The vacant J. Allen Axson Elementary School would be revived as a boutique hotel under action taken Jan. 9 by the Jacksonville Planning Commission.
Commissioners voted 6-0 to recommend approval of a land-use amendment and rezoning to resurrect the school property at 1221 E. 16th St. as a mixed-use development.
Cyndy Trimmer, a land use attorney for Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow, told the commission that project would include the hotel, a restaurant and bar, and self-storage units. The self-storage component would be new construction, while the hotel and dining establishment would be an adaptive reuse of the school building.
Trimmer represents the property owner, Jack Sun Villas LLC. The LLC is managed by Jacksonville residents Roberto R. Alegre, Samantha K. Alegre and Isabel Mills-Alegre, all of Jacksonville.
“This is a beautiful building, and I cannot wait to see this project completed,” Commissioner Charles Garrison said.
Chair Michael McGowan agreed, saying the hotel would complement the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District in North Springfield. The first building in the 8.3-acre district opened in the fall of 2024, with Miami-based Future of Cities progressing on a full build-out plan that includes conversions of four warehouses and green spaces into office space, artist studios, galleries, retail establishments, restaurants and affordable housing.
The school property is east of the district, mostly bordered by Main, 15th and Liberty streets and an east-west rail line.
“A rising tide raises all ships,” McGowan said. “Hopefully this will be a great success.”
The commission’s vote advances two pieces of legislation, Ordinances 2024-0902 and 2024-0903, to the City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee. Ordinance 2024-0902 would change the land use from Public Buildings and Facilities to Community/Commercial General, and the other ordinance would rezone the property from Public Buildings and Facilities to Planned Unit Development.
The Planning Commission approved the rezoning with a condition requested by the owners to allow the self-storage unit structure to be up to 60 feet tall. The city Planning and Development staff had recommended a 45-foot cap.
Trimmer said self-storage component will provide revenue that will make the adaptive reuse of the building financially feasible. She said the units are sited a significant distance east of the building, along Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, and that the school would remain the prominent focus of the property.
She said the extra weight of the units would shield the hotel from noise on the elevated parkway.
McGowan said the self-storage also would be partially obscured by mature trees on the property. He said the units and school would be approximately 125 feet apart, so the extra 15 feet of height “doesn’t seem to be a lot.”
In response to a question by Garrison, Trimmer said the owners were working with an agent to find an operator of the hotel. Garrison said he wanted to ensure that “a boutique doesn’t turn into a Red Roof Inn or something like that.”
Trimmer said the school building has been abandoned since 2013 and was damaged in a fire.
Duval County Property Appraiser records show that Duval Schools sold the building in 2015 and that it has changed hands three times since. The records show that Jack Sun Villages purchased the property in 2023 for $700,000.
On Jan. 7, the LUZ Committee approved Ordinance 2024-0880, which would designate the school as a city of Jacksonville historic landmark. The owners sought the designation.
The ordinance is scheduled for a final City Council vote Jan. 14.
According to a staff report on the historic designation, the original portion of the school was built in 1910. Additions were built in 1915 and 1926.
The school was named for Axson, a former principal. Duval Schools operates another school that bears his name, J. Allen Axson Montessori School, at 4763 Sutton Park Court in Southeast Jacksonville.