AN OPEN LETTER TO FRIENDS OF THE CATHEDRAL DISTRICT APRIL 2022

On behalf of our 18-member Board of Directors and particularly, our Chairman Syd Gervin, I thought you may be interested in an update of our progress to revitalize the Cathedral District in our short five-year lifespan.

We have a good story to tell, great interest in the 36-block Cathedral District, and a positive attitude about reaching our goals to bring this area of Downtown back to life!

On a regular basis, I am approached by local and out-of-town developers who have seen our website, read of our projects under construction and show an interest in downtown, like I’ve never encountered in my 30 years of downtown redevelopment and government relation experience.

As of this month we have over 300 apartments under construction, some using our major leadership and some I just call “organic.” This amounts to over $42 million capital investment.

  • Ashley Square: Ashley and Newnan St., 120 apartments, underground parking, and retail on first floor; about 75% complete
  • Lofts at Cathedral: (formerly the YWCA property, immediately east of the Cathedral), construction started in early April on 120 apartments, with balconies and awnings, some underground parking and extensive perimeter landscaping and sidewalks
  • Container Apartments: 18 apartments, completely leased, from adaptively reused “shipping containers” on Ashley St. across the street from the Fire Station, on the east side of the District
  • Elana Flats: four large apartment units on Duval Street, across from the Catholic Basilica, lovingly restored by JoAnn Tredennick and Jack Meeks – all leased up!

On the drawing board, in the pipeline:

  • Relocation of a successful Engineer/Design Build headquarters, for 25 employees
  • Graduate School of Architecture extension branch in late Summer 2022
  • Redesign of Hogan’s Creek by Ground Works Jacksonville
  • Acquisition of land for residential development in three separate sites of the District

Accomplished this year…
Design Standards for the District adopted by the Downtown Investment Authority (DIA)

  • Master Development Plan adopted by the DIA for the updated comprehensive plan (required by the state)
  • Recognition as an “Organization of Influence” by ULI-North Florida
  • Redesign of our Christmas in the Cathedral District special event to ticketed street festival, food and beverages, family friendly, historic church tour, one night event
  • Launch of a Major Donor campaign – to make CDJ financially sustainable

Chronology and
Progress

2022 – 2025
Benchmarks

2016 – 2022 Accomplishments

Looking forward, we hope to keep this momentum going – success begets success. We hope also, to be successful attracting corporate and endowment funding to keep us financially sustainable until we reach our goal of a healthy, live, work, play neighborhood. Don’t hesitate to write me: ginny@cathedraldistrict-jax.org

Ginny Myrick
PRESIDENT/CEO
Cathedral District-Jax, Inc.