Quote:I think there's a little more momentum behind this particular effort because of Shad Khan and Mark Lamping.  They see this as a huge potential money maker for the city, and for the Jaguars. 

 

I've lived in Jacksonville my entire life, and I have to disagree that downtown hasn't changed a lick.  It's just been painfully slow in making any sort of transition because of one particular entity that had a stranglehold over city politics and the downtown culture.  That influence has waned significantly over the years, and we've seen quite a bit of transition in the downtown area with more housing, restaurants, and businesses. 

 

The shipyard property between WJCT and Berkman Plaza is prime real estate that's just begging to be developed to turbocharge the downtown renaissance that has been promised ever since the Landing was built.  That entire corridor between the Landing and the stadium has major potential, and I think it's all starting to gain momentum.  That will only help this process.

 

Khan has already started the process with the renovations at the stadium including the new amphitheater and practice facilities.  That should create the impetus for more growth in the area because people are going to be at the venue for concerts and other events.  That's going to create an opportunity for a supporting infrastructure including restaurants and hotels along with other businesses catering to the people coming here.  With the Jags planning to have concerts for every home game weekend, that presents a golden opportunity to show what kind of potential exists in the area.  Hopefully that sparks a sense of urgency with the powers that be to get this thing moving.

 

I agree the shipyard is absolute prime real estate and the FBC has crippled the growth of downtown immensely over the years. I also have zero doubt that whatever Shad Khan does, it will be spectacular, but I think for the long term success of downtown, people need a reason to just go there on a random week night and not for an "event". 

 

IMO, they need more people who actually live there. I don't think the Springfield renaissance quite took off like everybody expected. I know they had some builders building some nice homes, but I'm not sure that ever really took off. 

 

I worked downtown for 15 years and couldn't wait to get the heck out of there every day. Addressing the parking and homeless situation would be a big first step in getting people to want to come back downtown. We shall see...

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