Conceptual Design Approved for 32-Story Fleet Landing Senior Living Tower on Jacksonville’s Downtown Northbank

Board action advances Fleet Landing Riverside proposal to next design stage

A proposed 32-story senior living tower planned for Jacksonville’s Downtown Northbank has received conceptual design approval, moving the project into the next phase of the city’s development review process. The Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB) voted March 12, 2026, to grant conceptual approval for Fleet Landing Riverside, a retirement community planned on the former Haskell headquarters property at 111 Riverside Ave. in the Brooklyn area of Downtown.

Conceptual approval does not authorize construction. Under the city’s process, the developer must return to the DDRB for final design approval before plans can advance further.

Project scope: housing mix, public access elements, and job projections

The first phase is planned on a 7.39-acre riverfront site and would include a high-rise building with 239 independent living residences, 28 assisted living units, and 18 memory care suites. Project materials presented with the conceptual design describe an overall building program of nearly 780,000 gross square feet, with more than 398,000 square feet dedicated to residential space and additional circulation and amenity areas.

The proposed layout includes a 152,000-square-foot structured parking component and multiple resident amenities, such as dining venues, a swimming pool, a performing arts center, and elevated decks. Plans also describe portions of the site intended to provide public-facing elements, including public access tied to the Riverwalk.

• Site: 111 Riverside Ave., former Haskell headquarters property
• Height: 32 stories (conceptual)
• First-phase units: 239 independent living, 28 assisted living, 18 memory care
• Program: nearly 780,000 gross square feet; more than 398,000 residential square feet

Design concerns raised during conceptual review

The conceptual proposal drew scrutiny over missing design details typically expected at this stage. Issues raised included insufficient information about building entrances, ground-floor elevations, pedestrian-level architectural treatment, and the placement of service functions such as trash, loading, and storage areas.

In response to concerns about the limited specificity of the conceptual package, project representatives told the board they sought conceptual approval as part of efforts to secure financing, which contributed to a less detailed submission than the DDRB often sees.

As part of its conceptual approval, the DDRB attached conditions requiring additional architectural elevations and façade details, documentation of how the project addresses both Riverside Avenue and the St. Johns River frontages, ground-floor transparency calculations, and clearer plans identifying building entrances before final review.

Site and ownership background

The Riverside Avenue headquarters building was constructed in 1986. Records described in the project’s background materials indicate the property changed hands in 2008 for $27.25 million and was leased back following the sale. The land is owned by a Jacksonville-based ownership entity associated with Irving G. Snyder Jr.

Fleet Landing’s existing operations include its original campus in Atlantic Beach, established in 1985, and a separate campus development in Nocatee. The Downtown proposal represents a renewed effort to establish a major senior living presence in the urban core, contingent on final design approval and subsequent steps required under city review.