JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A chunk of land that has little more than a fence and woods on Biscayne Boulevard on Jacksonville's Northside could soon be home to new workforce apartments if a developer’s vision comes to fruition.
But not before neighbors make their voices heard.
“Everything that’s negative is dumped here on the Northside," said Garry Jackson, who lives near the proposed complex.
Jackson’s lived on the Northside for 27 years and says he’s seen quite a few changes.
He and his fellow longtime neighbors have worked hard to improve the image, but they fear plans for workforce housing on Biscayne Boulevard could jeopardize that.
“Affordable housing is always good for the community in Jacksonville, however, it needs to match what’s going on in the area," said Eugene Eubanks.
A developer plans to add 108 units off Biscayne Boulevard, ranging in price from $1000-$1500 per month.
She told First Coast News the plan is to have it set back from the road with controlled access to enhance safety.
“We don’t want our property value to be affected by putting low income apartments right around our homes," said Eubanks. "We realize that brings a lot of traffic to this two lane road.”
University of North Florida Professor of Sociology David Jaffee says he hears the property value concern frequently.
“There’ve been some studies done on this, and rezoning multifamily apartment complexes don’t have the perceived impact people believe their going to have on the property values," said Jaffee.
Jaffee says there are quite a few apartment complexes in the immediate area around Dunn Avenue where this is proposed.
“The problem is, it’s not really affordable," said Jaffee.
Jaffee isn’t sure the proposed complex with prices starting at $1000 will really help meet the need for more affordable housing.
“Our analysis shows us that this large, large segment of the working population would require rent of less than $1000," said Jaffee.
Jaffee points out there is also a need to spread the affordable housing around, rather than concentrating it in low income areas.
The Biscayne Boulevard neighbors would like to see a compromise – perhaps something a little lower density, and they’ll keep pushing until they get one.
“Some people look at it and think that you’re not going to be able to stop it, but if we don’t stand for something now, what’s the purpose of standing," said Kenneth Wade.
Another community meeting is planned for Thursday at Sumerset at 6 o’clock before the project heads to the Land Use and Zoning committee for a vote Tuesday.
