JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A controversial plan to bring a storage unit to San Marco advanced Tuesday night when the city’s land use and zoning committee voted 4 to 3 in favor of the project.
The plan, which has received a lot of pushback from the community, will now head to the Jacksonville City Council for a final decision.
Some very vocal neighbors live near Hendricks Avenue and River Place Boulevard, which is in the general area where the storage facility would built.
Several people who do not want the storage facility have not been shy about sharing their feelings on the proposed project.
Along Hendricks Avenue near the intersection of RiverPlace Boulevard, there is a banner hanging that reads: “Say No to Self-Storage in San Marco!”
A blueprint of the storage unit was revealed during Tuesday’s meeting, along with renderings.
It would have 10 floors for storage, shopping, parking and even apartments.
Neighbors who are fighting to stop the project say it would ruin the charm of the neighborhood, affect their safety, create traffic problems and take away walkability.
Jon Livingston, who lives in San Marco, spoke at the meeting.
“You want to believe that the government is doing the right thing for the constituents,” Livingston said. “But unfortunately, lobbyists are winning. So it is frustrating.”
Livingston said he is disappointed by the board’s decision to move forward with the project.
“Think about what you want this future of Jacksonville to be,” he said. “Do you really want self-storage, something that you voted against in 2019 to not be in the area? Do you want that to be a new use for the area? This gives an open door to other self-storage units not only on the Southbank but also in downtown across the river. We really want to go down that road?”
Some are in favor of the facility and don’t think the project is as bad for the neighborhood as people are making it seem.
Allen Graetz, who spoke to News4JAX after last week’s Downtown Development Review Board meeting, is embracing the idea. He said this could be good for the area, especially the housing aspect to it.
“My concern is that we have those components so that people can enjoy being able to walk to everything that they want to walk to,” Graetz said. “I walk to the office. I walk to the grocery store. It’s great and I want others to enjoy that.”
The city council will have the final say. It is unclear when that vote might happen.