JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents are fighting against a self-storage unit project planned for the corner of Prudential Drive and Hendricks Avenue in San Marco, and it’s a battle they’ve been fighting for years.
The Downtown Development Review Board already denied the rezoning of the property, but those who live nearby say their fight still isn’t over.
There’s a new sign on Riverplace Boulevard that says “Say no to self-storage San Marco” — a message you can’t miss.
“It’s a bad idea in a horrible location,” Pam Sorneson, who’s against the self-storage facility, said. “It’s dead space, it doesn’t create vibrancy; it doesn’t create walkability.”
Sorneson has been fighting this for two years. She said this location better suits affordable housing and retail, not storage.
In fact, under the downtown overlay zone code, self-storage isn’t permitted there. The Atlanta-based GIS Holdings company is trying again.
“And the fact that somebody from out of state has been trying for three years to forego the overlay,” Sorneson said. “It’s just infuriating to me.”
RELATED | Residents of 2 Jacksonville neighborhoods pushing back against planned developments
The 10-floor project would have three floors of self-storage, 100 multifamily units, parking on the second floor, and 14,500 square feet of retail or office space on the ground floor.
“It’ll create a problem we don’t need to create at this point,” President of Peninsula Condominium Association Jeff Schembera said.
Schembera said he wants people to consider the tight space in this location.
“When you add in 100 new apartments which is fine. But then you add in five or 600 storage units it’s really going to be tight. You are talking about large vehicles, moving vans…When they deliver food, the restaurants and the chefs over there, they park in the middle of the street right now – where are they going to park when you have moving vans here,” Schembera said.
He’s also concerned if this is approved, it will attract more storage units to this area.
The big picture, he said, is how this could destroy what makes the Southbank and the entrance to the Riverwalk beautiful.
“We’re getting ready to do away with the jail because it’s unsightly on the waterfront. And now we’re going to put an unsightly warehouse full of self-storage units on the entrance to the Riverwalk,” Schembera said. “Well, we keep being told we don’t have a chance. But we were told that last year as well. So we’re fighting a good fight.”
Residents can make their voices heard on this matter on Tuesday.
The Downtown Development Review Board will hold a special meeting at 3 p.m. at the Main Library downtown to discuss this project.
Then on April 16, the project will go before a city committee meeting for recommendation.
News4JAX reached out to a lobbyist pushing for the self-storage unit project to be approved but declined to comment.