs. Examples of similar industrial adaptive reuse projects include Atlanta’s Ponce City Market and Crosstown Crossroads in Memphis.

Rendering by Dasher Hurst Architects

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Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com

Six food halls proposed for the Urban Core

The food hall craze appears to have taken urban Jacksonville by storm. Late to a foody trend that has exploded nationally over the last decade, here are six adaptive reuse projects proposed in and around Downtown Jacksonville that could include food hall components.

2. Independent Life Building

1. Union Terminal Warehouse Company