by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Though still in the early stages, the Salvation Army’s proposed senior housing project downtown took one small step towards becoming a reality last week. Following three weeks of drafting, architect Arthur Schuldt returned to Jacksonville to meet with the advisory board of the non-profit organization and Downtown Development Authority representatives to discuss a “preliminary design.”
Area Commander Frank Gordon said he was pleased with what he saw.
“This is a much needed project,” he said. “There are 7,000 seniors on a waiting list for housing in the area. This property was purchased with that in mind.”
The Salvation Army took ownership of the lot bordered by Ocean, Main and Church streets in May of 1977.
Schuldt, a partner with Shreveport-based SGB Architects, based his design on a feasibility study conducted by the Salvation Army in the Spring. SGB has worked on similar projects in Southern Florida and North Carolina.
“It’s always exciting to come to a city and see so much support from City officials,” said Schuldt. “We want to do our best to work with streetscape issues and things of that nature.”
The proposed five-story structure would feature 60 units — slightly fewer than originally planned — with 30 parking spaces outlining the perimeter of the building.
Though Salvation Army development director Tania Yount agreed the City has been “helpful” and “positive” with respect to the project, concerns regarding water retention and parking space allotment were raised by members of the advisory committee. Schuldt said the design maintained “as much parking and green space” as possible while DDA project manager Jason Thiel said water retention downtown “has always been a problem” and that it was “a necessary evil.”
“We do want to do our best to help the Salvation Army jump over hurdles like those,” said Thiel. “We don’t want to be a hindrance.”
Thiel added more discussion would take place as more concrete details surrounding the project materialize.
“We will be involved with the permitting process, but all that is contingent upon them getting the funding,” he said. “I’m sure what they want to do is appropriate for that lot, but we would like to be assured that it will be a nice complement to the new library. I feel confident that they are on the right track.”
Construction costs for the project, which are to be entirely covered by a grant from Housing and Urban Development, were estimated at $3.5 million. An application will likely be submitted by the end of June.
“The City has been so helpful and positive,” said Yount. “We’ve also be fortunate enough to receive letters of support from the community. We’re optimistic that this design makes our application to HUD more competitive. It’s really exciting.”
Schuldt said he would return with a three-dimensional rendering by the end of next month.
“We will need to get a better handle of exactly what services are to be provided by the center so that we can further develop the concept,” he said. “And we’re looking forward to meeting with City heads so that they can be aware of what we’re doing. We want to fit in with the existing downtown plan.”