The City Office of Economic Development's Downtown Development Review Board on Thursday deferred action on a request for conceptual approval of a plan to renovate the former Ambassador Hotel.
Arbour Valley Development LLC, based in Birmingham, Ala., proposes to convert the six-story structure into 57 one- and two-bedroom apartments priced for the workforce housing rental market.
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and also has been locally designated as a historic landmark.
Arbour Valley principal Sam Johnston said the budget for the project is $12 million, including acquisition of the property and renovation costs. He said most of the changes would involve the interior of the building to bring it up to building-code standards and "make it livable."
Johnston said his firm will pursue government programs supporting re-use of historic buildings, including federal and state housing tax credits and financing.
Tyler Zoghby, Arbour Valley business analyst, said the conceptual plan for the project already has been approved by the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission, including the addition of a clubhouse structure planned to be built on the roof.
He said the commission wants a "modern design" that would not be visible from the street.
Johnston said the developers have not yet conducted a structural engineering study to determine if the roof will support the proposed clubhouse. He said he plans to retain a local architect to design the project.
"The 7th floor is a key amenity to draw people there and keep them there," Johnston said.
City Assistant General Counsel Jason Teal said after the conceptual design is approved by the board, the project will return to the commission. If the preservation commission approves the final design of the proposed clubhouse, the project would then return to board for final approval.
However, based on the building's historic landmark designation, the board would be in second position for design approval.
"Historic preservation will trump DDRB," Teal said.
"What's lacking is not having an architect on this project yet. I hesitate for us as a board to design projects. It's the architect's job to decide what should be up there," said board member Roland Udenze, an architect with Haskell.
The board voted to defer action on the conceptual design until April 4, its next scheduled meeting.
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