PHXJAX and Jacksonville’s Most Ambitious Urban Bet
April 3, 2026 | Amanda Searle
Tucked between the Historic Springfield neighborhood and New Springfield neighborhoods sits eight and a half acres that most people have driven past without a second glance. Abandoned warehouses. Weedy lots. Rail-line edges that felt more like the forgotten back of a city than its beating heart. But that stretch of land – mostly bordered by Main, 15th, and Liberty streets – is now at the center of one of the most closely watched urban development stories in Florida.
It goes by the name PHXJAX – short for the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District Jacksonville – and it is rapidly moving from renderings into actual brick-and-mortar reality. The project’s ambitions are sweeping: mixed-income housing, artist studios, restaurants, a community grocery store, event spaces, and an entirely new walkable neighborhood hub for a city that has historically struggled with urban density. Whether PHXJAX delivers on those promises is a question Jacksonville is beginning to answer in real time.
What Is PHXJAX? The Project Explained
PHXJAX is a large-scale urban redevelopment initiative in Jacksonville, Florida, led by Miami-based developer Future of Cities and its founder and CEO, Tony Cho. The project aims to transform a cluster of underused industrial properties in New Springfield into a mixed-use district combining affordable housing, creative workspaces, restaurants, retail, and cultural programming.[1]
Cho began assembling properties in the neighborhood starting in 2020, long before any ribbon-cuttings or city council votes.[2] His pitch was unusual by Jacksonville standards: rather than building on cheap land at the suburban fringe – Jacksonville’s historical default – Future of Cities bet on reinvesting in the bones of a neighborhood that has been part of the city for more than a century.
The philosophy driving the work is what Cho calls “generative placemaking” – a framework that emphasizes community co-authorship, environmental resilience, and inclusive economic growth alongside financial returns. In practice, that has meant holding community meetings, hosting free concerts and outdoor markets, and building a local leadership team before any hard hats appeared on site.[3]
Location: New Springfield, Jacksonville
The Phoenix Arts & Innovation District sits in Jacksonville’s New Springfield neighborhood, a historically working-class community located north of Downtown and west of the Eastside. The PHXJAX campus is primarily located on properties bordered by Main Street, 15th Street, and Liberty Street, adjacent to an east-west rail line.[2]
Its proximity to Downtown – roughly five minutes by car – and its direct adjacency to the Emerald Trail, Jacksonville’s growing greenway network, make it one of the most strategically positioned infill development sites in Duval County. New Springfield is also a federally designated Opportunity Zone, which provides significant tax incentives for investors who deploy capital in qualifying low-income census tracts and hold investments long-term.[1]
Phase One: Emerald Station Opens Its Doors
The first concrete proof that PHXJAX was more than a vision board came on October 30, 2024, when Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, City Council President Randy White, and a crowd of community members gathered at 2320 North Liberty Street for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The occasion was the official opening of Emerald Station – the district’s first completed building and the anchor of phase one.[4]
The 17,000-square-foot repurposed warehouse contains 7,000 square feet of creative office space, conference rooms, an in-house catering kitchen, and a footprint for Jacksonville’s Small and Emerging Business incubator. The remaining 10,000 square feet operates as a flexible event venue managed by the Twinkle Collective. [4] For a neighborhood long bypassed by city investment, the opening delivered something tangible: a physical space that people could walk into, work inside, and build something from.
“When you’re just showing people vacant warehouses, they don’t see the vision. Now you have an event, and you’ve got things going on.”
– Tony Cho, CEO & Founder, Future of Cities [4]
Phase one also includes the Liberty Building at 2336 North Liberty Street – 17,850 square feet of mixed-use space designed to house affordable artist studios, galleries, small-format retail, and restaurant space.[2] The first tenant to sign: Naked Kitchen, a plant-based restaurant with the motto “Cooking with Conscience,” making it the first food-and-beverage concept to formally commit to the district.[5]
Jacksonville City Council Backs the District
Urban projects of this scale rarely survive on developer vision alone. PHXJAX earned critical public backing in June 2024, when Jacksonville City Council voted unanimously to approve a $5.5 million incentive package for the district – a $1.5 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant plus two $2 million completion grants tied to construction milestones across two phases.[2]
District 7 Councilmember Jimmy Peluso, whose district includes the PHXJAX site, framed the vote in plainly values-driven terms. “It’s so easy to buy 500 acres in the middle of nowhere in Duval County and build a massive HOA,” he 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 them.”[4]
Live Oak Contracting Partnership: 2026 Shifts Into Gear
The clearest signal yet that PHXJAX is entering a new gear arrived in March 2026, when Future of Cities announced a formal partnership with Live Oak Contracting, one of Jacksonville’s most active builders. Through its development arm, Live Oak Estates Group, the company will lead site planning, construction strategy, and implementation for future phases of the district.[2]
Beyond adding a contractor, the partnership brings the local operational depth that out-of-market developers typically lack: established relationships with Jacksonville subcontractors, familiarity with the city’s permitting environment, and the credibility that comes with being a known regional player. It also marks a meaningful shift – from the institutional skepticism Cho openly acknowledged during early fundraising to genuine buy-in from one of Jacksonville’s most active development firms.
