The Jacksonville Jaguars recently held their annual State of the Franchise press conference, detailing new developments with the team and its plans for the future.
Revelations from the event included the team’s new jerseys for the upcoming season, new helmets, the team’s schedule for the 2018 season, a Lynyrd Skynyrd farewell show, and Everbank Field’s pending name change to TIAA Bank Field.
But the team also went into detail about its ambitious plans for making downtown Jacksonville’s sports district a major year-round destination.
Plans were announced for a $2.5 billion project encompassing Jags owner Shad Khan’s vision for redeveloping the former Shipyards property as well as the team’s plans to build an entertainment complex on Lot J at TIAA Bank Field.
The site plan released by the team shows a new arena, a hotel, and two large office buildings at Lot J. And just west of that, a public parking garage would be built to replace the lost parking spaces – and then some.
A larger conceptual rendering shows more office towers, multiple parks, a riverfront monument, and even a new convention center on the Shipyards site.
The Jags announced that The Cordish Companies will act as partners in the new project, which it says could encompass “more than 4.25 million square feet” of dining, retail, office, residential, and entertainment space.
The project will take several years and will be done in phases, with Lot J development likely to begin first. It’ll also require the plan to tear down the Hart Bridge ramps downtown to be realized.
But once completed, it has the potential to transform the sports district – and downtown Jacksonville – into a world-class entertainment zone and a year-round destination.
Well considering the recent article about the Southbank riverfront, I won’t hold my breath waiting on these plans.