Change Coming to Ortega Village

Demolition permits, pending sales spark curiosity

There’s movement in the quiet, quaint Ortega Village commercial district, where the buzz about building demolition permits has locals intrigued by what might be next for the village at the center of the historic neighborhood.

Parcel acquisitions

Last December, the proposed “Ortega Carriage House” development was tabled ahead of a community meeting organized by District 7 City Councilman Jimmy Peluso. When the development of 18 customizable units for office space with vehicle storage and related amenities failed to gain traction, property owner Gayle Bulls Dixon’s team pivoted to a sale and the property was listed and is currently under contract on the parcels at 4230 and 4218 Ortega Blvd. These parcels are expected to close mid-May, listed with Florida Realty Homes and Mortgage agent Michelle Sherill, representing Dixon in the transaction. The buyer remains undisclosed as of press time.

Next steps in procedural hearings, contributing structures?

In the coming weeks, posted signage will go up for hearings at the Jacksonville Historic Commission regarding demolition permission and procedures. Applications have already been submitted to the City of Jacksonville’s Planning and Development Department for the structures at 2928 and 2934 Corinthian Avenue. A public hearing for these applications is scheduled for May 28.

That public hearing will take place at the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission meeting in Room 1002 on the first floor of the Ed Ball Building, located at 214 North Hogan Street in Downtown Jacksonville.

Brent Ross is listed as the manager for both LLCs owning the two parcels and in a letter addressed to the JHPC, he stated that the demolition, or removal, of the existing structures is necessary to revitalize the quiet commercial area with new businesses that would fulfill the new needs and wants of the Ortega community.

“This requires redevelopment of the village, and my two properties are key,” Ross stated, in part, in his letter. “They have very little value in their present state, they have no future value in their present configuration.”

Ross added that it has been difficult for businesses to thrive in the Ortega Village, citing several closures. 

“…[A]s Jacksonville grew, the village did not grow with it,” Ross wrote. “One by one the shops died out and there was no one to replace them.”

Russell Glasheen, owner of Trips in the Village, disagrees. In her own letter disputing some of Ross’s claims, she wrote:

“This village was never meant to grow. It is firmly contained within its small boundaries by residences and
was only ever intended to be a small neighborhood village. It is as it should be.

Additionally, Glasheen cited several businesses currently operating in the immediate area surrounding
the properties in question, including her travel agency, which has been at its Corinthian Avenue location since 1997, a jeweler, a hair salon, a pharmacy, and more.

“To say that the village has ‘past’ (sic) is simply false. This remains a thriving historic village,” Glasheen wrote.

In an accompanying letter to the commission, Ross added that an interested party would be able to relocate
these parcels’ structures to a different site at no cost.

“We will allow a minimum of 90 days to accept a requirement of removal and be given another 30 days after acceptance to complete the removal,” the letter stated.

Historically speaking

Ortega has remained a low-density residential neighborhood, and most of its commercial buildings were converted from single-story bungalows, masonry, and wood frame vernacular homes to shops, daycares or boutiques over the years. This fabric has been noted and documented in the National Register of Historic Places, which was applied for and signed by the Florida State Historic Preservation Officer and the National Register in July 2004.

Any future work to redevelop will have to go before the City’s Historic Preservation Commission, as part of any rezoning and land-use changes, which may not be necessary in the case of some of the parcels in question, but for others, they may qualify as contributing structures by officials.

Resident News will continue reporting on this issue as the situation evolves.