After more than six years and $73 million, the historic Union Terminal Warehouse is open at 700 E. Union St.
The building, constructed in 1913, is near Jacksonville’s Eastside and EverBank Stadium.
It is being leased for apartments, offices and retail units.
A ribbon-cutting March 6 celebrated the opening of the 361,169-square-foot building.
Union Terminal Warehouse is on the planned Emerald Trail, a 30-mile multiuse paved path that would connect urban neighborhoods with Downtown.
Atlanta-based developer Columbia Ventures bought the more than 7-acre property through East Union Property Owner LLC for $4.6 million Dec. 3, 2018. The city issued a build-out permit July 15 for $34 million in renovations.
The Columbia Ventures website says the total cost of the project was $73 million.
There are 228 apartments, ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, and 50,000 square feet of small office, food and beverage and maker space on the site, according to website columbiaven.com. Rents are $1,314 to $3,140 a month according to the utwjax.com website.
“Since day one we’ve been welcomed to Jacksonville with open arms,” Columbia Ventures Development Manager Ryan Akin said.
Mayor Donna Deegan cited the project as an example of Downtown momentum.
“Today marks another new chapter in purposeful growth,”she said. “Over the last 20 months, we have advocated for downtown and nearby neighborhoods. We have done so with a strong focus on infrastructure, economic development and community engagement.”
Deegan mentioned projects, including Riverfront Plaza, Pearl Square and “The Stadium of the Future” as other positive Downtown developments.
According to property management, 12 apartments are leased, with tours taking place daily, and two businesses are signed, including a social media content company and Vantage Coffee.
It is Vantage’s second store. Owner Leo Baker said it is expected to open in spring.
“People always ask, ‘Who’s going to use this space?,’” Akin said.
“They’ll be entrepreneurs exchanging ideas and innovation over coffee and Vantage Point Coffee. They’ll be the couple coming home from work to a place of respite and inspiration to debrief about their day and get some rest.
“They’ll be the roommates hosting dinner with friends who come from all corridors with wonder in their eyes, discovering creative design touches as they go. They’ll be the e-commerce company that runs their business upstairs and has an inventory downstairs. They’ll be the guests at a nonprofit celebration on the rooftop who have never seen such an unencumbered view of the city, backlit by a beautiful sunset.
“The people are what are going to make this place special.”
The Jacksonville City Council voted in April 2021 to designate the Union Terminal Warehouse as a local landmark. In May 2022, it authorized $8.29 million in public financing for Columbia Venture’s plan to renovate and adapt it into mixed-income housing and retail.
WPC IV LLC of Maitland is the contractor for the project. Jacksonville-based Dasher Hurst Architects is the architect.
