Just wanted to share this survey email I had received
Lots of focus on adding shade to the stadium.
I think I'd prefer a renovation over a new stadium

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I dunno, I was at the stadium the season after the scoreboard/pool additions and I felt like it was nice but I wish the money had just gone toward a new stadium. The bones of the stadium were looking and feeling awfully old, and it's a few years older now. I compared it to an aging supermodel that keeps getting plastic surgery and just winds up looking more and more fake.

I am not a Jax taxpayer so obviously my voice doesn't mean anything, but if I had the choice I would rather pay a little extra in taxes for a new stadium rather than still paying taxes just a little less for a major renovation.

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I want them to replace the pools with a lazy river. Now that's Florida. Charge people $10 bucks for a tube that does a lap around the entire stadium, and $50 bucks for a game tube.

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I want them to replace the pools with a lazy river. Now that's Florida. Charge people $10 bucks for a tube that does a lap around the entire stadium, and $50 bucks for a game tube.

That would be beyond cool.

Knock it down and build anew at the corner of Butler and I-295. You wont have to worry about any Lot-J/Renassaince Place vote, or attracting business development or entertainment; they will line up for the rights to develop in that area. Sorry, downtown, but you're dead and have been for 40 years. You've had multiple chances and you still stink. Blow it up and start over.

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"Remember Red, Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."  - Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

I want them to replace the pools with a lazy river. Now that's Florida. Charge people $10 bucks for a tube that does a lap around the entire stadium, and $50 bucks for a game tube.

I'd buy a game tube but I think the lazy river would be yellow by the end of the game.  Just sayin'

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I want them to replace the pools with a lazy river. Now that's Florida. Charge people $10 bucks for a tube that does a lap around the entire stadium, and $50 bucks for a game tube.

That would be beyond cool.

Knock it down and build anew at the corner of Butler and I-295.  You wont have to worry about any Lot-J/Renassaince Place vote, or attracting business development or entertainment; they will line up for the rights to develop in that area.  Sorry, downtown, but you're dead and have been for 40 years.  You've had multiple chances and you still stink. Blow it up and start over.

That's one of the very few possible locations with enough land and it's been the fastest growing part of the city for the last twenty years.  Lot J will be lipstick on a pig.  The stadium isn't really even in the "downtown" area, it's a mile away in a more industrial area.

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When you get into the endzone, act like you've been there before.

Personally, the only real upgrade that I would love to see is adding structures to provide adequate shade.  Otherwise, I like the price of our tickets so I don't want to be paying double for additional luxuries.  Give me shade and more wins please.   That said, I did state that I'm moderately interested in protection from the rain, ventilation in the seats, and additional group social areas.

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I want them to replace the pools with a lazy river. Now that's Florida. Charge people $10 bucks for a tube that does a lap around the entire stadium, and $50 bucks for a game tube.

That would be beyond cool.

Knock it down and build anew at the corner of Butler and I-295.  You wont have to worry about any Lot-J/Renassaince Place vote, or attracting business development or entertainment; they will line up for the rights to develop in that area.  Sorry, downtown, but you're dead and have been for 40 years.  You've had multiple chances and you still stink. Blow it up and start over.

I'd much prefer finally making downtown what it should be with a new stadium and waterfront retail/dining/nightlife district than building a stadium in a boring, generic suburb. 

Suburban sprawl is what ruined downtown and sprawling a vital component of the city to a suburb is like giving up without a fight. 

Other cities have revitalized faded areas to their former glory with new stadiums and adjoining developments. I'd like to see Jacksonville do the same.

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That would be beyond cool.

Knock it down and build anew at the corner of Butler and I-295.  You wont have to worry about any Lot-J/Renassaince Place vote, or attracting business development or entertainment; they will line up for the rights to develop in that area.  Sorry, downtown, but you're dead and have been for 40 years.  You've had multiple chances and you still stink. Blow it up and start over.

I'd much prefer finally making downtown what it should be with a new stadium and waterfront retail/dining/nightlife district than building a stadium in a boring, generic suburb. 

Suburban sprawl is what ruined downtown and sprawling a vital component of the city to a suburb is like giving up without a fight. 

Other cities have revitalized faded areas to their former glory with new stadiums and adjoining developments. I'd like to see Jacksonville do the same.

Other cities aren't structured like Jacksonville where the township proper is the entire county due to consolidation. That's the reason for the suburban sprawl.

You could build it south of Butler along the Intercoastal. Closer to the Beach and established nightlife. That could be developed from scratch and wouldn't have to end up as a 'boring, generic suburb'. We always talk about 'blowing up the team and starting from scratch', and when they don't, people go ballistic. Why is the stadium any different? It's an extension of the team. Spending good money after bad. And by the way, as someone who worked downtown for 30 years, there's nothing particularly exciting about downtown.

