Building Up Jax: City gets $25mil for Bay Street improvements; Union Hall planned in San Marco

CITY AWARDED $25 MILLION FOR BAY STREET PROJECTS

This week, the city announced that it received $25 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

$12.5 million of that money will go toward the Hart Bridge ramp removal project, officially titled “Urban Core Riverfront Revitalization and Complete Streets.” (Catchy, right?) The project entails removing parts of the bridge’s downtown access ramp and replacing them with street-level off-ramps. Also included are plans to widen Bay St. and Gator Bowl Blvd. and build a new ramp at A. Philip Randolph Blvd. among other traffic-flow improvements.

The other $12.5 million will fund the Bay Street Innovation Corridor, a project led by JTA that’s set to feature the first phase of the Ultimate Urban Circulator which is set to eventually replace the Skyway. It’ll also bring “smart city” technological innovations aimed at enhanced mobility and accessibility along Bay St.

As of now, there is no firm timeline for either project – but receving federal funding represents a major hurdle cleared for both projects.

UNION HALL PROPOSED FOR SAN MARCO TRAIN STATION

Ashco, Inc., the developers of San Marco Train Station on Hendricks Ave., is working on a second phase to the plaza called Union Hall.

Plans on the company’s website show a 3,000 sq. ft. building and a 900 sq. ft. building, extending the plaza up to Naldo Ave. No word yet on potential tenants for those buildings.

AMBASSADOR HOTEL REVAMP RECEIVES PERMIT

Axis Hotels received a permit to begin interior demolition within the Ambassador Hotel building at 420 N. Julia St. The company plans to convert the historic building into a new LaQuinta Inn location.

NOTED PROJECTS

• The city officially announced this week that Wayfair will be opening a distribution center in Jax, months after the news first broke. They’re expected to bring 250 new jobs to the city by 2021.
• Surplus Warehouse received a permit for build-out within Regency Park Shopping Center at 9400 Atlantic Blvd.
• Mattress Firm received a permit for buildout at 450 Durbin Pavilion Dr. within The Pavilion at Durbin Park.
• The Red Line (downtown-to-Beaches) of JTA’s First Coast Flyer rapid bus transit system is now open.
• River City Rehab Center received a permit to build its new $12 million, 116-room rehab center at 15480 Max Leggett Pkwy.
• Family Dollar received a permit for build-out within the shopping center at 1022 Dunn Ave.
• Jacksonville University received a permit for renovations to Botts Hall at 2600 University Blvd. Stellar Group, Inc. is the listed contractor.