A proposed AC Hotel by Marriott along Dora Street in the Downtown Brooklyn neighborhood drew an initial round of support from the Downtown Development Review Board on Aug. 8.
The DDRB voted 6-0 to give conceptual approval to the six-story hotel and accompanying two-story parking deck planned on portions of lots at 800 and 825 Dora St. The facing lots are between Magnolia and Oak streets near Marriott’s Residence Inn Jacksonville Downtown at 357 Oak St.
The hotel building would be constructed on the 800 Dora St. lot, while the L-shaped parking structure is on the site of the defunct Liddy’s Machine Shop across the street. That building would be demolished as part of the project.
With the vote, the project advances to a final vote by the DDRB at a date to be determined. Between now and then, it can be modified.
Nancy Powell, executive director of Scenic Jacksonville, said the organization’s design committee was concerned about how the site plan would affect walkability in the area, particularly on Magnolia Street. That street runs alongside the Residence Inn and behind the Vista Brooklyn and The Fresh Market.
She said Magnolia was being relegated to a service street, which would hinder pedestrian activity due to lack of active streetfronts and a perception of safety risks.
“Overall, we want to see the city require Brooklyn to develop into a more pedestrian-friendly, distinctive urban neighborhood, in contrast to more suburban-style developments that have already come to fruition,” she said. “Brooklyn is an urban neighborhood and should be treated as such in planning and design.”
Powell said Scenic Jacksonville considered the parking structure “a miss” and that resulted in the project “taking up two places where it could be just one” if parking were incorporated into the 800 Dora St. lot. She said the organization would like to see the 1950s-circa machine shop building saved to help preserve some of the neighborhood’s character, and that razing it for a parking garage would be a missed opportunity to revitalize it with a new use.
Board members also raised concerns about how the structures would fit with other projects such as the Trevato Development Group’s $100 million Block Nine mixed-use development. That project, which received DDRB conceptual approval in April 2023, comprises a seven-story building with multifamily units, retail space and co-working space on a footprint that encompasses 114 Park St., 145 Chelsea St., and 1015, 1017 and 1025 Jackson St.
The board vote included conditions recommended by staff, including screening for rooftop-mounted mechanical equipment, access areas and other elements, a study to determine whether shading requirements are being met and floor plans showing locations of trash containers and loading areas. Conditions also include requiring a meeting between the developer and staff to go over any deviations the developer may seek in the Downtown Zoning Overlay.
Christopher Allred, an architect for Charlotte, North Carolina-based The RBA Group Inc., said the ground floor of the hotel would include a bar open to the public, a breakfast lounge area, and meeting and business spaces.
The first AC Hotel by Marriott in Northeast Florida opened March 6 in the St. Johns Town Center. According to the brand’s website, ac-hotels.com, there are 128 AC properties in North America and 249 worldwide.
The brand is designed to appeal to millennials and other younger travelers, with features such as minimalist room designs and lounges that serve European-style small bites and other dishes.
Duval County property records show the owner of the property as Jax Lifestyle Hospitality LLC, a Miami-based company. State records list Chirag B. Desai of Miami as the LLC’s registered agent.