JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – “Jacksonville’s on the cusp and we want to take advantage of that.”
That’s how Gateway Jax CEO Bryan Moll describes the momentum building in downtown Jacksonville, where cranes, construction sites and billion-dollar investments are reshaping the city’s skyline.
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Developers are planning thousands of new residential units across downtown as major projects like Pearl Square, the Four Seasons development and the Jaguars’ stadium renovation move forward. But as much of that growth centers on market-rate housing, questions remain about affordability and why many vacant buildings across downtown continue to sit empty.
Housing advocates and city leaders say maintaining a mix of housing at all income levels is critical to downtown’s long-term success. Without affordable options, they warn many of the workers who keep downtown running — hospitality workers, healthcare employees, restaurant staff and first responders — could struggle to live near where they work.
Gateway Jax alone plans to develop nine city blocks with more than 1,250 residential units and 200,000 square feet of retail space.
“We think that there is an incredible untapped supply of people that want to live downtown,” Moll said. “We think as much as 7,000 units.”
Moll said the company’s goal is to blend modern development with Jacksonville’s existing architecture and character.
“What we’re trying to do is mesh the old and the new, bring the character of these older buildings into the fabric of what we are doing,” Moll said.
But much of the recent development boom has focused on luxury housing, prompting concerns about whether longtime residents and lower-income families could eventually be priced out of downtown.
When asked about affordable housing, Moll said downtown Jacksonville already contains thousands of affordable units and relatively little market-rate housing.
“We have a mix of income levels with our different units,” Moll said. “Downtown today has a lot of affordable housing. By last count, three or four thousand units of affordable housing, very few market-rate housing units.”
As development accelerates, abandoned buildings still remain scattered throughout downtown, including the long-vacant Independent Life building, which has sat empty for roughly two decades.
City leaders say those unused properties could help address Jacksonville’s affordable housing needs.
Joshua Hicks, Jacksonville’s affordable housing director, said converting vacant office and industrial buildings into residential housing is a major opportunity for the city.
“We have a lot of opportunity to convert some of the old office buildings into residential opportunities for Jacksonville as we’re growing the downtown space,” Hicks said.
Hicks pointed to the Union Terminal Warehouse project as an example of a successful redevelopment.
“That used to be an old industrial building. It was abandoned,” Hicks said. “They’ve completely rehabbed that. It’s over 200 units now of housing.”
The city says it is working with nonprofit and private developers to increase affordable housing inventory downtown while new market-rate projects continue moving forward.
“We need to make sure that we’re building all incomes in downtown,” Hicks said. “We’re not just making downtown an area for the well-off. We’re also making it a downtown for those who are low-income, who are moderate-income individuals, who need affordable housing and want to enjoy Jacksonville for all it offers.”
Hicks said projects like Union Terminal Warehouse and First on Main are part of the city’s broader effort to expand affordable housing downtown alongside private investment.
He acknowledged downtown has faced criticism for years over stalled projects and unrealized plans but said city leaders believe momentum has shifted.
“We’re no longer just talking about renderings,” Hicks said. “We’re actually talking about action.”
Moll said he expects the current wave of development to spur additional investment across downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
“We don’t want to be the only ones,” Moll said. “We want to be a catalyst for other development.”
He also emphasized that downtown is recovering after decades of underinvestment.
“There were decades, literally decades, of underinvestment in downtown,” Moll said. “We’re coming back from that right now, and the momentum is very strong.”
The City of Jacksonville says it continues partnering with both nonprofit and private developers through several initiatives designed to preserve affordable housing for low-to-moderate-income residents.
One Gateway Jax project planned near the Rosa Parks Transit Station will reserve 25 units for households earning between 80% and 120% of Jacksonville’s area median income, which is currently $64,138.
The city also uses the Jacksonville Community Land Trust to identify surplus city-owned properties that can be redeveloped into permanently affordable housing.