Springfield Old Duval Laundry Plant Cleared for Shops, Restaurants and Offices: City Council 18-0 Vote and 96 Years of History

ringfield Old Duval Laundry Plant Cleared for Shops, Restaurants and Offices: City Council 18-0 Vote and 96 Years of History

SEO title: Duval Laundry Rezoned for Shops, Restaurants

SEO description: Jacksonville City Council votes 18-0 to rezone Springfield's former Duval Laundry for shops, restaurants, offices and event space.

Source: Jacksonville Daily Record (Oct. 27, 2026); The Jaxson/Jacksonville Today (April 30, 2025); WhatNow Jacksonville (June 20, 2025)

Category: Real Estate

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville City Council voted 18-0 last week to approve rezoning for the former Duval Laundry property in Springfield, clearing the way under the new zoning for a proposed redevelopment featuring shops, restaurants, offices and event space, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. The Oct. 27 vote approved Ordinance 2026-0654, changing the property's zoning from Light Industrial to Planned Unit Development. The proposal would divide the former laundry complex into spaces for multiple tenants, bringing a new commercial use plan to a property associated with a laundry business that operated for 96 years before closing in 1997.

The property is identified as 1905 Walnut St. in the Daily Record's report. The redevelopment concept includes seven to 12 tenants in the main building, possible coworking or office space on the second floor and another one to three tenants in a detached building. The approval also includes a condition barring live music and amplified sound between 11 p.m. and 9 a.m. daily.

The former Duval Laundry has a long history in Jacksonville, beginning with a laundry business established in 1901 and continuing through its closure in 1997, according to The Jaxson's historical reporting. The business once employed hundreds of people and served customers across parts of Florida and Georgia. The new zoning approval establishes permitted development uses, although a final opening date and confirmed tenant roster were not provided in the reported plans.

Jacksonville City Council approves rezoning 18-0

Jacksonville City Council approved the former Duval Laundry rezoning Oct. 27, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. The vote was 18-0, with Council member Mone Holder away from the dais. The approved measure was Ordinance 2026-0654.

The legislation changed the property's zoning designation from Light Industrial to Planned Unit Development, commonly called PUD. According to the Daily Record, the rezoning had already cleared the Jacksonville Planning Commission and a City Council committee before the full council voted. The approval establishes a new zoning framework for the proposed redevelopment.

The planned uses include retail stores, restaurants, commercial businesses, offices and event space. Those categories were identified in the Daily Record's account of the zoning proposal. The approval concerns the uses permitted under the new zoning rather than the opening of individual businesses.

The property sits in Springfield, a neighborhood the Daily Record described as largely residential. The proposed redevelopment would introduce multiple commercial tenants within the former laundry complex. The approved zoning also includes operating restrictions addressing amplified sound.

What the redevelopment plan includes

According to the Daily Record, the proposal calls for dividing the main Duval Laundry building into individual commercial units. The main building is planned to accommodate between seven and 12 tenants. The proposed uses include retail, restaurant, commercial and office operations.

The redevelopment concept also includes space on the second floor. According to the Daily Record, that area could accommodate coworking operations or offices and includes an outdoor patio. Those uses are part of the reported proposal rather than confirmed operating businesses.

A separate detached building is also included in the plans. The Daily Record reported that the smaller building could accommodate between one and three tenants. Combined with the main building, the proposal provides for multiple businesses across the property.

The approved zoning covers event space as another possible use. That category appears alongside retail, restaurants, commercial operations and offices in the redevelopment proposal. The reported plans do not identify a final operator for every proposed commercial space.

The property is associated with 1905 Walnut Street LLC, according to the Daily Record. The newspaper reported that the company is managed by Charles Price of Jacksonville, citing state records. The ownership information accompanies the city's rezoning approval and the proposed redevelopment plans.

Sound restrictions included in the zoning approval

The approved Planned Unit Development includes a restriction on live music and amplified sound, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. Such sound is not permitted between 11 p.m. and 9 a.m. daily under the reported condition. The restriction is included as part of the redevelopment's zoning framework.

The Daily Record described the surrounding Springfield neighborhood as largely residential. The condition sets a specific time restriction within the approved zoning. The Daily Record reported it as part of the rezoning terms.

The provision does not eliminate event space from the redevelopment proposal. Event space remains among the planned uses identified by the Daily Record. The restriction specifically addresses live music and amplified sound during the designated hours.

The zoning approval therefore contains both permissions for commercial uses and a condition affecting certain activities. The Daily Record identified the approved ordinance and the sound restriction in its Oct. 27 coverage. The reported terms provide the framework for the property's proposed reuse.

Duval Laundry's history began in 1901

The history of Duval Laundry extends back to 1901, when Thomas Hilditch founded Hilditch Steam Laundry on Washington Street, according to The Jaxson's April 30, 2025, historical account published by Jacksonville Today. The business later became associated with Thomas Burroughs. In 1915, Hilditch and Burroughs established a larger laundry operation in Springfield near East Ninth and Walnut streets.