“Projects like this have the potential to create lasting impact for a city by blending housing, culture, and innovation into a vibrant urban environment,” said Paul Bertozzi, CEO of Live Oak Contracting and Live Oak Estates Group, in the announcement.[2]
Housing, a Grocery Store, and What’s Coming Next
With phase one complete and a construction partner secured, the PHXJAX roadmap centers on residential density. Cho has confirmed that the first vertical construction project will be a 290-unit mixed-income apartment building on Main Street. A community grocery store is also part of the near-term plan – a meaningful amenity for a neighborhood that currently lacks basic daily-life retail within walking distance. [2]
Full buildout, if completed as projected, could reach up to $500 million in total investment – making PHXJAX one of the largest urban infill projects in Jacksonville’s history. The project’s phased model is structured as what the industry calls a “covered land play”: income-producing assets and cultural programming offset carrying costs while larger phases are financed and executed. [1]
What PHXJAX Means for Jacksonville Real Estate
For real estate observers, PHXJAX represents a sustained institutional bet on urban infill in a city that has historically expanded outward rather than inward. Jacksonville’s position as the largest city by land area in the contiguous United States has long made suburban development the path of least resistance – cheap land, fast permitting, and predictable demand at the edges rather than wrestling with the complexities of aging inner-city properties.
PHXJAX is a direct challenge to that pattern. The Opportunity Zone designation rewards long-term investors with capital gains tax deferral and potential exclusion – aligning naturally with a phased build-out strategy that may take a decade to fully execute. Future of Cities has positioned the project as offering early-entry pricing below land values across the Jacksonville metro, with appreciation potential as community activation drives surrounding property values upward. [1]
For everyday Jacksonvillians, the more pressing question is what kind of neighborhood PHXJAX actually becomes. The district’s stated commitment to mixed-income housing and community co-design is either a genuine model for equitable urban development – or a rebranding of displacement dynamics that have played out in revitalizing neighborhoods across the country. That tension will not be resolved by a unanimous council vote or a well-attended ribbon-cutting. It will be answered over years, as leases are signed, rents are set, and longtime North Springfield residents either find a place in the new district or don’t.
What is clear heading into spring 2026 is that PHXJAX has cleared the first and most often fatal hurdle for ambitious urban projects: it has something real to show. Emerald Station is open. The Liberty Building is under construction. The city’s money is committed. A major local construction partner is at the table. Jacksonville’s most interesting real estate story is no longer theoretical – it’s a building you can walk into.
Frequently Asked Questions About PHXJAX
What is PHXJAX in Jacksonville, Florida?
PHXJAX – the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District – is an 8.5-acre urban redevelopment project in Jacksonville’s North Springfield neighborhood. Led by Miami-based Future of Cities, it is transforming abandoned warehouses into artist studios, creative offices, mixed-income apartments, restaurants, and a community grocery store. It sits between Downtown Jacksonville and North Springfield, near the city’s Emerald Trail greenway.
Where is the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District located?
PHXJAX is in New Springfield, Jacksonville, FL – bordered by Main Street, 15th Street, and Liberty Street, adjacent to an east-west rail line. It is approximately five minutes from Downtown Jacksonville and sits along the Emerald Trail.
Who is developing PHXJAX?
The project is led by Future of Cities, a Miami-based firm founded by CEO Tony Cho, who began acquiring the properties in 2020. In March 2026, Future of Cities announced a partnership with Jacksonville-based Live Oak Contracting to oversee construction strategy for future phases.
What has been built at PHXJAX so far?
Phase one includes Emerald Station (opened October 2024) – a 17,000-sq-ft repurposed warehouse with creative offices and a 10,000-sq-ft event venue – and the Liberty Building, a 17,850-sq-ft mixed-use building for artist studios, galleries, retail, and restaurants. Naked Kitchen is the first confirmed tenant.
Did Jacksonville City Council fund PHXJAX?
Yes. In June 2024, Jacksonville City Council voted unanimously to approve a $5.5 million incentive package including a $1.5 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant and two $2 million completion grants tied to construction milestones.
Will PHXJAX include affordable housing?
Yes. The planned 290-unit apartment development on Main Street is a mixed-income project, and the district’s mission includes affordable artist studios and inclusive economic development.
Sources & Citations
- Jax Daily Record — “Live Oak Contracting partnering on next phase of Phoenix district” (March 17, 2026) — jaxdailyrecord.com
- Future of Cities — PHXJAX Project Page — focities.com/phxjax
- PHXJAX Official Site — phxjax.com
- Jax Daily Record — “Phoenix Arts & Innovation District celebrates opening of first building” (October 30, 2024) — jaxdailyrecord.com
- Jacksonville Today — “Phoenix Arts & Innovation District begins construction” (December 11, 2023) — jaxtoday.org
- Jacksonville Business Journal (@jaxbizjournal) — referenced in original @JaxWithJosh Instagram post
