The Jacksonville City Council had their vote for Shad Khan’s Lot J project outside of TIAA Bank Field Tuesday, and with a 12-7 result, the bill fell one vote short of what was needed (13). However, after the process Jags president Mark Lamping immediately mentioned moving on to the shipyards project, which would also take place near the stadium.
Mark Lamping: “It’s time to turn the page on Lot J. We will now focus our attention on the Shipyards.” #LotJ #Jaguars
— J.P. Shadrick (@jpshadrick) January 13, 2021
Opening Mark Lamping statement to media after #LotJ bill fails #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/NcMdHcxSxU
— J.P. Shadrick (@jpshadrick) January 13, 2021
The project was one that would’ve cost taxpayers $233 million and was a $450 million development deal overall. Included in it would’ve been an entertainment venue, hotel, residential areas, office spaces, bars/ restaurants, and retail shops.
The bill to remove the breadbox loan worth $65 million was voted on before the bill for Lot J on Tuesday, too. The vote for that garnered a 12-7 figure, with 12 voting yes and seven voting no. In a nutshell, there was a possibility that Khan and the project’s developer, Cordish Companies, wouldn’t have to compensate taxpayers for the loan, which made some skeptical.
When looking at the project overall, it was very close to passing but the transparency of the overall deal seemed to be the main issue. Per Ben Becker of Action News Jax, a council member even said the bill would’ve passed if the developer and Khan gave an inch on the breadbox loan.
One member of council tells me if the Jags gave an inch on $65m “breadbox loan” it probably passes
— Ben Becker (@BenBeckerANjax) January 13, 2021
With renovations for TIAA Bank Field coming up around 2023, many fans expressed that they would be fine with Lot J if it was packaged with stadium improvements, which would be tied to a lease extension. In that scenario, the team would be getting something necessary to keep the Jags in Jacksonville while Khan’s goal to revitalize downtown would’ve been fulfilled to a degree, too.
While the bill failing to pass doesn’t exactly help the growth of downtown, all hope isn’t lost. Maybe the shipyards project could be passed with better transparency, though it’s certain to come with hurdles as all projects do.