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"Remember Red, Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."  - Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

I got this email too. I am in the minority bc I don’t want a new stadium. The early years are what I remember the most. I was there when they flew over after Denver. When Freddy T and Jimmy Smith finally won our first home playoff game against NE. I was there when the sprinklers turned on against the Dolphins. How could I forget the Morten Andersen missed FG. I could go on.

The stadium is dated but I hope they just keep updating it.

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I'd much prefer finally making downtown what it should be with a new stadium and waterfront retail/dining/nightlife district than building a stadium in a boring, generic suburb. 

Suburban sprawl is what ruined downtown and sprawling a vital component of the city to a suburb is like giving up without a fight. 

Other cities have revitalized faded areas to their former glory with new stadiums and adjoining developments. I'd like to see Jacksonville do the same.

Other cities aren't structured like Jacksonville where the township proper is the entire county due to consolidation.  That's the reason for the suburban sprawl.

You could build it south of Butler along the Intercoastal.  Closer to the Beach and established nightlife. That could be developed from scratch and wouldn't have to end up as a 'boring, generic suburb'.  And by the way, as someone who worked downtown for 30 years, there's nothing particularly exciting about downtown.

I know WHY it happened. (county line/city border annex) Though it started 20 years prior to that.
(My grandparents lived in Springfield when it was still fairly new)

I'm more interested in correcting it -  not contributing to it. 

It would be exciting if it were properly revitalized instead of abandoned. 

Suburbs are boring and cities with vibrant waterfront districts are cool.

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Other cities aren't structured like Jacksonville where the township proper is the entire county due to consolidation.  That's the reason for the suburban sprawl.

You could build it south of Butler along the Intercoastal.  Closer to the Beach and established nightlife. That could be developed from scratch and wouldn't have to end up as a 'boring, generic suburb'.  And by the way, as someone who worked downtown for 30 years, there's nothing particularly exciting about downtown.

I know WHY it happened. (county line/city border annex) Though it started 20 years prior to that.
(My grandparents lived in Springfield when it was still fairly new)

I'm more interested in correcting it -  not contributing to it. 

It would be exciting if it were properly revitalized instead of abandoned. 

Suburbs are boring and cities with vibrant waterfront districts are cool.

I understand your point, but...

We've had the team since 1995. is downtown any better?
Some sort of an entertainment complex has been planned since the late 90's. I know this because I was involved with the planning as part of a former job. Never happened.
We hosted the Super Bowl. We have a convention center. Some downtown hotels. Some of the neighborhoods are gentrified.
We've got a monorail that goes nowhere,
Downtown has probably experienced negative growth since 1995.
You can have Intercoastal front instead of Riverfront. The water is cleaner.

Can you honestly say that after 26 years of having the team that downtown is any better than it was in 1995?

I had a front row seat watching it not develop for 16 of the years we have had the team. Downtown is mired in as much mediocrity as the Jaguars are.
It is the perfect metaphor for them.

It's time to try something different.

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"Remember Red, Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."  - Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

The shipyards are a superfund site. A lot of the stadium parking lots are as well, lot j included. A park/ parking lot/ outdoor concert site is all they'll ever be. The area around the stadium is getting better. Intuition ale works is there now, that's a good sign. I'm not sure what they're doing with hart bridge ramps, but I think it's going to connect the stadium area with downtown in a more natural and pedestrian friendly way. So while there are obviously difficulties in improving the neighborhood around the stadium, there's reason to hope.

The City should not consider loaning or granting Shad Khan or anyone else money. There is still a desire for new housing near the downtown core. Some four over one developments would fit in real nice. The City just needs to make sure the zoning and infrastructure and demo permits are ready. And those residents would be the foundation for the nightlife to get better. Some of that has already happened. Slower than any of us will like. But it's not going to stop.

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All that said, shade has got to be at the top of the list!

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

I'd much prefer finally making downtown what it should be with a new stadium and waterfront retail/dining/nightlife district than building a stadium in a boring, generic suburb. 

Suburban sprawl is what ruined downtown and sprawling a vital component of the city to a suburb is like giving up without a fight. 

Other cities have revitalized faded areas to their former glory with new stadiums and adjoining developments. I'd like to see Jacksonville do the same.

Other cities aren't structured like Jacksonville where the township proper is the entire county due to consolidation.  That's the reason for the suburban sprawl.

You could build it south of Butler along the Intercoastal.  Closer to the Beach and established nightlife. That could be developed from scratch and wouldn't have to end up as a 'boring, generic suburb'.  We always talk about 'blowing up the team and starting from scratch', and when they don't, people go ballistic.  Why is the stadium any different?  It's an extension of the team. Spending good money after bad. And by the way, as someone who worked downtown for 30 years, there's nothing particularly exciting about downtown.

While your points are salient, I just disagree with bunting down the 3rd base line when we could swing for the fences on revitalization. 

