Proposed 2021/2022 Capital Improvement Projects

[Ken_FSU]

Looking through the list, things that immediately stand out from the mayor's proposed 2021/2022 budget (https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/20974973/fy22-26-initial-cip.pdf):

- Main Library Retail Build-out!!!! ($2 mil)
- Met Park Marina & Fire Station relocation ($8 mil)
- Emerald Trail - Hogans Street to Riverwalk & Hogan Street Connector ($5 mil)
- UF Health Capital Improvement ($20 mil; $65 mil over the next 3 years)
- Jacksonville Fairground relocation ($15 mil; $27 mil over the next two years)
- Florida Theater ($1.6 mil; $3 mil over the next three years)
- Special Parks Fund ($50 mil; $50 mil more in 2022/23)
- Lift Ev'ry Voice Park ($1.6 mil)
- Jax Zoo ($10 mil over two years)
- Prime Osborne ($10+ million over the next three years for building systems & interior finishes)
- Music Park at Times-Union Center ($4.8 mil this year)
- McCoy's Creek Greenway ($2.3 mil next year; $15 mil over next three years)

Beyond Five Years:
- Jail & Police HQ Relocation ($400 MILLION DOLLARS)
*There's a related line item to purchase the Load King warehouse on Beaver Street for $6.5 million. Could this be the location they're looking at?

Feels like a really good start for Parks. Fully funds the Times-Union Center Music Park, Friendship Park is already funded, $1.6 million for Lift Ev'ry Voice, plenty of cash for the Met Park marina and fire station relocation, leaving $100 million potentially at play over the next two years for the Landing park, the Shipyards (which has $13 million set aside for remediation/resiliency), and maybe Riversedge. Shame that James Weldon Park isn't getting any love, but also thrilled to see the line item for activating the retail in the Main Library.

Also glad to see the jail relocation isn't in the 5-year plan.

I assume, beyond the money the city has already committed for Hogan Street, Hogans Creek, and McCoys Creek, the remaining Emerald Trail spend is going to come from a separate JTA budget.

Said it in a different thread, but there's been something going on with the Jags and the Fairgrounds for a while now. Not sure what, but would not be surprised at all to see the relocation quickly make way for some proposal from the Jags.

[thelakelander]

^They've been trying to get the fairgrounds moved to the Westside since John Peyton was mayor.

https://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php?topic=6712.0

[jaxlongtimer]

Said it in a different thread, but there's been something going on with the Jags and the Fairgrounds for a while now. Not sure what, but would not be surprised at all to see the relocation quickly make way for some proposal from the Jags.

It appears that the Jags-Fairgrounds connection is almost a certainty based on below.  Relocation is based on the Fair selling its land.  Now who would want to buy such land at this time?  Hmmm... J-A-G-S?  Mayor wouldn't put this in the CIP budget if this wasn't already a "done deal." 

Maybe the Jags would slide over their proposed new office/practice facility to the Fair Grounds (where they might also have more room to enlarge it now or later) instead of displacing parking abutting the stadium.  Might also move their wrestling venture there with a possible training facility for them?  Relocate their proposed orthopedic facility from the Shipyards to adjacent to their practice facility (would free up more park land on the river)?  What would really be radical would be moving the Four Seasons to the Fair Grounds  !

The relocation would hinge on the fair association selling its land, which would enable the association to use the sales proceeds for creating a new fairgrounds on the Westside. Hughes said those talks have been moving forward and the pieces appear to be falling in place for a sale and relocation.

"Really in the last six months, it all shored up where the fairgrounds and their board are ready and prepared to move," he said.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2021/06/29/big-spending-plan-contains-money-move-jacksonville-fairgrounds/7803110002/

[vicupstate]

Moving the fairgrounds is a good move. I imagine it is a dead zone except for a few weeks a year. The practice facility as currently sited really crowds the stadium as well.   

[Zac T]

Feels like a really good start for Parks. Fully funds the Times-Union Center Music Park, Friendship Park is already funded, $1.6 million for Lift Ev'ry Voice, plenty of cash for the Met Park marina and fire station relocation, leaving $100 million potentially at play over the next two years for the Landing park, the Shipyards (which has $13 million set aside for remediation/resiliency), and maybe Riversedge. Shame that James Weldon Park isn't getting any love, but also thrilled to see the line item for activating the retail in the Main Library.

The $2 million dollars is for the retail space in the Main Library garage, not the space fronting JWJ park. This is where DVI wants to move their HQ.

Gordon is working with Mayor Lenny Curry's administration to share the cost to build-out 14,600 square feet at 33 W. Duval St. on the ground floor of the Jacksonville Main Library parking garage. The space is owned by the city.

...

Gordon said the move is not definite. The Curry administration will be weighing the project with others in the city Capital Improvement Program in the 2021-22 budget.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/downtown-vision-inc-wants-a-bigger-service-area-larger-staff-and-a-new-hq

[Ken_FSU]

Well, that's a significantly worse use of $2 million dollars than retail build-out at the Main Library

[Ken_FSU]

Said it in a different thread, but there's been something going on with the Jags and the Fairgrounds for a while now. Not sure what, but would not be surprised at all to see the relocation quickly make way for some proposal from the Jags.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2021/07/01/shad-khan-iguana-investment-jacksonville-fairgrounds-land/7814573002/

[Tacachale]

Funny story: when my old man was in office, he suggested moving the fair to the equestrian center on the westside to free up the land for something that would get more use. Paul Harden and the Jags opposed that at the time as they liked the activity. Now that they've gotten into real estate development, they want the fair moved. If we'd done that 20 years ago it could've been incorporated into the equestrian center plans; now it's going to cost $27 million.

[vicupstate]

Said it in a different thread, but there's been something going on with the Jags and the Fairgrounds for a while now. Not sure what, but would not be surprised at all to see the relocation quickly make way for some proposal from the Jags.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2021/07/01/shad-khan-iguana-investment-jacksonville-fairgrounds-land/7814573002/

For those of us that don't have a subscription, what is the Jag's intended use of the fairgrounds?

[Charles Hunter]

This should be "fair use"

Iguana said a sales transaction would enable the creation of more parking for people going to events at the sports complex and "much-needed flexibility" for ride-sharing for major events.

Iguana said relocating the fair would lead to a better experience for those attending football games in the fall because when the annual fair is in action, Lot P is closed to parking so it can be used for the midway.

"It would also offer additional options as we envision what is potentially possible for the sports complex and deliver benefits to the fair and the constituencies it serves," Iguana's statement said.

Accommodating the turnout for the fair, which is one of the nation's largest, on the same days the Jaguars play home games has been a running point of discussion among the team, the city, and the fair association since the 1990s.

[Ken_FSU]

The Jags/Shad Khan have been talking with Curry/Hughes about the Fairgrounds since at least Q4 2020. Was always a separate plan from Lot J (which looked like a near sure thing in Q4) and Four Seasons/Baptist/Office. Like I said, no clue what the specifics are/were, but i sure never got the vibe that it was about parking. Nor do I think the city would be paying over $20 million to move the Fairgrounds so the Jags can have an extra parking lot. Nor do I think that, if parking was the end game, Shad Khan would be trying to privately purchase the land.

Curious what the end game could be here.

[thelakelander]

I'd be very curious of what they'd propose on that property, just from the perspective of the potential impact on the Eastside.

[Ken_FSU]

For those of us that don't have a subscription, what is the Jag's intended use of the fairgrounds?

Good time to jump on!

6 months for $1 currently, which is low as I've ever seen it.

https://www.jacksonville.com/subscribenow?g2i_source=jacksonville.com&g2i_medium=subscribe&g2i_campaign=header&gps-source=CPMASTHEAD&tpcc=CPMASTHEAD