234 Apartments Proposed at Former Bethune School Site as Jacksonville Planning Commission Meets Today

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A proposal to build 234 apartments on the former Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School property in Northwest Jacksonville goes before the Jacksonville Planning Commission today, Thursday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m. The project calls for six apartment buildings on 14.36 acres at 4330 Pearce St., according to an Oct. 30 report by the Jacksonville Daily Record. The commission's official agenda lists two proposed ordinances that would change the property's land use designation and zoning to accommodate residential development, with city planning staff recommending approval of both requests.

Planning Commission Reviews Two Requests Today

The Jacksonville Planning Commission is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. in the Edward Ball Building at 214 N. Hogan St.. The meeting will take place in the first-floor Hearing Room 1002, according to the city's official Planning Commission schedule. The Bethune property appears as items 3 and 4 on the Nov. 5 agenda.

The two requests concern the property at 4330 Pearce St. in City Council District 10 and Planning District 1. Ordinance 2026-0783, identified as application L-6154-26C, addresses the property's future land use classification. Companion Ordinance 2026-0784 addresses the zoning designation, according to the city's meeting agenda.

The agenda identifies Jabez Apartments & Homes, LLC, as the property owner and Hayden Phillips, Esquire, as the applicant's agent. Both applications carry an "APPROVE" recommendation from planning staff. Those recommendations are listed ahead of today's commission meeting and do not represent an outcome from the hearing.

Proposed Development Includes 234 Apartments in Six Buildings

The proposed apartment community would occupy 14.36 acres at the former Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School site. According to the Jacksonville Daily Record's Oct. 30 report by Ric Anderson, the development plan includes 234 apartment units distributed among six buildings. The property is in Northwest Jacksonville at 4330 Pearce St.

The Jacksonville Daily Record identified several amenities included in the development proposal. They include a clubhouse, swimming pool, playground, dog park and entertainment pavilion. Those facilities are part of the described apartment community rather than separate projects listed on the Planning Commission agenda.

The publication identified Jabez Apartments and Homes LLC as the project owner and reported that state corporation records list Marco Turner and Paulette Turner of Jacksonville as its managers. Kimley-Horn & Associates is identified as the project's engineer. The city's agenda separately lists Jabez Apartments & Homes, LLC, as the owner and Hayden Phillips as the agent handling the applications.

The 234 apartments would represent an average density of approximately 16.3 dwelling units per acre across the 14.36-acre property. That figure comes from dividing the proposed 234 units by the total acreage. The proposed land use changes would permit up to 20 dwelling units per acre, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record.

What the Two Proposed Ordinances Would Change

Ordinance 2026-0783 requests a future land use amendment from Public Buildings and Facilities, abbreviated PBF, to Medium Density Residential, abbreviated MDR. According to the Planning Commission agenda, the application is identified as L-6154-26C. The requested change concerns how the property is designated for land use planning purposes.

Ordinance 2026-0784 is the companion zoning request for the same address. It seeks to change the property from PBF-1 to Planned Unit Development, or PUD, according to the official agenda and Jacksonville Daily Record. Together, the two requests would establish the proposed residential land use and zoning framework for the apartment community.

The Jacksonville Daily Record reported that the changes would allow a density of up to 20 dwelling units per acre. The proposed 234-unit project averages approximately 16.29 units per acre when measured against the site's 14.36 acres. That proposed density is below the maximum identified for the requested land use change.

The distinction between the two ordinances is reflected in their separate agenda entries. One addresses the land use designation, while the other addresses zoning for the planned development. Both concern the same property, owner and proposed residential project.

Planning Staff Recommends Approval of Both Requests

Jacksonville planning staff recommends approval of Ordinance 2026-0783, according to the Nov. 5 Planning Commission agenda. Staff also recommends approval of companion Ordinance 2026-0784. The recommendations appear alongside the two applications scheduled for today's meeting.

The agenda places the land use request and rezoning request in consecutive positions, items 3 and 4. Both are associated with Council District 10 and Planning District 1. The listed staff recommendations are the same for both applications, although the ordinances address different aspects of the proposed development.

