Building Up Jax: Residential space could be coming to Cathedral District

Check out the latest Jacksonville development and construction news in this week’s edition of Building Up Jax!

Cathedral District building to be revamped

The often-overlooked Cathedral District of downtown Jax may soon be getting some attention.

According to Jax Daily Record, the former Community Connections building at 325 E. Duval St. could soon be undergoing major redevelopment. Developer Mike Balanky wishes to have the building listed as a historic landmark, then demolish part of the building while keeping its original Colonial Revival architecture intact.

The building would then be converted into a mixed-use residential project, adding much-needed living space to the urban core.

Originally, Balanky’s Chase Properties wanted to tear down the entire building, but that plan was vetoed by the Historic Preservation Commission.

Next step for the project: approval from the Downtown Investment Authority and the Downtown Development Review Board.

Noted projects

• Tropical Smoothie has submitted plans with the St. Johns River Water Management District to add onto an existing building at 5895 Roosevelt Blvd.
• MedExpress Urgent Care plans to open at 11901 Atlantic Blvd. in the Atlantic North shopping center, according to Jax Daily Record.
• Le Parisien, a new French restaurant concept, will open in the vacant bottom floor retail space of EverBank Plaza on Riverside Ave., according to Jacksonville Business Journal.
• Last year we noted that a Walmart Neighborhood Market was coming to the Baymeadows Commons shopping center. Now, according to the Times-Union, Walmart has officially confirmed the store and it will open by next January.