ULI North Florida’s 2014 Awards of Excellence

ULI North Florida started the annual Awards for Excellence program in 2012 to identify, showcase and promote projects throughout North Florida that represent the best practices in all aspects of real estate development and place making: planning, design, construction and economic viability.  There are four categories of awards plus the annual Visionary Leader award.

Private Sector
Public Sector/Open Space/Non-Profits
Downtown Sector
Reuse/Repurpose Sector

ULI North Florida solicits nominations from its more than 350 members in our District Council that includes 34 North Florida counties from Flagler to Escambia, including Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Pensacola and Panama City.  The awards criteria are based on the ULI mission to provide leadership and the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. The projects had to have been completed within the last 7 years, be financially sustainable, and incorporate ULI’s Building Healthy Places design principles.

Put People First
Recognize the Economic Value
Empower Champions for Health
Energize Shared Spaces
Make Healthy Choices Easy
Ensure Equitable Access
Mix It Up
Embrace Unique Character
Promote Access to Healthy Food
Make It Active

The 2014 submissions were reviewed by a panel of local and national judges including:

Tom Murphy, ULI Senior Resident Fellow, Joseph C. Canizaro/Klingbeil Family Chair for Urban Development, Washington, DC
Ed McMahon, ULI Senior Resident, Fellow Charles E. Fraser Chair for Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy, Washington, DC
Joel Embry, CEO, Civic Software Inc., Fernandina Beach, FL
Nathan Collier, Principal and Chairman, The Collier Companies, Gainesville, FL
Suria Yaffar, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, Principal, Zyscovich Architects, Miami, FL

The 2014 Awards of Excellence finalists and winners were:


PRIVATE SECTOR

Mellow Mushroom Avondale (Winner)



Owner John Valentino worked tirelessly with Riverside Avondale Preservation and the surrounding neighborhood for over a year to secure approvals for the iconic Mellow Mushroom Avondale. The development team had to overcome many obstacles along the way through dozens of meetings with several neighborhood factions and City Council members.  Mellow Mushroom has brought new life and different energy to an already vibrant street. The development team figured out a way to reuse and revamp a piece of property which had an existing historic structure and abandoned gas station. After demolishing the gas station, they built a stunning 9,000 square foot restaurant in its place, taking the area residents concerns to heart, while providing additional parking, outstanding landscaping and bike racks for restaurant patrons.


Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails



Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails debuted at the Markets at Town Center in Jacksonville in late November 2013.  In both design and concept, the restaurant occupies multiple realms: new and old, personal and public, gritty and sophisticated, serious and whimsical.  Filled with personal touches of graphic art and wooden “map panel” murals made by local artists to the reclaimed wood and hand-wrought metalwork, guests find connections in the ways the design, food, and ambiance work together.