Kaufman Real Estate & Consulting, in partnership with Oldivai, has unveiled a two-site redevelopment in Jacksonville's Springfield Historic District that pairs adaptive reuse with modular workforce housing. The project, located at the northwest corner of Main and 12th streets, will restore a century-old brick industrial building and add three new stories, while a companion parcel across West 12th Street will host a new modular workforce housing community.
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 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, within one of the largest historic districts in the southeastern United States.
The adaptive-reuse plan preserves the building's original brick shell and adds three new stories, bringing the structure to five stories total. The project will include ground-floor retail and creative office space, upper-floor residential lofts, and rooftop terraces, totaling 125,000 square feet. The estimated $40 million investment is expected to deliver 80 residential loft units and 50 workspace suites within 24 to 30 months.
Across West 12th Street, Oldivai will develop a workforce housing community using an iteration of its Project Zero model, a modular, kit-of-parts construction methodology. Modules are built off-site in a climate-controlled factory using LEAN/Six Sigma manufacturing methods, then delivered and set by crane, accelerating timelines and improving quality control. The community will target the 'missing middle'—teachers, healthcare workers, first responders, and tradespeople earning approximately 80–120% of area median income.
Daniel Kaufman, President of Kaufman Real Estate & Consulting, emphasized the project's significance: '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.'
The workforce housing site, a 0.23-acre parcel at 2124 N. Main St., will feature 150 units across a six- to seven-story massing, with an estimated investment of $35 million and a 16- to 20-month delivery timeline. The project is net zero-ready and uses cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction.
This development represents a dual approach to urban revitalization: preserving historic character while introducing new supply. By combining adaptive reuse with modular construction, the partners aim to address housing affordability without sacrificing neighborhood heritage. The project's location in a historic district and near an elementary school underscores its community-focused design.
The announcement highlights a growing trend in real estate: using innovative construction methods to meet housing needs in established neighborhoods. As cities grapple with housing shortages, projects like this offer a model for balancing growth with preservation. The partnership between Kaufman Real Estate & Consulting, with its adaptive-reuse expertise, and Oldivai, with its modular housing technology, may inspire similar initiatives elsewhere.
