EverBank Field Development Renderings

[Marle Brando]

DP is right; this is a win/win or the city and the Jaguars.  At Wednesday's Southside Businessmen's Club meeting, Mark Lamping explained the expenditures of the $90 million and what the improvements mean.  There will be a $25 million makeover the Club Seating areas, resulting in fewer seats and more amenities.  The part that everyone wonders about will be the amphitheatre. 

The stage will face the stadium so that sound to the south wall of the stadium to absorb the noise and not toward St. Nicholas.  There will be 4000 seats at ground level and the bud zone will extended out to the south allowing a second and third balcony level with 1000 seats each.  The facility will be under a roof to protect patrons and performers from the elements.  How does tie into the stadium and the indoor practice fields.

The step of removing the ground level outside concessions on the south end of the stadium will allow the field to be open to the theatre and allow people to walk through.  The 95% of the time the indoor facility is not being used for practice, it can be used as an event venue.  This opens the three venues to the probability for future festivals with performances on three stages.  This is the type of concert/special event venue we should have had 20 years ago.  Kudos to the city and the Jaguars on reaching this agreement.

Thanks, very interesting info as I didn't think there were going to be balcony level seating. Opening the field to the venue is an awesome idea. I do wonder however how the final appearance of both structures will turn out. I have read that the city will have final design approval so let's hope for the best.

[RattlerGator]

Come on, tufsu1. What the heck is animating your take? You know Metropolitan Park is an extremely limited facility in a spot with problematic atmospherics associated with it.

Size of seating at our festival space? Really? When this creative approach will add 3 new components to our entertainment and sports district? It adds: [1] serious additional utility to EverBank Field, [2] it adds a new facility that blows away our current downtown amphitheater, and [3] it adds an entirely new space that has utility far, far beyond indoor practices for the Jaguars.

It's mindblowing to me that anyone is taking issue with this at all. It is (apparently) the expertise, goodwill, profit-motive, and creativity of the Jaguars leadership that is making this possible. And it is, in part, a $45 million gift to the City of Jacksonville and area residents who give a damn about downtown Jacksonville. The Jaguars are making a MAJOR contribution to the creation of an entertainment district that is less dependent of sporting events and far more relevant to a wide range of events.

How can anyone gloss over this fact? Why would anyone gloss over this fact?

Metropolitan Park is now freed up, theoretically, to become a jewel of a riverfront park -- I would think *that* would be our appropriate focus going forward with respect to the old amphitheater.

[mtraininjax]

We're missing the bigger picture here, its NOT about how many events we have or who gets the money. The fact is that the events are DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE. Everyone in downtown will prosper from the events, more people downtown means more restaurants and bars downtown and eventually more people living downtown who like what they see downtown.

Forget the 800k or the who owns what and does which thing with it. The whole downtown prospers from this. Think bigger here!

[Adam White]

We're missing the bigger picture here, its NOT about how many events we have or who gets the money. The fact is that the events are DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE. Everyone in downtown will prosper from the events, more people downtown means more restaurants and bars downtown and eventually more people living downtown who like what they see downtown.

Forget the 800k or the who owns what and does which thing with it. The whole downtown prospers from this. Think bigger here!

I'm not saying that won't happen - but we were promised that sort of thing back in the 90s when we were giving away the farm in order to land an NFL team. We were meant to be a "first tier city" by now.

I think asking questions like this is smart, as those who are financially benefiting from these arrangements are known to be economical with the truth.

[mtraininjax]

I'm not saying that won't happen - but we were promised that sort of thing back in the 90s when we were giving away the farm in order to land an NFL team. We were meant to be a "first tier city" by now.

Look at every project going on in the core of downtown. The entire basis of the 77 million dollar boondoggle known as the Laura Trio is that the "redevelopment will bring people back downtown" and its not even gotten out of committee meetings. The last great downtown project was Hemming Park and its still trying to find its feet and wide-spread use.

At least with the Jags, they said they would build the damn video boards and add the pools, they did it. I have no problem with them saying they will build the amphitheatre and actually doing it. Just as the City should really look at pushing the Shipyards further down the development pipeline and letting Lamping and Khan start work there too. The projects are not about what is in IT for the city today, its what comes from the developments tomorrow. Let the Lamping/Khan take the risk today and give them the sweet deal, then stick it to those who follow.

