Live Oak Contracting is teaming up with Future of Cities to help drive the Phoenix Arts & Entertainment District, known as PHXJAX, in Jacksonville’s North Springfield neighborhood. The local construction and development firm is stepping into a plan that calls for turning early-20th-century industrial buildings into artist studios, small-business space, public greens and mixed-income housing. Backers say the collaboration adds fresh momentum to a project pitched as an arts-focused engine for neighborhood revival.
According to the Jacksonville Business Journal, Live Oak is now listed as a partner on the PHXJAX effort and appears on developer renderings that show adaptive-reuse and residential concepts for the site. The outlet reports that the move effectively formalizes a hometown builder’s role in helping push the project from the planning table to active construction.
Future of Cities and the PHXJAX team describe the district as a roughly 8.3–8.5-acre phased redevelopment that secured a $5.5 million incentive package and rezoning approvals from the city in 2024, milestones developers say helped unlock construction. The project web site and other developer materials lay out that scope and the broader goals. As reported by the Jax Daily Record, the first phase zeroes in on renovating buildings along Liberty and Market streets and includes a city lease intended for small-business support space.
What Live Oak Brings
Live Oak Contracting is a Jacksonville-based general contractor and development arm that, according to the company’s site and news pages, has expanded into multifamily, mixed-use and adaptive-reuse work across the Southeast. That track record, along with recent bids and downtown redevelopment projects, gives Live Oak the local presence and construction capacity that PHXJAX developers say they want as the district moves into its next phases.
Timeline and Local Commitments
City filings and related coverage show that the initial phase carries a budget of roughly $14.15 million for renovations to properties including 2320 and 2336 N. Liberty St. The public incentive package includes a one-dollar-a-year city lease for small-business programming and a commitment to direct a portion of construction spending to Jacksonville Small and Emerging Businesses (JSEB). Those details come from the city’s incentive record and local reporting on the project.
Why It Matters
Supporters argue that PHXJAX can help tie the Emerald Trail and nearby neighborhoods to a creative hub that generates jobs, retail traffic and cultural programming. At the same time, critics and community advocates are expected to watch closely to see whether promises around local contracting, affordable housing and neighborhood benefits actually land where they are supposed to. The new partnership between Live Oak and Future of Cities raises expectations that the project can move more quickly through permitting and into buildout, while community groups and city officials remain central to making sure any gains are shared equitably.
In the coming months, residents and observers can look for permit filings, contractor notices and fresh announcements from both Live Oak and the PHXJAX team as the next construction steps are lined up. For more detail on the partnership and the developer’s plans, see coverage from the Jacksonville Business Journal and information posted on the PHXJAX project site.
