The Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee voted in committee on March 20 to advance bill 20‑25‑1‑83, a DPRP (Downtown Preservation and Rehabilitation Program) grant request for a three‑story rehabilitation at 225 North Laura Street.

The project sponsor, contractor Alan Cottrell of Avant Construction, told the committee the $5.8 million redevelopment includes a $2 million forgivable grant from the Downtown Investment Authority (DIA) and a $500,000 repayable component. Cottrell said the developer will cover more than $3 million in cash and loans and that DPRP funds are paid only after the project is fully complete and inspected. “We have over $3,000,000 that you either put in cash or combination of cash and loans that we in fact are guaranteeing,” Cottrell said.

The DIA’s Steve Kelly told the committee the property sits in the focused Laura/Hogan corridor the authority has prioritized for reinvestment and that the project would preserve a historic building adjacent to James Weldon Johnson Park. “This is the type of project that would check that box,” Kelly said.

Why it matters: Committee members framed the decision around downtown preservation goals and competing budget priorities. Council Member Laynan opposed the project in committee citing limited cash incentives and a low projected ROI relative to other DIA projects. Council Member Howland said he would support the bill at the committee level but asked for a DIA priority list so councilmembers could identify potential offsets and not simply add to general‑fund obligations. Council Member Arias pressed whether tax increment financing (TIF) could be used; DIA staff said the DPRP program as adopted uses general‑fund dollars but that officials were looking at ways to incorporate TIF in the future.

Committee questions and staff responses: Council members asked about clawbacks, vendor participation and workforce goals. DIA staff said project payout is contingent on 100% completion, inspection and adherence to historic standards; there is a five‑year clawback provision to recapture grant funds if the owner decapitalizes or extracts equity during that period. Cottrell said his office expects substantial local contractor and subcontractor participation and that the city’s JSEB (Jacksonville Small and Emerging Business) outreach would be used; he said the DIA office conducts robust JSEB outreach and estimated roughly 400 invitations will go to local firms once the project is underway.

Affordable/workforce housing and CBA: Committee members asked whether the eight housing units in the project qualify as workforce or affordable housing under the supplemental CBA (Community Benefit Agreement) rules. The property owner described the project as eight workforce‑oriented units over about 1,900 square feet of retail, but council staff and the countywide supplemental CBA guidance indicated that the project might not qualify for CBA workforce funding without further clarification. Staff agreed to confirm eligibility before full council.

Vote and next steps: The committee recorded a committee vote of 6 yays and 1 nay and approved advancing bill 20‑25‑1‑83 out of Finance. The bill will next be taken up by full council per the committee schedule.

Council comment: Supporters described the project as the type of small, incremental investment that contributes to downtown revitalization; opponents warned of strained general‑fund incentives and urged offsets or use of alternative funding sources. Several council members asked DIA to provide a project priority list to guide future decisions.

The committee’s action moves the project to a council vote; staff said they will follow up on TIF/CBA eligibility and provide the requested DIA priority list prior to that final vote.