Urban Jacksonville

These look great. it will be nice to see them actually go up! It will make that specific area quite dense!

What I want to know is this another of Hionides empty development promises. Just look at all of his Main Street Properties

They aren’t empty promises yet, they are just empty. Buying and sitting is bad. buying, offering empty promises, and then doing nothing is far worse. this is the first time he has offered us anything to look at, that he seemed to be actually acting on (demolition) to some degree. As a nearby neighbor to this location, I am going to give him a change to follow through before I jump on him.

development in the neighborhood is good. but let’s not forget that this is a single family lot (the building that was there was non conforming to the zoning). The city’s comp plan allows 20 units an acre in this area. This townhome proposal is for 27 units an acre.
The only way this could be allowed is changing the comp plan density to 60 units an acre — a pretty dangerous precedent. Imagine having 60du/ac land peppered all over Springfield on individual lots for no other reason that that the land is vacant. It will happen because once you open the gate, you cant close it. Maybe on Main street, but there’s no justification for that kind of density there.

Peter,

But the project is for only 5 residential units. I don’t see the problem of introducing a little density throughout the neighborhood. Sure, I’d like to see it happen along the major thoroughfares first, though.

But, multifamily structures are no strangers to the fabric of this neighborhood.

I know Lakelander just recently when though a similar issue with a four unit proposal he had. Maybe he can enlighten us as to the intricacies of the zoning overlay.

One point should be made, the build that sat on that lot was originally a store with three apartments above it. The lot behind it was probably single family. So based on original use, there were four units and a store on these two lots…

The Springfield Zoning Overlay IS NOT consistent with the historical development pattern of the neighborhood, which was once one of the densest in the city (its been around since the 1800s).

My situation with 15 West was a little different because the Overlay had it zoned as a commercial lot. This allowed me to present the argument of using live/work lofts as a transitional PUD use between heavy commercial lining Main and single family zoning along Laura.

In this situation, although the historical use of the property was multi-family mixed use, the Overlay foolishly blanketed 5th & Silver and most of that original duplex dominated area as single family. Personally, if the guy is willing to invest to build this project, everyone should welcome it with open arms.

Springfield is not Deerwood Park or Nocatee. Density and diversity is not a bad thing and quite frankly….it’s needed to support the revitalization of Main and 8th Streets.

If dude wants to put 10 units there, it beats an old, abandoned piece of shit store.

Thank you Chris Hionedes and welcome to the neighborhood. Thank you for removing that dangerous eyesore . . . and your proposed new units are absolutely beautiful. Let us know if and how we can help you get them started. Every day that I drive through Springfield, the number of houses under renovation and restoration, or just completed, is staggering. Further, SRG has begun building again, Main St. restoration is starting, and 5th & Silver represents just one of the unfortunately un-avable “broken teeth” which have recently had to come down. We, as an increasingly desirable residential community, are happy that you, as one of our largest landowners, have begun to provide the leadership we have all been hoping for. Bravo, Chris. No doubt there will be some short term flack as you get started, but as you get rolling expect all kinds of neighborly support.

Those look like nice units, but I’m disappointed that the building wasn’t saved and made into some kind of store again. It may be wishful thinking, but I would like someday to see viable businesses peppered through the neighborhood in some of these little store-fronts. When I lived in Philly, there were coffee shops and little restaurants dotted around in the residential areas of west Philly and Rittenhouse. It made the neighborhood more walkable and interesting.

If Hionides wants good-will in the neighborhood, this is a start. But as long as Main Street looks like it does, he won’t get much slack from most people.

Unfortunately, the zoning overlay has all put eliminated the possibility of little storefronts opening like this on the neighborhood streets. Density aside, that’s one of my biggest pet peeves with the regulation. We all talk a good talk about Springfield being an urban neighborhood, but when it comes to walking, we end up fighting for single family housing and suburban zoning patterns that discourage diversity, walkability and a mix of uses.

Has anyone considered the issue of street parking with these multi-family units??

I’ll bet Lake can address the street parking issue also. I am pretty sure that the multiple family units must provide 1.234 parking spaces per dwelling. Or something funny like that.

I don’t think street parking will be an issue on 5th, but street parking on Silver is pretty hard to come by.

They have enough land for parking on their own property. From the rendering, it appears parking will be from the rear and under the first living level, similar to the style on suburban Atlanta tract houses.

wow thats some serious ass kissing for Hionedis, the single biggest slumlord in Jax….so he demolished a building, take a look around he’s got empty lots everywhere. So he’s got some plans laying around, how do you think he evades code enforcement…”here look at my plans, they’re beautiful!”, “ok, we’ll give you some more time”… then………………..crickets chirping……….

while an empty lot may be better than a dilapidated old building it won’t seem so great when a vagrant moves in and sets up a camp and then starts stealing copper from your AC unit, as is what happened to the empty Hionedis lot near where I live.

Yeah, keep blowing smoke up his ass, he enjoys it remember he’s Greek!

is there a grocery store nearby? convenience store? can i walk to it
instead of driving our car?— my wife doesnt drive.

I have had good luck with the Superette at 7th and Pearl, but they have limited hours (close early). All other conveniance stores in the area are kind of skeezy, though I have heard rumor of something nice when the 3rd and Main Development gets built.

The best/closest option is stull the Publix in Riverside, with the downtown WinnDixie/Gateway Publix coming in tied at second. WinnDixie is better, but still long waits, and the Publix at Gateway just isn’t as nice as Riverside. I would rather drive the extra 3/4 of a mile of so. (4 miles from 5th/Main St to Riverside Publix, roughly)

Clayton-
He has to start somewhere doesn’t he? It’s not like anyone cam just up and renovate 20 properties at once. and there’s no way a vagrant could move into that lot, unless he likes piles of concrete and rebar up his ass at bedtime.

The 2 houses that were demolished on 3rd between Walnut and Liberty earlier this week are owned by Mack’s wife, Kathryn. What are they planning on doing with that site now that they tore down 2 homes?

I live a block and a half away from this site and I take exception with the comments stating that this was an area of original duplexes. Silver Street between 4th and 5th has 2 duplexes both of which were originally single family homes. Silver Street between 5th and 6th has 7 duplexes of which at least five were originally single family homes. There were multi family homes in Springfield but not the number that you see today as a result of the homes being partitioned into apartments. As a Realtor and long time resident of Springfield I have researched and been inside many of these old homes. Springfield was founded in 1869 and reached its height between 1901 and 1915/16. Due to zoning changes which allowed commercial intrusion and the partitioning of the homes into multiple units the neighborhood was already in decline in the 1930′s. If you research the history, the apartments that were the result of this partitioning and remuddling of these beautiful homes were often referred to as tenements. Just because I live in the Urban Core does not mean that I want to live on top of people. I have a 5000 SF home on 1/16 of an acre and I have a wider than normal lot. The N. side of my house does not see the light of day as my house is so close to my neighbors. I can sit in my courtyard sized back yard and see 6 homes and the Jewish Center up close and personal. Looking out of my bedroom window I can see into 11 back yards. I think that is pretty dense. If I wanted to live any tighter than this I would buy a condo. We have a huge commercial corrider dividing our neighborhood called Main St.. Add that to 8th. St. and we can have a great walkable mixed use neighborhood without sacrificing our quiet, charming residential blocks. In regard to the 5th Street units having parking underneath, good luck accessing it with little to no turning radius.

How much do they cost?