JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville is considering a plan to build townhouses, duplexes and other multi-family homes to address the “missing middle” in the housing market.
But not everyone is on board.
Residents in an Arlington neighborhood say building multi-family units could alter the character of their community.
“It’s just a nice, quiet neighborhood,” said Aaron Jacobs, who moved to Florida after taking command of a ship at Naval Station Mayport. He found his forever home in a tucked-away, low-traffic area known for its low crime rate. “These are all single-family homes, and it was built to be that way—only single-family homes."
Jacobs fears that the new proposal for multi-family housing might change the character of the neighborhood.
“The traffic will increase, and with more people, the crime rate will probably go up, especially if many of the new units aren’t expensive or if they’re rental units. I’ve lived all over the world, and in places like that, the crime rate goes up,” he added.
Wayne Van Doren, a Navy veteran and Arlington resident, also opposes the proposal introduced by Councilman Rory Diamond.
The proposal aims to bring more “missing middle” housing to Jacksonville, allowing for the construction of townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes as infill development, even in established neighborhoods.
“It feels like redlining all of Arlington. They’re trying to cram in lots of duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, townhouses—you name it—on every piece of land,” Van Doren said.
A map of the proposal shows the areas where missing middle housing could be built (in blue below). Excluded areas include downtown, the Northbank and Southbank, San Marco, Miramar, and San Jose.
Diamond said the initiative will help meet the growing demand for housing in Jacksonville. But residents feel their area is being unfairly targeted.
Van Doren said his issue is that the planning board, city council and Mayor Donna Deegan don’t have a stake in the decision themselves.
“None of the people reside in Arlington; they live down in Mandarin or out toward the beach—any place but in Arlington,” Van Doren said.
“Like many people, I feel hopeless. Once decisions are made further up the chain, there’s not much you can do about it. I hope that’s not true,” Jacobs added.
News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee reached out to Diamond but has not yet received a response.
However, Mayor Donna Deegan’s office provided a statement, which reads in part:
“The LDR committee has been working for over a year to develop recommendations for smart development that preserves neighborhood character. They just completed their proposal and will be submitting it to the planning department and mayor’s office for review before it becomes legislation for the city council. These recommendations will consider existing infrastructure, density, flood maps, CRAs, and zoning overlays. There will be ample opportunities for the community to weigh in on this plan.”
Phillip Perry, Spokesman, Mayor Donna Deegan's
One of those opportunities to weigh in on the plan is at Tuesday’s Land Use and Zoning Committee meeting, which starts at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall.
