Downtown Jacksonville Approves 85-Unit Mixed-Income Apartment Project with Commercial Space, Utilizing Live Local Act for Height Increase

• When: 2025/09/09
• Address: 216 E Duval Street, Jacksonville, Florida
• Address: 222 E Duval Street, 228 E Duval Street, and the corner of N Newnan Street and E Duval Street
• City: Jacksonville
• State: Florida
• Category: Affordable Housing
• Subcategory: Affordable Housing Development
• Asset Class: Mixed-Use
• Property Type: Low-Rise
• Size (SF): 140759 SF
• Size (AC): 0.56 AC
• Size (Units): 85 Units
• Size (Dollars): $36,400,000
• New Zoning: Cathedral District Central Business District (CCBD) Downtown Overlay Zone
• New Zoning Description: Allows for a mixed-use development with an approved height of approximately 85 feet, exceeding the standard 65 feet under the Live Local Act.
• Previous Zoning: Cathedral District Central Business District (CCBD) Downtown Overlay Zone
• Previous Zoning Description: Permitted buildings up to 65 feet in height.

The Downtown Investment Authority (DIA) approved an ordinance for the disposition of 0.21 acres of city-owned property, combined with 0.35 acres of developer-owned land, for the construction of the 'Cathedral District Apartments' project. This seven-story, mixed-income building will feature 85 residential units, with 75 designated as affordable (for households earning at or below 80% AMI, including 12 for extremely low-income) and 10 as market-rate. The development also includes 1,200 square feet of ground-floor commercial/retail space and a 90-space structured parking garage (33,300 SF). The project, designed by PQH Group Design, Inc., has an estimated total development cost of $36,400,000 and received an Affordable Housing Support Loan of up to $800,000 from the DIA. It utilizes the Florida Live Local Act to permit a building height of approximately 85 feet, exceeding the Cathedral District's CCBD Downtown Overlay Zone's previous 65-foot limit, to facilitate the development of this mixed-income community.

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