{"id":793381,"date":"2026-05-13T12:07:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T12:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/793381\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T12:07:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T12:07:18","slug":"springfield-residents-hopeful-affordable-housing-project-can-support-growth-without-losing-neighborhood-charm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/793381\/","title":{"rendered":"Springfield residents hopeful affordable housing project can support growth without losing neighborhood charm"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. <\/strong> \u2013 As cranes, businesses and redevelopment continue reshaping parts of Jacksonville\u2019s urban core, some Springfield residents say they welcome the investment, but hope affordability and neighborhood character are not left behind.<\/p>\n

Developers behind the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District announced they secured funding for a planned 80-unit affordable housing community in North Springfield, a project residents and business owners say could help more people stay close to where they work, shop and spend time.<\/p>\n

RELATED |<\/b>Downtown Jacksonville keeps growing, but can it create enough everyday activity?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The funding includes federal low-income housing tax credits awarded through the state. According to Future of Cities and Blue Sky Communities, the project received a 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit award through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation as part of a statewide competitive process.<\/p>\n

The planned apartment community is part of the larger Phoenix Arts & Innovation District, a redevelopment project in North Springfield that developers say could eventually include hundreds of housing units, retail space and renovated industrial buildings.<\/p>\n

For some residents, the announcement comes as Springfield continues seeing new businesses, restaurants and foot traffic \u2014 along with concerns about rising costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is getting more and more expensive,\u201d resident Kaelin Bussineau said.<\/p>\n

Bussineau said more affordable housing could help people remain connected to the neighborhood long term.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to see investment in the community,\u201d Bussineau said. \u201cWe think there can be more to drive more people to want to work and live in this area long term.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED |<\/b> \u2018More life to this side of Downtown\u2019: Local businesses excited as Downtown Jacksonville prepares for Pearl Square<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Bussineau said affordability is about more than monthly rent prices. Living closer to work, restaurants and community resources can also reduce transportation costs and help residents reinvest money back into the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they aren\u2019t spending that money on rent \u2014 if it\u2019s affordable \u2014 they can invest in the community other ways and it all helps the neighborhood,\u201d Bussineau said.<\/p>\n

A few blocks away, Juice Wine Bar employee Mikayla Murphy said Springfield\u2019s growth feels long overdue.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpringfield has always had a ton of potential,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cIt\u2019s really one of those \u2018if you build it they will come\u2019 situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murphy, who works at the business during the day and bartends there at night, said affordable housing could help support future growth by bringing more residents and activity to the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving affordable housing is incredibly important especially right now, especially in the economy we are living in right now,\u201d Murphy said.<\/p>\n

Developers say the affordable housing community is expected to become one of the first major residential construction projects tied to the district as future phases continue taking shape in North Springfield.<\/p>\n

Plans for the larger Phoenix Arts & Innovation District include renovated warehouse spaces, new residential construction and connections to the Emerald Trail system.<\/p>\n

Still, residents told News4JAX\u2019s reporter Briana Brownlee<\/a> and photojournalist Jesse Hanson they hope future growth does not erase the neighborhood\u2019s historic identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of things around Jacksonville are historic,\u201d Bussineau said. \u201cIt would be nice to see some of those things preserved instead of everything old being torn down and rebuilt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murphy echoed that concern while reflecting on Springfield\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is always going to be newness,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cBut I hope the charm stays alive because that is what makes Springfield Springfield.\u201d<\/p>\n

News4JAX reached out to the developer for a timeline on when construction could begin, what street the apartments will be located and when the apartments could open but has not yet received a response.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 As cranes, businesses and redevelopment continue reshaping parts of Jacksonville\u2019s urban core, some Springfield residents…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":793382,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5136],"tags":[852,5229,3188,723,7310,12013,323802,10427,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-793381","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-affordable-housing","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-fl","11":"tag-florida","12":"tag-jacksonville","13":"tag-morning-show","14":"tag-phoenix-arts-innovation-district","15":"tag-springfield","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116567188979425861","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=793381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/793382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=793381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=793381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=793381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}