JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville City Council members voted Tuesday to withdraw a bill that would allow storage units in parts of the downtown overlay.
The bill was referred back to Land Use and Zoning last month after dozens of neighbors showed up to speak against the proposal at a city council meeting.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Neighbors argued it would go against the downtown vision.
“It’s because it doesn’t attract people to the area. It doesn’t provide activation for downtown,” Lauren Carlucci, the president of the San Marco Preservation Society, said. “We keep hearing about this housing crisis and stuff. I think it’s more important to provide housing for people than it is to provide housing for their things.”
The bill was originally introduced by Councilmember Reggie Gaffney, who voted to withdraw on Tuesday’s committee meeting.
However, the developer could still push to rezone just the empty lot on the Southbank at the corner of Prudential and Hendricks. That area falls in Councilmember LeAnna Cumber’s district and is still part of the downtown overlay.
Read: Get your fishing poles ready, fishing set to return to Jacksonville Beach Pier
“I am proud that the San Marco community and downtown residents came out in force to oppose blowing a hole through the downtown overlay to allow for self-storage units throughout downtown,” Cumber said in a statement to Action News Jax. “If we want to grow downtown we need to create walkable communities, safe streets for pedestrians and bicyclists where residences, restaurants and stores can thrive.”
The empty lot is right next to one of the Southbank’s oldest homes, according to the San Marco Preservation Society.
“It’s a beautiful, old house with a lot of character and then you have this huge massive structure right next to it. All of it is wrong,” Carlucci said.
The developer argued since the downtown overlay was created in 2019, there’s been an additional 4,000 housing units built with a need for storage. They also compromised by agreeing to use the first floor for mixed-use including retail and restaurants.
Neighbors said there’s another storage facility with availability about a three-minute drive away.
“There are plenty of places within a mile to a half a mile distance where you could build this. Right over there is not one of them,” Bryan Tidd, a Southbank neighbor said.
Action News Jax reached out to the developer Tuesday to learn more about potential future plans. We have not heard back.
If there was a push to rezone, it would have to go through the Downtown Development Review Board.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.