JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars are listening to members of the community and sharing their vision for a revamped stadium and the construction of an entertainment district on the Eastside.
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We’ve all seen the renderings, but now Jacksonville residents are getting an opportunity to learn the nitty-gritty details of the proposed stadium renovations and share their thoughts and concerns.
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They got their first chance to weigh in at the first of 14 planned Huddle Up Jax events at Strings Sports Brewery Monday morning.
“When we finish this public process in ten days, we’ll have a better plan than we have today,” Jaguars President Mark Lamping said.
The project, which includes the revamped stadium and new entertainment district comes with an estimated price tag of $1.75 to $2 billion, with taxpayers picking up half the cost.
Lamping made it clear it’s a package deal.
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“If it’s just a stadium I don’t see a path to getting it done,” Lamping said.
Last week, Council President-Designate Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large) indicated he was surprised to see the additional projects tied in with the stadium.
“That’s a tall ask for us,” Salem said in a June 8th interview.
Jags owner Shad Khan said he’s hopeful the council will warm up to the entertainment district.
“One plus one equals five and this should be something that’s a multiplier effect and it’s got to be great for the city or it makes no sense,” Khan said.
Jags fan Patrick Carney on the other hand is optimistic the entertainment district could become part of the sales pitch to taxpayers currently on the fence.
“It’s only a tough sell, it’s because you’re not looking what it can do for Jacksonville for the long term,” Carney said.
Watch: Taxpayer money and Jags stadium renovations
Mayor-elect Donna Deegan is asking for $2 million in the upcoming budget to help negotiate a deal.
Jags fan Mathew Parks told Action News Jax he’s hopeful she succeeds and turns the renderings into reality.
“If you’re going to do this, let’s build something that’s iconic. Let’s build something that we’re all proud of at the end of the day, that’s we can point to as opposed to having an also-ran,” Parks said.
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The Jaguars on Thursday, June 15 made updates to some of the locations of the community huddles:
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