It's personal preference about urban core vitality and I know many don't value it like I do. 

I feel it's necessary for the city to realize its potential.

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Other cities aren't structured like Jacksonville where the township proper is the entire county due to consolidation.  That's the reason for the suburban sprawl.

You could build it south of Butler along the Intercoastal.  Closer to the Beach and established nightlife. That could be developed from scratch and wouldn't have to end up as a 'boring, generic suburb'.  We always talk about 'blowing up the team and starting from scratch', and when they don't, people go ballistic.  Why is the stadium any different?  It's an extension of the team. Spending good money after bad. And by the way, as someone who worked downtown for 30 years, there's nothing particularly exciting about downtown.

While your points are salient, I just disagree with bunting down the 3rd base line when we could swing for the fences on revitalization. 

It's personal preference about urban core vitality and I know many don't value it like I do. 

I feel it's necessary for the city to realize its potential.

All fair points. Hopeful the team succeeds where ever the stadium is.

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"Remember Red, Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."  - Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

The other thing to consider if a new stadium is being considered is hotels and conference space.

There is no reason Jax should not be in the rotations for things like the Super Bowl, Draft, Pro Bowl, Combine, etc. in the future. It's warm, it's cheap, it's near a beach. There is a small though first class airport thanks to the PGA.

Additionally, factoring this in maximizes potential value out of building a new stadium.

I actually think is a major reason Shad partnered with the orthopedic group with the new facility downtown. It makes sense if he is eyeing going for one of the Combines in the future as is no longer going to be in Indy every year.

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I want them to replace the pools with a lazy river. Now that's Florida. Charge people $10 bucks for a tube that does a lap around the entire stadium, and $50 bucks for a game tube.

I'd buy a game tube but I think the lazy river would be yellow by the end of the game.  Just sayin'

....you expect people to spill their overpriced Bud Light?

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I want them to replace the pools with a lazy river. Now that's Florida. Charge people $10 bucks for a tube that does a lap around the entire stadium, and $50 bucks for a game tube.

That would be beyond cool.

Knock it down and build anew at the corner of Butler and I-295.  You wont have to worry about any Lot-J/Renassaince Place vote, or attracting business development or entertainment; they will line up for the rights to develop in that area.  Sorry, downtown, but you're dead and have been for 40 years.  You've had multiple chances and you still stink. Blow it up and start over.

Those corners are already developed. The answer is the land further East that Skinner won't sell or completely South down past the Duval/SJC line. Downtown Jax is never coming back.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

I favor having the stadium downtown.  I'm a big believer in revitalizing downtown.  It's crucial to obtaining businesses which helps the entire city.  I hear some say that nothing has happened in 25 years downtown, but I would take that to mean that it is desperately over-due.  Besides, that's not completely accurate.  It's still in the early phase, but downtown has recently begun the process of starting to take off.  Below is a link to downtown projects:

 Major Project Highlights - DIA (investdtjax.com)

For those who don't want to read it, I'll give some highlights.  Recently completed projects downtown exceed $400 million.  There's an even bigger list of projects currently under constructions.  The Rivers Edge project located across the river from the stadium has a cost of $535 million.  Baptist Hospital has an $186 million expansion.  FIS is building a headquarters on the river in Brooklyn for $145 million.  There's a long list of other projects.  Don't under-estimate the small ones either.  An apartment complex of "only" $25 million might not sound like much, but you put a couple of those in an area of town where there was previously virtually no residential buildings and you've created a metaphorical spark that can lead to a big fire.  The long issue has been that no one lived downtown because there wasn't anything there.  The reason nothing was there was because no one lived there.  You have to break cycle and many of these projects will do it.  Once it gets started, it will take off.  There's a long list of upcoming projects including Shad Khan's $300 million "Four Seasons & Offices" project by the stadium.  I know that there are also many other proposals not even listed in the link including a building taller than the Wells Fargo building.

The new stadium needs to be downtown.  If you have one of anything with the exception of a dump or an airport, you want it downtown.  I think it's extremely likely that is the location.  Again, keep in mind that Shad Khan has rights to develop that area of downtown.  He has his $300 million Four Seasons project.  He's not outlaying that money and then locating the stadium somewhere else.

As for the stadium, I prefer a new stadium to a renovation.  We may have memories there, but we'll still have those memories.  It's not Fenway Park with the Green Monsters.  There's nothing iconic about it.  Let's do it right and get a new stadium built right next to the existing one.  I also like the idea of lazy river around the top of it.  If not, something else like that.  Don't just make a boring stadium.  Jacksonville could really use a stadium that is flashy and iconic.  People around the country forget we exist and we need to change that.

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There are a lot of people heavily invested in revitalizing downtown. I think there's a real possibility we will see that area come to life in the next 20 years.

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