Propelled by a new partnership with a building contractor, developers of the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District are preparing to launch their first new construction in the mixed-use project.
An announcement is expected soon from Miami-based Future of Cities, the lead developer of the district in North Springfield, for groundbreaking of an affordable housing project in the district where plans call for a $500 million combination of renovated industrial buildings and new construction.
Michael Weil, project executive and chief operations officer for Future of Cities, said during an April 17 interview that the developers have obtained funding for the project that includes state assistance and tax credits from the city of Jacksonville. Weil said further details would be announced in an upcoming release on the project.
“It’s 80 units of affordable housing adjacent to the Bunker Building, and it’s going to be our first vertical site,” Weil said.
The 15,000-square-foot Bunker Building is among several adaptive reuse projects under development in the district, which is primarily bordered by Main, 15th and Liberty streets and an east-west rail line, with three parcels south of the line.
As work progresses on renovations, Future of Cities announced in March 2026 it had partnered with Jacksonville-based Live Oak Contracting to begin the second phase of the project, which will involve new construction.
According to a release on the Live Oak partnership, the project will repurpose 120,000 square feet of industrial buildings into “modern creative space” as part of a mixed-use development that will include up to 830 multifamily units. Affordable, workforce and market-rate housing will be included.
A rendering attached to the release showed six multistory buildings near the revitalized warehouses.
With the groundbreaking of the affordable housing development approaching, Weil offered an update on the overall project.
Mixed-income, mixed-use
Weil said Future of Cities and Live Oak had begun planning for new construction on undeveloped land identified as Dev Sites A and B.
Those projects include a concept for a residential building and a parking structure, possibly connected by a skyway, to provide access for district residents and the community to the Emerald Trail, the 30-mile system of pedestrian and cycling paths in and around Downtown Jacksonville.
“We really see ourselves as the northern trailhead of the Emerald Trail, with amazing accessibility, with (Interstate) 95 and MLK (Martin Luther King Drive) right there,” he said. “We’re kind of starting to step into the design phase and see what’s possible.”
Plans for workforce housing also are in development.
“Starting with affordable housing and then moving to workforce is just a natural progression,” Weil said.
“We want to do and continue to build places for people to be able to afford so they can work, live, eat, play, all within the district. We’ve always talked about this district being mixed-income along with mixed-use.”
Old bricks get new life
The Phoenix district website, phxjax.com, shows five buildings as “now leasing,” with listings for contacts from the district and the Miami-based Metro 1 commercial real estate firm. Tony Cho, who founded Future of Cities, also is the founder of Metro 1.
The leasings are in renovated buildings, all of which were built primarily of bricks in the early 20th century.
The first renovated building, the 17,000-square-foot Emerald Station, opened in October 2024 with a 10,000-square-foot event space, offices, meeting rooms and a catering kitchen.
Weil said work is wrapping up on the Liberty Building, for which Future of Cities recently obtained a temporary certificate of occupancy.
Naked Kitchen, the first tenant to sign in the 18,000-square-foot Liberty Building, is nearing an opening, Weil said.
In April 2025, the city issued a permit for the restaurant to renovate a 2,750-square-foot space at a cost of $396,906.
Naked Kitchen, which has been catering, offers plant-based, organic and protein options and the motto “Cooking with Conscience.”
The Legacy Building is described phxjax.com as an industrial shell restructured into work studios, private suites and flexible warehouse space. More than a dozen tenants are in place.
“The building’s adaptable layout supports solo creatives, wellness practitioners, makers, service businesses, and light manufacturers — with spaces ranging from 72 SF studios to a 10,672 SF open warehouse bay,” the site says.
Future of Cities says the Bunker Building offers the size, aesthetics and potential indoor-outdoor uses that would make it suitable for food-and-beverage tenants. But Weil said other uses could be appropriate.
“It could be a lot of different things, anywhere from a brewery to urgent care and medical offices,” he said.
Personnel change
The Phoenix district, also known as PHXJAX, made news recently when Emily Moody, vice president and chief experience officer for the project, announced she had moved to a role with the Gateway Jax development Downtown.
Moody, co-owner of vintage apparel and accessories shop Wolf & Cub, began working for PHXJAX in 2022 as director of community engagement. She became vice president in June 2024.
Moody moved to a position as director of placemaking and experience with Gateway Jax, which is developing its $750 million Pearl Square mixed-use district as part of a broader $2 billion project.
In conjunction, PHXJAX hired Yanira “Yaya” Cardona as its general manager. Cardona was the Hispanic outreach coordinator before the move. Among her new duties, she serves as the lead contact for leasing and is reachable at [email protected].
Weil, speaking about Moody, said the Phoenix team was “extremely grateful to everything that she brought to the district” and was “happy that she found an amazing opportunity with Gateway, because Gateway needs to be successful.”
“We are one of the biggest cheerleaders of the Gateway project, and love that they’re already out of the ground,” Weil said, adding that the new development would help create demand and interest in the Phoenix district.
He said the personnel change resulted in “exchanging one superstar female leader for another.”
“It’s cool to be in an environment where everybody’s rooting for each other, because not all cities are like that,” he said.
“People always ask us, ‘Why Jacksonville?’ And these are the reasons. You have this, this emerging Downtown. You have this new vibe, this new energy, this new infill, of people coming to Downtown and all these projects happening all at once.”
Weil encouraged Jacksonville residents to explore the Phoenix, where events and other activities are underway with more to come.
“Attend our markets, attend our events. Come see the buildings we’re actively leasing,” he said.
History of PHXJAX
Future of Cities began buying properties for the project in 2020 and broke ground in late 2023.
In June 2024, Council approved $5.5 million in incentives for the Phoenix district, with the package comprising a $1.5 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant plus $2 million completion grants for each of two phases of construction.
A REV grant is a refund on ad valorem tax revenue generated by a new development.
Council also approved a rezoning request to Planned Unit Development to permit commercial and multifamily uses in the district.
