‘I hope something can happen:’ Future of Laura Street Trio to be discussed Monday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Delayed development at the Laura Street trio in downtown Jacksonville is again on the agenda for a special council committee on Monday morning.

It comes as the historic site is now the center of a lawsuit.

The City of Jacksonville is pushing for a foreclosure sale on the historic property. That is after the lawsuit shows the developer racked up more than $800,000 in code violations, however, some council members still have high hopes for this trio.

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Jacksonville City Council Member Matt Carlucci pushed to save the historic buildings from demolition years ago and still has a vision for the future.

“We need more hotels downtown. The one-story building could be a steakhouse restaurant. The rest of it should be housing and a good percentage of that should be workforce housing,” said Carlucci.

Last month Action News Jax reported that Council Vice President Kevin Carrico said they have started negotiations to buy the buildings because the developers are not maintaining the property.

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“It’s a very important piece of real estate, it’s in the corner of the business district. Right now, it’s an eyesore for everybody. It has the potential to make downtown really pop, especially the business district,” said Carrico.

Carrico said he fears the lawsuit could further hamper the development of the buildings which have sat empty for decades.

“I don’t think the city has the chops to be a multi-commercial developer so the buildings will probably sit unless the city sells it to someone else,” said Carrico.

Monday’s meeting starts at 10 a.m. at City Hall. We expect to hear a discussion on the possible legislative steps moving forward.

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