The Phoenix Arts & Innovation District in North Springfield is launching a new phase of development in partnership with Jacksonville-based Live Oak Contracting, the parties announced.
According to a March 16 release, Live Oak will work with the developers of the district, also known as PHXJAX, to “ support site planning, construction strategy, and implementation planning for future phases” of construction.
Live Oak Estates Group, the development arm of Live Oak, will lead the company’s part of the partnership.
Future of Cities, led by founder and CEO Tony Cho, began buying properties for the project in 2020 and broke ground in late 2023.
“This partnership reflects the strength of Jacksonville’s growth trajectory and the confidence we have in the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District as a catalytic project for the city,” Cho said in the release.
The Phoenix district comprises several early 20th-century industrial buildings that are being adapted for modern use. 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.
According to the release, 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.
In early 2025, Cho said Future of Cities was planning vertical construction that would help push the total investment in the property to as much as $500 million. He said the first new construction project would be a 290-unit mixed-income apartment development on Main Street. A community grocery also is part of the plan, with other major projects to follow.
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.
Initial plans called for the project to be developed in two phases and completed in 2026.
Phase One was an estimated $14.15 million renovation of two buildings, including the Emerald Station, at 2320 and 2336 N. Liberty St. Construction started in June 2024 for completion by June 30, 2025.
Plans for the building on Liberty Street, known as the Liberty Building, included 17,850 square feet of affordable artist studios, galleries, small-format retail and restaurants.
Naked Kitchen, a restaurant with plant-based and protein options and the motto “Cooking with Conscience,” was the first food and beverage concept to enter a lease agreement in the Liberty Building in mid-2025.
“Projects like this have the potential to create lasting impact for a city by blending housing, culture, and innovation into a vibrant urban environment,” said Paul Bertozzi, CEO of Live Oak Contracting and Live Oak Estates Group, in the release.