Florida Self Storage Project Faces Planning Board Scrutiny

Posted by Modern Storage Media on Apr 5, 2024 11:07:49 PM

A proposed downtown mixed-use development that includes self-storage, the Lofts of Southbank in Jacksonville, Fl, is facing scrutiny from the staff of the Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB) and residents alike.

The project is described as a 10-story building with ground floor retail, office, restaurant, or other commercial space. Self-storage would be located on the third through sixth floors and multifamily residential units on the top four floors. The site is at 1004 Hendricks Ave., on the southwest corner of Prudential Drive and Hendricks Avenue.

The project has drawn opposition during City Council meetings from dozens of residents in San Marco and the Southbank, who say it’s out of character with the neighborhood and that self-storage isn’t needed at the site because other storage facilities are located nearby.

The DDRB has since denied both a rezoning request and the conceptual design of the project.

Regarding rezoning, the DDRB states that self-storage does not advance the objectives of the Business Investment and Development Plan, a governing document for development and redevelopment in Downtown. The report says self-storage is not permitted within the Southbank overlay zoning district.

Regarding conceptual design, the DDRB describes the 110-foot-tall building as being substantially taller than the one- to three-story buildings surrounding it, despite there being no height restrictions for buildings in the Southbank. The report also finds fault with the facade, saying one of its three tiers is “somewhat brutal and could use some softening.” The report further says the tiers “do not have a clear, architectural relationship with one another.”

The next meeting in which the project will be reconsidered is set to be held April 9 at the Main Library Downtown.

The DDRB application highlights the following: