Tag: Lot J

Lot J bill gets rejected, Shad Khan to move on to a shipyard project

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Jags’ Mark Lamping says decisions on London games are on hold and out of the team’s hands

Uncertainty seems to be looking for the Jags with the NFL International Series due to COVID-19.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Lot J project has garnered some momentum as of late as owner Shad Khan and Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry revealed their plans for the district next to TIAA Bank Field in early October. However, with that came a lot of questions from the Jags’ citizens and Jags president Mark Lamping finally got around to answering them Thursday in a virtual town hall discussion.

Another important topic that Lamping addressed was the Jags’ future involvement with the NFL International Series in London, which he didn’t seen too certain of.

“Jacksonville is the home of the Jaguars. It has been the team’s home for the past 26 seasons, and it will continue to be our home into the future,” Lamping said.

“The London game has been extremely important to the Jaguars and has also provided benefits to the Jacksonville community. However, the NFL controls the fate of all games played in London and the teams assigned to play in those games, and the Jaguars’ current agreement to play games has expired. Any future decisions on London are on hold and out of the Jaguars’ hands.”

With COVID-19 being an issue in the league, this is understandable as the NFL might be at a standstill with the International Series. They’ve had issues with the coronavirus at several team facilities after opting not to take the type of bubble approaches other sports organizations have. That said, traveling across seas simply doesn’t feel like a responsible move.

Lamping’s comments also raises the question of whether it’s possible that the NFL is considering another team (post-coronavirus, of course) to make London their second home, but its simply hard to say.

In 2019, the Jags revealed that they would be having two games (as opposed to one) in London this season. It was a move that wasn’t well received by the fan base despite Khan’s notion of how financially important having the International Series in the organization’s back pocket was. Now, due to the circumstances, fans will have to wait until more becomes available on a potential extension, but clearly the fans would like to get their home games back in the future.