New senior housing community creates 120 affordable housing units
NEI General Contracting, an award-winning general contracting firm, announced today it has completed construction of a new, six-story 99,000 SF senior housing community located at 650 Newnan Street North in the Cathedral district of downtown Jacksonville, Florida. Developed by Blue Sky Communities, a real estate developer of affordable and workplace housing, and Aging Trust, a non-profit serving the elderly population of Jacksonville, Ashley Square is designed for residents aged 62 and older, Ashley Square Apartments includes 120 affordable housing units and 71,000 SF of parking garage with 160 spaces.
Replacing an existing 1.03-acre vacant parking lot, NEI excavated 10 feet and installed underground foundations, a structural exterior wall, and two post-tension slabs before erecting wood framing above for the apartment building. The first story is underground parking, and the second story is on-grade parking and the residential lobby. Accessed via two elevators, the four upper floors feature 96 one-bedroom, 550 SF units and 24 two-bedroom, 800 SF units. All apartments are equipped with multiple energy efficient features, including a kitchen, bathroom(s), and storage closets. Property amenities include a community room with a pool table, card tables, and large screen TV, fitness center, conference room, internet room, and a library with comfortable seating and reading materials.
“Ashley Square is the capstone on our impactful investment in the Cathedral District, and we are excited to welcome residents to their new home,” said Scott Macdonald, partner at Blue Sky Communities. “NEI’s extensive experience in building affordable housing was essential to our success.”
A very tight site with zero lay-down within the site during concrete work was a challenge from the start. An adjacent property was so close NEI had to install a temporary retaining wall to ensure there was no cave-in of soil during excavation. Pouring concrete for the foundations had to take place at night and NEI secured the appropriate noise variance waivers for the work.
The project team for the Ashley Square Apartments includes:
- Client/Owner: Blue Sky Communities & Aging True
- Construction Manager: NEI General Contracting
- Architect: PQH Group
- Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Engineer: McVeigh & Mangum Engineering, Inc.
- Civil Engineer: Taylor & White
- Landscape Architect: Jay Devine Landscape Architect, Inc.
About NEI General Contracting
NEI is a privately held company committed to affordable housing with extensive experience in ground-up, moderate rehab, elderly, veteran, historic rehab, historic tax credit and tax credit projects. Providing a full spectrum of general contracting and construction management services to clients throughout the United States.
NEI has three regional offices, to help better serve its clients: Boston to serve the Northeast, Florida to serve the Southeast, and Texas to serve the Southwest.
Founded in 1998 on the principles of integrity and diligence, we have opened the door to over 20,000 newly homed and hopeful families, giving them a chance for a better quality of life. For more information, please visit www.neigc.com.