The Planning Commission's consideration today is another step in reviewing the requested changes. The city's published agenda identifies the proposals and the staff positions before the commission acts. The commission's decision on either ordinance has not been reported as part of this advance meeting coverage.

Former School Property Has a History of Landfill Use and Cleanup

The development site previously housed Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School, a building constructed in the 1950s, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. The property had earlier been used as a landfill for ash from solid-waste incinerators. The newspaper reported that the elementary school closed in 2001.

Cleanup work at the former school property began in 2006, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. The remediation included excavating contaminated soil and replacing it with clean fill. The newspaper reported that Jacksonville's Solid Waste Division considers the site remediated.

The Solid Waste Division's position, as described by the Jacksonville Daily Record, also includes a requirement concerning any remaining ash at the property. Such material must be properly handled and disposed of before construction. That condition is part of the reported environmental history of the site where the apartment community is proposed.

The Jacksonville Daily Record also referenced a recent investigative report connecting childhood lead exposure at the former school site and surrounding predominantly Black neighborhoods with elevated gun violence. The newspaper said the investigative report cited a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee study. That account is an attributed description of the investigative reporting, not an independently established finding about the proposed apartment development.

The site's previous educational use, landfill history and remediation form part of the background reported ahead of the rezoning hearing. The current applications concern changing the property's land use and zoning classifications for apartments. The official meeting agenda identifies those requests under the two ordinance numbers scheduled for today's consideration.

Next Meetings Are Scheduled for Nov. 17 and Nov. 19

The official Nov. 5 Planning Commission agenda identifies Tuesday, Nov. 17, as the next scheduled meeting of Jacksonville's Land Use and Zoning Committee. The next regular Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19. Those dates appear in the same city agenda that lists the Bethune property applications.

Today's commission meeting concerns the proposed land use amendment and rezoning for the Pearce Street property. The two applications are listed separately, and each has received an approval recommendation from city staff. The agenda does not establish a final City Council decision on the proposed 234 apartments.

The scheduled Nov. 17 Land Use and Zoning Committee meeting and Nov. 19 Planning Commission meeting provide the next dates listed on the official agenda. They do not establish that the Bethune property ordinances will necessarily be considered at either meeting. Today's meeting remains the scheduled Planning Commission review identified for Ordinances 2026-0783 and 2026-0784.

Public Attendance, Comments and Application Information

The Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. today at the Edward Ball Building, 214 N. Hogan St., First Floor Hearing Room 1002, Jacksonville, FL 32202. The city provides meeting schedules and commission information through its official Planning Commission webpage. That page also provides information about emailing Planning Commissioners.

The city's Planning Commission support contact is Patricia Sales, who can be reached at 904-255-7829 or [email protected]. The listed office address is 214 N. Hogan St., Suite 300. The city also provides access to its Land Use and Zoning Application Portal through the Planning Commission webpage.

For assistance under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the city lists its Disabled Services Division at 904-255-5466. The corresponding TTY number is 904-255-5476. Both numbers appear in the city's Planning Commission information.

The official Nov. 5 meeting agenda identifies the Bethune property applications by ordinance number and address. The land use request is Ordinance 2026-0783, and the companion zoning request is Ordinance 2026-0784. Both list 4330 Pearce St. as the affected property.

Other Zoning Matters on Today's Agenda

The Planning Commission agenda includes other land use and zoning matters in addition to the Bethune property proposal. Ordinance 2026-0807 concerns zoning code changes addressing community gardens, market gardens and chickens by permit. City staff recommends approval of that ordinance, according to the meeting agenda.

The agenda also lists Ordinances 2026-0781 and 2026-0782 concerning 49 Bowlan St. N. Another application, Ordinance 2026-0789, involves property at 0 Fort Caroline Road and a requested change from RLD-90 to PUD. The agenda identifies Fort Caroline Christine Church in connection with that request and lists a staff recommendation of approval with a condition.

Those matters appear alongside the Bethune applications on the commission's Nov. 5 agenda. Each is identified separately from the proposed 234-unit development at 4330 Pearce St. The meeting begins at 1 p.m., with the Bethune land use and rezoning requests listed as agenda items 3 and 4.