You need the grease to drive the wheel.

[Adam White]

I'm not saying that won't happen - but we were promised that sort of thing back in the 90s when we were giving away the farm in order to land an NFL team. We were meant to be a "first tier city" by now.

Look at every project going on in the core of downtown. The entire basis of the 77 million dollar boondoggle known as the Laura Trio is that the "redevelopment will bring people back downtown" and its not even gotten out of committee meetings. The last great downtown project was Hemming Park and its still trying to find its feet and wide-spread use.

At least with the Jags, they said they would build the damn video boards and add the pools, they did it. I have no problem with them saying they will build the amphitheatre and actually doing it. Just as the City should really look at pushing the Shipyards further down the development pipeline and letting Lamping and Khan start work there too. The projects are not about what is in IT for the city today, its what comes from the developments tomorrow. Let the Lamping/Khan take the risk today and give them the sweet deal, then stick it to those who follow.

You need the grease to drive the wheel.

It's very possible the Jaguars will get this done. But I would be more concerned about how much money the City is going to be on the hook for moving forward. If this is something that will end up being a black hole that they have to pour money into (on maintenance, on upgrades in a few years because the Jaguars suddenly say it's no longer good enough, etc), then it might not be worth it, at least in my opinion.

This sort of thing seems unnecessary to me. This just seems like another big vanity project that is going to get people all excited about how it's going to fix downtown.

[Marle Brando]

It has already been stated where the money will come from for maintenance and how the Jaguars will be matching those funds etc, etc, etc, etc. How is this a "vanity" project when it's obviously a need at this point with MetroParks venue now closed and deemed unsafe!? How is it expect a private investor to not at least see some level of profit from investin his own cash into a city owned venue. Man I'd hate to be a billionaire in Jacksonville, some people here will demonize you for just being rich no matter how good your intentions may be.

[KenFSU]

How is this a "vanity" project when it's obviously a need at this point with MetroParks venue now closed and deemed unsafe!?

Completely agree. A proper amphitheater has been a quality-of-life need for a city Jacksonville's size for decades. It's an absolute embarrassment that so many acts skip over Jacksonville in favor of St. Augustine. And, if the previous poster was correct in his statement that the Jags plan to integrate the amphitheater into the stadium and expand the Bud Zone to include multiple balconies, we're looking at one of the best outdoor musical facilities on the East Coast. Not only do we fill a long-time need for fifty cents on the dollar, but we shelter the project from city ineptitude and put it in the hands of someone with the reputation and track record to produce world-class results. No reason the venue couldn't host 40 events a year. With the JTA discussing ways to expand the Skyway to the stadium and into Riverside and San Marco, you're getting a lot of bang for your investment buck with this project.

[acme54321]

I hope if this all comes together they tear down the met park venue and make something nice of that spot.  The location on the waterfront is great.

[heights unknown]

Isn't this amphitheater being built over a portion of MetPark?

[thelakelander]

No.

[RattlerGator]

heights unknown, that's one of the exciting developments with this project -- it appears the amphitheater will not only be covered but will also become connected to EverBank Field.

Really creative, really exciting. It will be interesting to see once the ACTUAL plans are finally revealed.

[KenFSU]

The Jags showed a video of the new Ampitheater today.

Lamping called it less of a traditional Ampitheater, and more of an open theater.

Compared their vision to Radio City Music Hall, but open.

3,500 seats.

Second phase of the project will potentially include a pedestrian bridge from "south Bay Street" (East Bay?) to the stadium complex (the Jags are now branding the stadium complex as "the River District."

No mention of the Shipyards, from what I understand.

Also, it looks like the practice field is now literally part of the ampitheater, rather than it's own separate thing.

[Marle Brando]

3500 seat on the floor level..another 1500 in the upper two decks. Love the concept, love the renderings way more than the preliminary design. I'm also happy to see that end of Bay activated with the new digs up close against the street.  With the way both ends can open up from the street, all the way to the stadium field to view the videoboards, festivals like welcome to Rockville etc. should have no problem with this venues capacity. Simply put smaller acts in the amphitheater and the larger ones either on the flex field or stadium. This design was absolutely brilliant.  Que the naysayers..

[KenFSU]

http://www.news4jax.com/sports/nfl/jaguars/new-renderings-of-everbank-field-improvements