Chase Properties TrailView Townhomes Fuel Capital Improvement Fund for Humane Society

A new townhome development planned for Southbank is having a tremendous impact on the Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS).

Last December, Chase Properties, through its subsidiary Chad Development LLC acquired a nearly-four-acre parcel along Reed Avenue from JHS for $1.6 million. The property is situated along a tidal creek and is adjacent to the incoming RiversEdge development. Proceeds from that sale will allow JHS to establish a capital improvement fund, creating a funding source for the animal rescue entity to use for ongoing and vital repairs and improvements to the Linda Berry Stein Adoption, Education and Pet Help Center, completed in 2017.

“The building is our largest single investment and asset, so we want to make sure that we protect that asset so we can continue to be the stalwarts in the community that we are,” said JHS CEO Lawrence Nicolas.

Maintaining the 55,000-square-foot building while overseeing the care and comfort of 8,500 animals requires a lot of “complex, intricate and moving pieces,” Nicolas explained.

“An animal shelter of our scale has elements similar to a hospital and elements similar to a school and all of the complex systems that make those work are here, too,” he added.

Establishing a fund specifically earmarked for the necessary work of maintaining the building in which those systems are run so JHS does not have to dip into operational funds will allow Nicolas’s team to focus on the animals, knowing capital improvement costs are covered.

After working closely with the Chase Properties team during the property sale and acquisition, Nicolas said, “We know the Chase folks pretty well now so that we’re a good partnership.”

Michael Balanky, Chase Properties founder and CEO, said he is happy to be supporting JHS and its mission through this project.

“There’s no bigger dog lovers than my wife and I,” Balanky said. “We are huge dog fans, big supporters.”

TrailView

Chase Properties announced plans for TrailView in a press release last month. The community will feature 53 three-story residential townhomes. It will feature a bridge access to the Emerald Trail and MarshFront Park at RiversEdge for both pedestrians and cyclists.

Balanky is a familiar name in the region’s commercial and residential development and was the original managing member for “The District” development – what is now RiversEdge. Balanky sold his interest in 2016 to his partner, Peter Rummell. Balanky said the plan was always to develop this parcel and connect it to RiversEdge and the Emerald Trail.

“You’ll be able to walk through to the river from this site within five minutes and have access to all those amenities,” Balanky said. “It’s going to be pretty stunning. We had thought that Rummell was going to acquire this four-acre site when we sold our interest to him and lo and behold he never did, so we decided to do it and connect it all together.”

The team behind TrailView includes Balanky, his son Chase Balanky, Deno Hicks and Michael McGowan.

Chase Properties has brought several projects to the Southbank, including residential high-rise San Marco Place, Kings Avenue Station, Daily’s on Hendricks Avenue. The Chase Properties website also lists Southbank Crossing, a new development planned for the former Reddi Arts building on Hendricks Avenue as one of its developments. Chase Properties purchased the building in 2019 and sold it two years later.

Balanky said he is excited to be bringing further activation to the area.

“This whole Southbank exercise has been absolutely fantastic, just because I grew up over here so that’s really cool.”

Balanky said he anticipates the project going before the Downtown Development Review Board for conceptual approval within the next few months.