Hilditch died in 1924, according to The Jaxson. The Burroughs family subsequently took control of the company. In 1930, the business was renamed Duval Laundry.

The Jaxson reported that the company introduced zoric dry cleaning in Jacksonville during the 1930s. Its history also included an equipment-related development in the late 1940s, when it became the first laundry in the Southeast to place radios in delivery trucks. Those developments were part of the company's growth during its decades of operation.

By 1957, Duval Laundry employed approximately 300 workers, according to The Jaxson. The company's accounts extended from Brunswick, Georgia, to Lake City, Florida. The business continued operating for several more decades before eventually closing.

Duval Laundry shut down in 1997 after 96 years in business, The Jaxson reported. The closure resulted in approximately 50 layoffs. The company's history remains associated with the Springfield property now approved for a different commercial use.

Property changed hands in April 2025

The former laundry property was acquired in April 2025 by Price Real Estate Services LLC, according to The Jaxson. WhatNow Jacksonville separately reported in June 2025 that the purchase had closed that April for $750,000. The acquisition preceded the October 2026 City Council rezoning vote.

WhatNow Jacksonville reported that Ben Price found the property listing on Facebook Marketplace. The publication also described plans to redevelop the former industrial property for multiple commercial uses. The concept was compared with Tampa's Armature Works.

According to WhatNow Jacksonville, the earlier development concept included room for 10 to 20 vendor stalls. That figure described the proposal reported in June 2025. The later zoning account from the Daily Record identified seven to 12 tenants in the main building and one to three in a detached building.

The two reports document different stages of the property's redevelopment planning. WhatNow Jacksonville described the project after the April 2025 acquisition, while the Daily Record reported the approved zoning framework in October 2026. The later account identifies the commercial uses authorized through the new Planned Unit Development designation.

The Daily Record identified 1905 Walnut Street LLC as the property owner in its October 2026 reporting. It also identified Charles Price as the company's manager. Those details were reported in connection with the rezoning proposal presented to Jacksonville City Council.

Earlier redevelopment work involved demolition and cleanup

WhatNow Jacksonville's June 20, 2025, report identified several contractors involved in the property redevelopment. The reported activities included exterior demolition, interior demolition, environmental cleanup and roofing work. Those details describe work associated with the redevelopment project during its earlier reported phase.

Arwood Site Services was identified as the exterior demolition contractor. Bradco Environmental was associated with interior demolition work. WhatNow Jacksonville also identified Universal Environmental Services of Orlando as the contractor handling environmental cleanup, including underground petroleum tanks.

Recovery Roofing Inc. was named as the roofing contractor in the same report. The publication included the company among the firms associated with work at the former laundry property. These contractor details preceded the October 2026 zoning approval.

The earlier work and subsequent rezoning represent separate documented developments. The June 2025 reporting identified contractors and project activities, while the October 2026 Daily Record article established City Council's approval of the new zoning. The reports do not establish that every phase of the redevelopment had been completed by the time of the council vote.

What the zoning change means for Springfield

The Oct. 27 council vote changed the former Duval Laundry property's land-use framework from Light Industrial to Planned Unit Development, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. The new designation permits the commercial categories identified in the approved proposal. Those categories include retail, restaurants, offices, commercial operations and event space.

The redevelopment concept provides for multiple tenants rather than one business occupying the entire property. The Daily Record identified space for seven to 12 businesses in the main building and another one to three in a detached structure. A second-floor area could also be used for offices or coworking.

The project would reuse a property associated with a company that operated for nearly a century. According to The Jaxson, Duval Laundry closed in 1997 after 96 years of operation. The October 2026 rezoning vote came 29 years after that closure.

The approval does not establish that shops, restaurants or offices are already operating at the property. It authorizes the zoning framework described in the development proposal. The reported plans identify potential commercial uses without providing a completed tenant roster.

Opening date and tenants not established

The Daily Record's Oct. 27 report confirms City Council approval of Ordinance 2026-0654. It also identifies the proposed business categories, tenant-space arrangements and restriction on amplified sound. Those details describe the property's approved zoning and redevelopment proposal.

The reported information does not establish a final opening date for the planned commercial spaces. It also does not provide a confirmed list of businesses that will occupy the main building or detached structure. The proposed number of tenants remains a planning figure in the published redevelopment description.

The property's documented redevelopment history includes the April 2025 acquisition, previously reported demolition and cleanup activity, and the October 2026 rezoning approval. According to the Daily Record, the full City Council approved the ordinance by an 18-0 vote after earlier Planning Commission and committee consideration. The approval permits the proposed commercial uses under the new zoning, including the sound condition reported by the Daily Record.