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North Point Town Center
a
Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation (NJCDC) Development
Program History
NJCDC was founded in 2001 on the faith that residents live in a strong community with great people and significant wealth. Those gifts are masked by what people think they see--dilapidated housing, struggling commercial corridors, and unsafe streets. NJCDC shows people what is great about their community. We improve the quality of life in their neighborhood in a way that embraces economic diversity, makes businesses eager to invest, honors area history, and creates a thriving community for families. We help our neighbors make their community a place where they are proud to raise their children and where those children choose to return to this community to raise their own families.
By organizing community residents and businesses, NJCDC seeks to strengthen the business community and to integrate new homeowners into existing neighborhoods while emphasizing zero tolerance for crime.
NJCDC strongly believes that a community’s self sufficiency can be achieved by organizing, building, and sustaining its programs through its communities’ ownership of the initiatives. Through its life NJCDC has come to realize that many of the community’s social issues are deeply rooted and very complex. The agency cannot create transformation alone. It must embrace partnerships and sometimes simply endorse others in support of its mission.
Among the partners in this venture with Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation are the following dignitaries and organizations:
U.S. Congress members the Honorable Rep. Corrine Brown and the Honorable Senator Bill Nelson
City of Jacksonville, Mayor John Peyton, Councilmember E. Denise Lee and the rest of City Council
City of Jacksonville, Housing and Neighborhood’s Director Wight Gregor
United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Clean-up Revolving Loan Fund Program administered through the City of Jacksonville ’s Brownfields Redevelopment Program, Planning and Development Department.
Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford and JSO
State of Florida, Department of Environmental Protection
St. John’s Water Management District
Durkeeville Historical Society
Myrtle, Moncrief Business Association
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)- pre-development
Florida Community Loan Fund (FCLF)- construction and permanent financing
NJCDC also believes that new housing alone cannot transform this community into a healthy stable community. In fact, we believe that jobs and services within the community is a cornerstone to a healthy community. Severe leakage currently occurs. This means that most dollars that are currently spent immediately leave the community. Many goods and services can only be found outside of the community’s boundaries. We hope to inspire new businesses that will employ community residents and encourage business owners to live within the community.
Building a Retail Market
NJCDC’s housing development builds a higher income, stable residential base. As the saying goes “commercial follows rooftops”, and so NJCDC is beginning to look at how the organization can attract and support business development along the commercial corridors of Myrtle Avenue and Moncrief Road. The reputation of high crime and blight has resulted in a strong negative perception of the community and makes it very challenging to attract new entrepreneurs to the area.
NJCDC’s work is three-fold: to help the existing businesses improve their attractiveness and increase profitability, to attract new businesses into vacant commercial space on the corridors, and in some cases to be the developer of commercial spaces for lease to quality businesses.
As part of setting the stage for new commercial activities, back in 2002, NJCDC submitted a successful proposal to the city on behalf of the neighborhood for the City Town Center program. Over $2.3 million in public right of way improvements are finally in construction along Myrtle Avenue and Moncrief Road that will dramatically help change the perception of this commercial corridor.
The North Point ( I) Town Center is mixed used, office retail development by NJCDC with a $3.5 million price tag. It affords at least 25 jobs and services in a low to moderate community. This development’s objective is to create a central focal point for the 29th and Chase neighborhood that develops commercial and retail space for economic development. The building will have twin floors of 5,300 leased square feet (a total of 10,600). The upper floor will be leased as office space and the lower floor will be leased as retail space.
It will replace an overgrown/ vacant/abandoned property with a modern green/ Earth friendly structure. The project seeks platinum LEED certification50% of the building is currently planned as office space with the remaining being used for a host of other potential users. The site is also a Brownfield designated location complete with several environmentally sensitive concerns, including petroleum, arsenic, lead, and ash to name a few.
For leasing information call : Catherine Childers at 396-7750 ext 206
For construction related questions call: Ted Pappas at 355-1939
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