Kaufman Real Estate & Consulting, in partnership with Oldivai, has announced a significant redevelopment project in Jacksonville's Springfield Historic District. The project involves two adjacent sites: the adaptive reuse of a century-old brick industrial building at the northwest corner of Main and 12th streets, and the construction of a new modular workforce housing community across West 12th Street. This initiative aims to preserve historic character while adding much-needed housing supply in a neighborhood that has seen decades of dormancy.
The existing two-story brick building, formerly home to Screen Process Printers Inc., was acquired in October 2019 by Springfield Community Development LLC, an entity managed by Daniel Kaufman, along with a companion 0.23-acre vacant parcel at 2124 N. Main St. The combined purchase price was $515,000. The site is located in the Springfield Warehouse District, adjacent to Andrew A. Robinson Elementary School, and within one of the largest historic districts in the southeastern United States.
The redevelopment plan calls for restoring the original brick shell and adding three new stories, bringing the building to five stories total. This will create approximately 125,000 square feet of space, including ground-floor retail and workspace, rooftop terraces, 80 residential loft units, and 50 workspace suites. The estimated investment for this adaptive reuse is $40 million, with a delivery timeline of 24 to 30 months.
Directly across West 12th Street, Oldivai will develop a workforce housing community using an iteration of its Project Zero model. This modular construction approach involves building units off-site in a climate-controlled factory using LEAN/Six Sigma manufacturing methods, then delivering and setting them in place by crane. This method accelerates the development timeline and improves quality and cost control compared to conventional construction. The community will target the “missing middle” — teachers, healthcare workers, first responders, and tradespeople earning approximately 80–120% of area median income who are increasingly priced out of the neighborhoods they serve.
The workforce housing component will consist of 150 units across a 6- to 7-story massing, with an estimated investment of $35 million and a delivery timeline of 16 to 20 months. The units will be net zero-ready and constructed using cross-laminated timber (CLT), reflecting a commitment to sustainability.
Daniel Kaufman, President of Kaufman Real Estate & Consulting, emphasized the importance of the project: “Springfield is one of the best examples in the country of what adaptive reuse can do for a neighborhood. We’ve owned this corner since 2019 because we believed it deserved a plan that respected its history instead of erasing it. Restoring the building and building workforce housing across the street lets us do both at once.”
Susan Gillespie, Chief Operating Officer of Oldivai, added, “Project Zero proved that modular construction can deliver workforce housing faster and at higher quality than the conventional process allows. Jacksonville gives us the chance to bring that model to a neighborhood with real employment density and real need for attainable housing.”
This redevelopment is significant as it addresses two critical issues: preserving historic architecture and providing attainable housing for essential workers. By combining adaptive reuse with modular construction, the project offers a replicable model for other cities facing similar challenges. The inclusion of workforce housing in a historic district demonstrates that development can be both respectful of the past and responsive to present needs. The project's location in a historic district also highlights the potential for such areas to contribute to urban revitalization without sacrificing their unique character.
The announcement comes at a time when many cities are grappling with housing affordability and the need for sustainable development. This project could serve as a blueprint for integrating innovative construction methods with historic preservation, offering a path forward for communities seeking to balance growth and heritage.
