Kaufman Real Estate & Consulting, in partnership with Oldivai, has announced a two-site redevelopment in Jacksonville's Springfield Historic District. The project involves the adaptive reuse of a century-old brick industrial building at the northwest corner of Main and 12th streets, coupled with a new modular workforce housing community across West 12th Street. This initiative aims to preserve historic character while adding much-needed housing supply to one of the largest historic districts in the southeastern United States.
The two-story brick building, once 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 commercial parcel at 2124 N. Main St. The combined purchase totaled $515,000. The site sits in the Springfield Warehouse District, adjacent to Andrew A. Robinson Elementary School.
The redevelopment plan preserves the building's original brick shell and adds three new stories on top, resulting in a five-story structure. The project will include ground-floor retail and creative office space, 80 residential loft units, 50 workspace suites, and rooftop terraces, totaling approximately 125,000 square feet. The estimated investment is $40 million, with a delivery timeline of 24 to 30 months.
On the companion parcel across West 12th Street, Oldivai will develop a workforce housing community using an iteration of its Project Zero model. This modular, kit-of-parts construction method involves off-site fabrication in a climate-controlled factory using LEAN/Six Sigma manufacturing, then rapid on-site assembly via crane. The community will target the "missing middle"—teachers, healthcare workers, first responders, and tradespeople earning approximately 80–120% of area median income. The project will deliver 150 units across a 6- to 7-story massing, with an estimated investment of $35 million and a 16- to 20-month delivery timeline.
Daniel Kaufman, President of Kaufman Real Estate & Consulting, stated, "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 project underscores a growing trend of adaptive reuse and modular construction as solutions to housing shortages. By combining historic preservation with innovative building methods, the development aims to provide attainable housing options in an area where residents are increasingly priced out. The initiative also highlights the potential for public-private partnerships to address urban housing challenges while maintaining community character.
