The effort to revitalize some of Jacksonville’s most challenged neighborhoods got a $35.5 million boost Monday with the unveiling of “Renew Jax,” a partnership between the city and Local Initiative Support Corp. Jacksonville.
City, state and federal dollars will total $15.5 million to eliminate blight and improve drainage, sidewalks, water lines and housing in East and Northwest Jacksonville. The national LISC is contributing another $20 million.
“Our goal is to renew Jacksonville, one neighborhood at a time,” said Mayor Alvin Brown in a news release.
Nine projects are involved, including construction of 10 single-family homes along a cul-de-sac in the Soutel Drive neighborhood, redevelopment of affordable housing in the Myrtle Avenue corridor and acquisition of a 28-unit multifamily property to be used as affordable housing.
Additional elements are drainage and other infrastructure improvements in Newtown, Riverview, Lackawanna, Grand Park, Paxon and North Riverside.
The city and LISC will work with local community development corporations to facilitate studies and projects.
Janet Owens, executive director of LISC Jacksonville, said the organization will continue to work with HabiJax, the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, to build on the success the two groups have had developing single-family housing in New
Town.
The new program will add multifamily development to the inventory of new residential opportunities.
“It’s the first time we have diversified the project,” she said. “We’ll do more strategic investing in neighborhoods.”
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