The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit building affordable housing for U.S. military veterans, bought the Ramada by Wyndham Jacksonville I-95 by Butler Blvd on March 18 for $11 million.
Jacksonville-based Rore Investing sold the property at 9150 Baymeadows Road through The Knights 18 Baymeadows LLC. The real estate investment firm is managed by Shmuel Bonnardel.
The hotel is east of Interstate 95 at Western Way. Property records show it was built in 1974 and was developed on two parcels totaling 5.18 acres. The Knights 18 Baymeadows LLC bought the hotel in 2021 for $8.22 million.
The state of Florida issued a warrant Jan. 15 stating The Knights 18 Baymeadows owed $643,626.15 in sales and use taxes, along with interest and penalties.
Tunnel to Towers Foundation of Jacksonville bought the property through Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
The foundation plans to create 145 housing units for veterans in the 146-unit hotel, as well as stand-alone homes on the property, according to an application with the city of Jacksonville for a zoning exception and administrative deviation for the property. In February 2026, the Jacksonville Planning Commission approved the application on a unanimous vote.
The administrative deviation reduced parking and landscaping requirements around the property. The exception allowed the 501(c)(3) nonprofit to create multifamily housing on the property. The commission’s vote constituted final approval on the application, with no City Council action needed.
The purchase included 1.21 acres of neighboring vacant land.
Gavin Naples, the foundation’s senior vice president for its homeless veteran program, told the Daily Record in February that Tunnel to Towers will perform an eight-figure renovation to the hotel, which was built in 1974 on 3.97 acres.
Each apartment unit will have its own kitchen and bathroom, Naples said. The first floor of the building will include libraries, lounges, dining areas, gyms, workforce redevelopment centers and more, according to the zoning exception application.
“This is not a shelter,” Naples said at the time. “This is not a transitional site.”
The proposed Tunnel to Towers Jacksonville project would be one of 18 across the United States, Naples said. Other Florida markets include Bradenton, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. Sites elsewhere include Buffalo, New York, and Los Angeles.
Construction is scheduled to begin in summer and be completed by late 2027, Naples said.
New York-based Tunnel to Towers was founded in honor of former New York City firefighter Stephen Siller, who was killed on 9/11. Since then, the foundation said it has raised $1 billion in funding for housing assistance for homeless former service members.
According to the nonprofit, Siller responded to the 9/11 attack while off-duty but was blocked at the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. He parked his truck, strapped on his gear and ran through the tunnel to the Twin Towers.