JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Downtown Development Review Board last week granted conceptual design approval for The Lofts at the Southbank, a mixed-use building. However, the Downtown Development Review Board says improvements must be made before construction can begin.
This project has been in the works since 2022.
According to our partners at the Jax Daily Record, the $38.8 million project is expected to sit at the intersection of Prudential Drive and Hendricks Avenue.
The 10-story development is expected to be a mix of 100 affordable apartment units, four floors of self-storage and over 130,000 square feet of retail space.
San Marco Preservation Society Architect Grace Davis said they feel the designers considered their feedback after the development faced heavy criticism during the planning phase. The project first emerged in 2022 as a self-storage-only development.
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“They’ve added some more dimensions to the facade of the building, we’re very happy to see that. It doesn’t look like there’s a mass of concrete facing the streetscape,” Davis said. “I think San Marco prides itself on the character of the neighborhood, there’s a lot of ornate details that just add to the charm of San Marco. And sometimes to the average eye, it might not be something you first noticed, but you can just feel it when you’re in the community.”
Davis says the designers of the project can bring the San Marco feel to this development.
According to JDR, board members recommended adding more windows and said there were too many “blank spaces.”
The project architect now has to work on the building design before the final approval from the board.