by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
It’s only .19 acres, but that’s enough for one design group’s creative enterprise to flourish.
Logan Rink, one of the five members of 13 Minute Productions LLC, received a letter from the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission July 13 and read it with relief.
It was approval for plans for a condominium building on Duval and Liberty streets that Rink and the four other equity partners call 16: Flat. It came from JEDC’s Design Review Committee.
The units at 16:Flat will range in size from 850 to 1,400 square feet and will range in price from $200,000 to $400,000, according to Rink.
Relatively speaking, the condos are more affordable than many housing units downtown.
“The price is right for market-rate housing,” said real estate analyst Ray Rodriguez. “Market-rate housing is between affordable housing and luxury living.”
The empty lot at 256 Duval St. was listed by Easton, Sanderson & Company for $250,000 and 13 Minute Productions, —the design coalition comprised of Chris Belyea, Mike Kleinschmidt, Jose Cardenas, Milan Malinvic and Rink — have the land under contract for “approximately” the same amount, according to Rink.
How is 13 Minute Productions able to offer the condos at such reduced prices?
“That’s a good question,” said Rink. “Maybe it’s our willingness to take a lower profit.”
The price of the units was set by the initial construction cost and the market value 13 Minute Productions thought it would bear, according to Rink.
He said the site was really challenging to put a building on because it’s such a small space — only about a fifth of an acre. But that was half the fun for group of architects and designers. They all work at Rink Design Partnership in Jacksonville.
“We thought our idea was interesting enough that we could do something that possibly others couldn’t,” said Rink, adding that the group knew they wanted to do something downtown. “We felt very strongly about an urban in fill project.”
The complex will include floor-to-ceiling glass windows, open floor plans, wood floors, and a gated perimeter and 16 first-floor parking spaces.
“Luckily, our city is sophisticated enough to realize that you can’t have two parking spaces per one bedroom unit,” said Rink, adding that the structure is cleanly organized. “The product is a little more contemporary than anything on the market.”
The complex will also include a rooftop terrace that Rink said other designers have been neglecting.
“It’s good for the environment and good for the tenants,” he said. “It’s a good solution for multiple projects.”
While this is the first development project the group has done, Rink said, they hope it’s not the last.
“We plan to do more projects,” Rink said.
13 Minute Productions went before JEDC’s Design Review Committee in June. Rink said there was some apprehension while awaiting the DRC’s answer, especially because the property is in the Cathedral District, which already has its own architectural style.
“We weren’t sure if they were going to be open to a different design solution besides classical or Mediterranean,” said Rink.
Overall, especially after approval, Rink said the DRC was very receptive to their ideas and helpful.
“They didn’t give us a whole lot of trouble,” he said. “It was actually a very pleasant experience.
13 Minute Productions are already working on their next project. They’ve pitched a project to the JEDC in LaVilla called the LaVilla Lofts.
“If they put it out for RFP, (Request for Proposal) we’d go for it,” said Rink.
13 Minute Productions
The people at 13 Minute Productions say they’re serious about urban living and accommodating their design passion with an adequate outlet. If they had the chance to redesign all of downtown Jacksonville, they wouldn’t. They’d just add to the architecture that is already here. They like the city and want to be part of its growth, especially with urban in-fill projects.
Here are some things they said about architecture, design and downtown Jacksonville.
• “You can’t bring Barcelona over, you know,” said Malinvic, who has traveled the world and notes that cities are defined by their architecture.
• “We have to relate to the fabric of the community,” said Cardenas. “We offer a different perspective with respect to what’s around us.”
• “Either you like downtown or you don’t. We feel ‘it’ hasn’t been here and we’re exposing people to it. It’s just that simple,” said Belyea.
“People typically see and project. We did the process and displayed a fulfilling project that translated into, ‘We can do this for real.’”
• “We have design control and financial control,” said Rink.
• “We call the shots and can explore the different aspects of design,” said Kleinschmidt. “It’s just stuff that excites us. We look at architecture magazines and books and we travel. We filter all that information and tailor it to Jacksonville.”