Four years after Miami-based Future of Cities began buying vacant industrial buildings in North Springfield, its plans to transform the properties into the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District began coming together in the fall of 2024.
On Oct. 30, Future of Cities CEO Tony Cho welcomed about 100 people to celebrate the opening of the Emerald Station, the first completed building in the 8.3-acre district.
Mayor Donna Deegan and City Council President Randy White were among those who helped commemorate the opening of the 17,000-square foot repurposed warehouse.
“You guys are now in the Wizard of Oz of Jacksonville,” Cho said.
Cho said that when he began sharing his vision for the district with his new acquaintances in Jacksonville, he sensed some believed it was every bit as much of a fantasy as the land of Oz.
“People are very distrustful in Jacksonville around plans and renderings,” he said. “You’ve got to start with a vision, but vision without execution is just dreaming. So we’re all about executing.”
The Emerald Station, named for its front-door proximity to the Emerald Trail, includes 7,000 square feet of creative offices, conference rooms, an in-house catering kitchen, an event space and an office for the city of Jacksonville’s Small and Emerging Business incubator.
Work is underway on other portions of the district, which is mostly bordered by Main, 15th and Liberty streets and an east-west rail line.
Fully built-out, it will include 10 properties, including conversions of four warehouses and green spaces into office space, artist studios, galleries, retail establishments and restaurants. Affordable housing also will be included.
Cho, whose redevelopment projects include the Wynwood Arts District in Miami, praised city officials for embracing his plans for the district. The city provided $5.5 million in incentives for the project.
Council member Jimmy Peluso, whose District 7 includes the Phoenix, commended Cho for developing in an economically distressed part of Jacksonville. He said the investment would help lift up North Springfield and Downtown.
“It’s so easy to buy 100, 500 acres in the middle of nowhere in Duval County or maybe one of the counties nearby and build a massive HOA or a massive development, and you can make a lot of money,” Peluso said.
“Or you could look at these old, historical structures, these old neighborhoods that have been here over 100 years and withstood the Great Fire, and you could reinvest in those neighborhoods. And you can make sure those neighborhoods remain here, they’re uplifted and that they’ll be here for another 100 years.”
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