The Downtown Development Review Board’s conceptual design review for handgun accessory retailer Concealment Express LLC’s Southbank headquarters and showroom was deferred.
An amended agenda for the board’s April 8 meeting shows the project as removed from the list of action items.
Concealment Express wants to renovate a two-story brick and stucco building at 1451 Louisa St.
Project applicant Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow partner and lawyer Cyndy Trimmer said April 7 that Concealment Express agreed to defer the item and is working with the city.
In its report released April 1, Downtown Investment Authority staff recommended the design review board deny conceptual approval because the proposed 32-foot vertical feature with an attached sign is not in proportion with the building.
The report stated the attached sign’s lettering, shape and colors also do not conform with the surrounding Southbank area.
The report said the vertical feature rises 11 feet above the protective wall along the edge of the roof and is the only significant change to the structure’s facade.
According to the company’s website, Concealment Express specializes in concealable, U.S.-made IWB holsters sales — a style of handgun holster that fits inside a waistband.
The Southbank property, formerly Dimension Design, is on 0.36 acres bounded to the north by Home Street and to the south by Louisa Street. Its two buildings total 15,694 square feet, according to Duval County Property Appraiser records.
Fifi’s Fine Resale Apparel and Clara’s Tidbits are east of the property along Hendricks Avenue. The SoBA Apartments parking garage is to the west.
Voyage 1 Property Group LLC bought the site in August for $1.6 million from Louisa MW Holdings LLC.
Florida Division of Corporations records show Concealment Express changed its principal address to the Southbank location in a Feb. 17 filing.
The company co-owners are listed as Benedict Jimenez, Pablo Conde and Sang Cho.
Concealment Express listed its headquarters as 10066 103rd St. with the state in March 2016. That West Jacksonville site is shown as the company’s headquarters on its website.
State corporate records indicate the company was formed in 2014.