Jaguars amphitheater, flex field construction to begin next month

[tufsu1]

^ that's laughable.

It's all about clustering.  The amphitheater at Millennium Park in Chicago works because its literally 2 blocks from the core.  The Stadium area may develop into a new entertainment area, but it will have VERY little impact on the downtown core. 

Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever learn.

[mtraininjax]

The Stadium area may develop into a new entertainment area, but it will have VERY little impact on the downtown core. 

+1

Downtown better come up with a better plan than dressing up parks to save itself, soon the stadium will be the place to be and maybe that's all downtown is, a watering hole/dinner stop on the way to a new entertainment site.

[Steve]

The amphitheater at Millennium Park in Chicago works because its literally 2 blocks from the core.  The Stadium area may develop into a new entertainment area, but it will have VERY little impact on the downtown core.

Amen. I like the idea of the amphitheater at the stadium, but a substitute for what the core should be? Nope. It's way too far from the core to the stadium-not exactly walkable.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

^ that's laughable.

It's all about clustering.  The amphitheater at Millennium Park in Chicago works because its literally 2 blocks from the core.  The Stadium area may develop into a new entertainment area, but it will have VERY little impact on the downtown core. 

Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever learn.

It's tough sledding, but I think he's working with the hand he's been dealt.  Sure the taxpayers have ponied up a metric assload of cash for improvements, but he's putting quite a bit of his own flesh in as well.  There's no legitimate way to connect the stadium area and downtown in any foreseeable future.  Not with a toxic wasteland on the south of Bay and the detention center on the north.  The biggest thing that going to have to happen in mass transit connectivity between the 2, whether skyway or streetcar, I don't care, but something with dedicated infrastructure that's not asphalt.  Then you will need to have hotels around the stadium to put people where the action is. 

[RattlerGator]

No, what's laughable is how narrow some of you can be on this issue. In many other similar situations, we'd be admonished to think broadly. To think outside the "box." The Jaguars, through the leadership of Shad Khan, have made that "box" of a stadium into segmented pieces that if viewed as stand-alone venues added to downtown Jacksonville would be praised to the high heavens.

The US Assure West Club (country club emphasis)

The US Assure East Club (sports bar emphasis)

The Amphitheater

The Flex Field

These spaces have all been (or soon will be) essentially turned into unique, stand-alone spaces capable of hosting nightlife events in downtown Jacksonville year-round on any day of the week. That isn't speculation, that's fact. Presuming "The Shipyards" property is turned into a significant 48-acre greenspace that connects with Klutho Park, you will have revolutionized how inviting the downtown riverfront is not simply to Jacksonville residents but to Northeast Florida residents as well. Build a luxury hotel on-site and add other amenities that mirror what the Patriots (and other NFL teams) have already proven to be viable, and you will have transformed downtown Jacksonville while the bitch-and-moan crowd sat on the sidelines crying about this or that.

tufsu1

The Stadium area may develop into a new entertainment area, but it will have VERY little impact on the downtown core.

Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever learn.

We'll no doubt revisit this one day, tufsu1, but of course you'd think that way; you keep insisting on viewing Jacksonville from an inapplicable northern, urban lens. That's not the way Florida works, that's not the way the South works. One of these days, hopefully, you'll wake up and come to terms with the city (and region) you live in. So, addressing this narrow issue only, it's high time you and ya buddies get ya head outta ya ass. But if you don't, by all means -- do keep yawning and laughing. You won't stop this train.

You know, sometimes I wonder if y'all will ever learn.

[mtraininjax]

stand-alone spaces capable of hosting nightlife events in downtown Jacksonville year-round on any day of the week.

This already happens, Jacksonville Magazine hosts its Best of Jax party in the West Club, the Humane Society has its fundraiser in the Terrace, there are countless other events held in the various "meeting" areas of Everbank Field. Many Real Estate companies hold their awards events at Everbank as well.

Could these become daily nightclubs? Interesting, but there is nothing around it, other than going from club to club and there is no easy way to go from either club to the Terrace level. Perhaps this will come next year with the amphitheater.

[camarocane]

  Not with a toxic wasteland on the south of Bay and the detention center on the north.  The biggest thing that going to have to happen in mass transit connectivity between the 2, whether skyway or streetcar, I don't care, but something with dedicated infrastructure that's not asphalt.  Then you will need to have hotels around the stadium to put people where the action is.

