JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For years, the old Jewish center and Jacksonville Job Corps Center in Jacksonville’s Springfield area has sat vacant and boarded up. Nearby residents and visitors across Duval County tell Action News Jax it’s not just been an eyesore, but also a public safety risk.
“You kind of look over there and that’s the area you kind want to avoid,” Adrian Valcarce, who visits the nearby park often from Jacksonville Beach, said Monday. “It’s a little uneasy, especially if I want to bring out my son or both sons.”
Now, there’s a new and improved vision for the old, abandoned building and the surrounding abandoned properties along West Third Street, right across from Henry J. Klutho Park.
The plans currently being proposed by Joshua Pardue of JPRE Development would include 78 residential units, 10,000 square feet of commercial space, and a members-only social club with a pool.
Pardue told Action News Jax on Monday that the hope is that the complex not only capitalizes on the booming potential of the nearby Emerald Trail, but that it also addresses ongoing safety and security concerns from the currently abandoned properties.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
According to data Action News Jax obtained from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, deputies have already been called out to the property 10 times so far this year. They were called out to the site 32 times in 2024 and had over 100 calls for service we found in 2023.
“We board up the windows, we put up fence, but when a building is that abandoned and historic, there’s no way to keep it secure because people can go in through the roof,” Pardue explained. “So at that point it is a security issue. We’re, you know, of course, working close with JSO, but the only way to fix it is to actually complete the project.”
Pardue said Monday the project is expected to cost roughly $25 million.
Although Pardue says the city has expressed support for the project, it’s still in the early phases of going in front of the Jacksonville City Council, with no projected timeline for completion just yet.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
