A long-vacant elementary school on Jacksonville’s Northside is on track to get a second life as affordable housing, with a significant slice earmarked for the people who run local classrooms. The former Lake Forest Elementary campus is slated to become the Village at Lake Forest, an affordable-housing community with roughly 120 apartments and an on-site early-learning space run by the school district. City and nonprofit leaders are expected to gather for a groundbreaking at 901 Kennard Street, and developers say the project is designed to help Duval County Public Schools recruit and keep teachers and staff who struggle to find housing nearby.
Ability Housing, the Jacksonville nonprofit leading the redevelopment, plans to reserve 25% of the apartments for Duval County Public Schools faculty and staff under what the developer calls a first-of-its-kind agreement, according to News4JAX. That report also notes that DCPS will operate the on-site early learning center and that local leaders, including the mayor along with nonprofit and banking partners, are scheduled to speak at the ceremony. Ability Housing says the package of on-site services is meant to support both families who will live at the complex and district employees who will be prioritized for units.
From Campus to Courtyard: The Site and Zoning
The proposed redevelopment covers roughly 9.9 acres at 901 Kennard Street and was approved through a Planned Unit Development to allow multi-family housing, according to city zoning documents. Filings from the City of Jacksonville show the PUD could allow up to 180 dwelling units and leaves the door open for either adapting existing school structures or building new garden-style apartments. Local reporting and permitting records indicate that Ability Housing’s current plan centers on about 120 apartments rather than building out to the full PUD maximum. Florida YIMBY has followed earlier design concepts and permitting activity for the site.
Financing and Backers
Developers are stacking philanthropic capital and public gap financing to keep rents below market levels. The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida approved a $500,000 loan to help bridge financing needs for the Lake Forest project, according to the foundation’s announcement. The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida described the investment as critical gap funding for the redevelopment. City housing records show the project is also seeking additional support: the Jacksonville Housing Finance Authority’s 2024 annual report lists the Village of Lake Forest as requiring a $2.5 million gap loan that had not closed at the time of the report. The Jacksonville Housing Finance Authority notes that finalizing the financing package remains a key hurdle before construction can fully move forward.
Why This Matters Locally
Housing affordability continues to be a sore spot across Jacksonville, and the income thresholds that define “affordable” show why. Local reporting and HUD income tables put the metro’s 2025 median income above $100,000, which in turn sets the 80% area median income benchmark, a common target for workforce housing, near roughly $82,000 for a family of four in the Jacksonville area. Jacksonville Today and HUD-based tables used by housing practitioners lay out those thresholds and highlight the gap between typical earnings and market rents. Developers and housing officials say projects that reserve units for essential workers, including teachers, are one of several tools to help staff live in the communities they serve instead of being priced out.
What’s Next
Organizers say a groundbreaking will mark the formal start of work at the Kennard Street site, but how quickly construction ramps up will depend on closing the remaining financing and clearing any final permitting steps. If the outstanding gap loan and other documentation come together, Ability Housing expects to move from site preparation into full construction, though no firm move-in date has been announced. City officials and the developer say they will share more detailed timelines once the financing package is finalized.