+1
There should be pedestrian access between the two. However I would put less emphasis on the skyway only because, in its current state, it connects nothing with nothing. You would need to extend it... not only to the stadium, but also to the adjacent neighborhoods.
Lets face it, the jail isn't going anywhere. Developing the shipyards would be a good alternative to the skyway, maybe even less expensive for the COJ to mitigate the environmental issues than build out the skyway.
I personally think that if The District proves successful, it will ignite the skyway ridership as well as push developers (Kahn or some other entity) to look a bit more closely at the development of the shipyards.   

[FlaBoy]

That area is an event district, but not an entertainment district. I think the best case scenario would be a hotel on the Shipyards land east of Hogan's Creek. There is real potential on AP Randolph St. with Intuition, the Distillery, and the building stock up that street. It is sad the stadiums are so poorly designed for street interaction and they stuck huge parking garages without street interaction.

If you could host the Naval Museum on the undeveloped Shipyards Park with some cool kiosks for food/bars one day (similar to what Blacksheep is doing at Hemming), I think it would be nice to preserve the waterfront for the people. In a perfect world, one day the city will move the Jail and Police Station off of Bay St.

[Tacachale]

The St. Augustine Amphitheater and Ponte Vedra Concert Hall are much more poorly located than this, and they do just fine. Metro Park, for all its faults, did pretty well when it was actually used for event - and would have been doing better if the gods had willed it to be a real concert space. The amphitheater's not as well located as it could be, but that's the hand they're dealt. The stadium is where it is, and has been for 90 years.

At the same time, it's turning a big empty lot into active use. Even being located off the beaten path, it certainly has the opportunity to contribute to growth in the area, much more than the St. Augustine Amphitheater and PVCH. They aren't necessarily obvious, but there are a lot of infill opportunities over there on top of whatever happens with the Shipyards.

[FlaBoy]

That area is an event district, but not an entertainment district. I think the best case scenario would be a hotel on the Shipyards land east of Hogan's Creek. There is real potential on AP Randolph St. with Intuition, the Distillery, and the building stock up that street. It is sad the stadiums are so poorly designed for street interaction and they stuck huge parking garages without street interaction.

If you could host the Naval Museum on the undeveloped Shipyards Park with some cool kiosks for food/bars one day (similar to what Blacksheep is doing at Hemming), I think it would be nice to preserve the waterfront for the people. In a perfect world, one day the city will move the Jail and Police Station off of Bay St.

wow. we strongly agree.

What would you like to see?

[RattlerGator]

Seems like a good question to me. Given the reality of the situation, and the limitations (presumed or real), what *would* you (or anyone else) like to see?

[JBTripper]

^ that's laughable.

It's all about clustering.  The amphitheater at Millennium Park in Chicago works because its literally 2 blocks from the core.  The Stadium area may develop into a new entertainment area, but it will have VERY little impact on the downtown core. 

Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever learn.

What are the alternatives?

One alternative is what we have now, which is an entertainment district at the beaches and an amphitheater at Anastasia. Is that better for downtown than an entertainment and event district at the Sports Complex? Another alternative is for someone to develop something downtown similar to what Khan is doing in the Sports Complex with 100% private capital. Is there a long list of developers willing to do that, or no?

The way I see it, we can continue to have nothing or we can have a concert venue at the stadium. Which has more of an impact on downtown?

[thelakelander]

The Elbow is your downtown alternative. Keep building it up by working to create more synergy between existing spaces and focusing on compatible infill of adjacent underutilized spaces. Whatever happens around EverBank Field will eventually end up being a different node of activity. The best thing you can do here is link them and other urban core areas with reliable and frequent transit service.  In the long term (I mean decades...), things will fill in if we don't screw the pooch.

[KenFSU]

Ampitheather/covered flex field will be called Daily's Place.

New video renderings:

http://www.jaguars.com/media-gallery/videos/Dailys-Place-official-video-renderings/af0c5d74-55fa-43eb-82f6-096f1dc8e289

Projected open for both facilities is May of next year.

Khan is shooting for an NFL Draft in Jacksonville, and has his sights set next on an upscale hotel and convention center across from the stadium.

[RattlerGator]

That convention center hotel is going to happen, take that to the bank:

"What this means for the Shipyards is very good, because you have to have some inertia to get something going," Khan said. "We have now, across the highway, would be a great opportunity for a high-end hotel and convention center, which really this town needs. We'll try to work with the city and then as you move towards downtown, the city is wrestling with a lot of challenges environmentally. As that is addressed, then you can really have the growth. I think it's very good. It's embryonic, but important."

That utility of the flex field and amphitheater combo -- wondering if the bitch and moan crowd can begin to get the picture now? Maybe, hmmmmm?

I doubt it. Probably looking for that jug of haterade right about now. While yawning, of course.