Lack of Downtown Development

[JBTripper]

Blaming the Jaguars is pretty dumb, Khan has been the owner for a few years, the downtown area has been neglected for many decades before the Jaguars where even born. Looking to blame ,,COJ/JTA is where you need to start.

Jags have been here for 23 seasons and there isn't even a sports bar next to the stadium.  When does it start to pay off?

There are two sports bars, a brewery and a distillery next to the stadium. You ever been down there?

[Kerry]

Blaming the Jaguars is pretty dumb, Khan has been the owner for a few years, the downtown area has been neglected for many decades before the Jaguars where even born. Looking to blame ,,COJ/JTA is where you need to start.

Jags have been here for 23 seasons and there isn't even a sports bar next to the stadium.  When does it start to pay off?

There are two sports bars, a brewery and a distillery next to the stadium. You ever been down there?  Of course that could be an NFL-wide problem.  MLB, NBA, and many universities seem to have done pretty well fitting many of their facilities into an urban setting with adjacent private sector development.

Those are next to the Arena.  There is zero private sector development adjacent to the stadium.

[Tacachale]

Blaming the Jaguars is pretty dumb, Khan has been the owner for a few years, the downtown area has been neglected for many decades before the Jaguars where even born. Looking to blame ,,COJ/JTA is where you need to start.

Jags have been here for 23 seasons and there isn't even a sports bar next to the stadium.  When does it start to pay off?

There are two sports bars, a brewery and a distillery next to the stadium. You ever been down there?  Of course that could be an NFL-wide problem.  MLB, NBA, and many universities seem to have done pretty well fitting many of their facilities into an urban setting with adjacent private sector development.

Those are next to the Arena.  There is zero private sector development adjacent to the stadium.

It's really part of the greater complex of sports and entertainment uses. The stadium is a major reason they are there from what I understand. They're all close enough to jell. It's like a five minute walk between Intuition and the stadium, if that.

[Jagsdrew]

Kinda difficult for the private sector to develop next to the stadium considering Bay Street/Gator Bowl Blvd, Hart Bridge viaduct and off ramps and Mathews Bridge express all wrap around the stadium.

There are plans to develop Lot J so there are potential things in motion next to the stadium.


These Vestcor developments are huge wins for DT.  It's great LaVilla is getting new life as for the last 20+ years its been a dessert of embarrassment since LaVilla was razed as it was deemed a struggling neighborhood.  In any DT, there is workforce housing. We are just now being introduced this in our DT.  Look at other cities, there are all around their core.

[Kerry]

It's really part of the greater complex of sports and entertainment uses. The stadium is a major reason they are there from what I understand. They're all close enough to jell. It's like a five minute walk between Intuition and the stadium, if that.

Fine, how long they been there?  The Jags have been here 23 years.

[Kerry]

Kinda difficult for the private sector to develop next to the stadium considering Bay Street/Gator Bowl Blvd, Hart Bridge viaduct and off ramps and Mathews Bridge express all wrap around the stadium.

There are plans to develop Lot J so there are potential things in motion next to the stadium.

You have a lot more faith in Khan than I do.

[Kerry]

Bring a real college/university to downtown - even if the City has to fund it.

Three of our colleges are increasing their presence downtown, which is a good start. However, there aren't a lot of colleges that up and move, and a lot of the ones that do, aren't the kind that really benefit the community - not nearly as much as branch space from established colleges and universities.

Overall, a lot of good, sensible suggestions.

Remote classrooms for JU and UNF aren't going to cut it in my opinion, and I don't think FSCJ has this in their mission statement.  Savannah has SCAD, Tampa has University of Tampa, West Palm has Palm Beach Atlantic, and I am sure you can pick almost any thriving urban center and find a university.  Too Bad Jax didn't try to lure the new Florida Polytechnic University to downtown.  Instead it was built in the middle of nowhere along I-4 outside Lakeland.

[Tacachale]

Bring a real college/university to downtown - even if the City has to fund it.

Three of our colleges are increasing their presence downtown, which is a good start. However, there aren't a lot of colleges that up and move, and a lot of the ones that do, aren't the kind that really benefit the community - not nearly as much as branch space from established colleges and universities.

Overall, a lot of good, sensible suggestions.

Remote classrooms for JU and UNF aren't going to cut it in my opinion, and I don't think FSCJ has this in their mission statement.  Savannah has SCAD, Tampa has University of Tampa, West Palm has Palm Beach Atlantic, and I am sure you can pick almost any thriving urban center and find a university.  Too Bad Jax didn't try to lure the new Florida Polytechnic University to downtown.  Instead it was built in the middle of nowhere along I-4 outside Lakeland.

There was no luring Florida Poly. In fact it was expanded from a USF branch campus primarily by well connected local politicians. One good thing about remote campuses.

[thelakelander]

Yeah, Florida Poly is JD Alexander's baby. I personally wish Florida Poly would have been built on the old CSX railyard site just west of Downtown Lakeland. However, like USF, UCF and UNF, Florida Poly won't be in the middle of nowhere forever. Give it another 10 years.

[JaGoaT]

I always felt like Jax should try to get the Coast Guard to create an academy in the Talleyrand area.

[thelakelander]

Bring a real college/university to downtown - even if the City has to fund it.

Three of our colleges are increasing their presence downtown, which is a good start. However, there aren't a lot of colleges that up and move, and a lot of the ones that do, aren't the kind that really benefit the community - not nearly as much as branch space from established colleges and universities.

Overall, a lot of good, sensible suggestions.

Remote classrooms for JU and UNF aren't going to cut it in my opinion, and I don't think FSCJ has this in their mission statement.  Savannah has SCAD, Tampa has University of Tampa, West Palm has Palm Beach Atlantic, and I am sure you can pick almost any thriving urban center and find a university.  Too Bad Jax didn't try to lure the new Florida Polytechnic University to downtown.  Instead it was built in the middle of nowhere along I-4 outside Lakeland.

As for as the thought about a college being in downtown and being a large part of its revitalization, Jax's best bet remains to work with FSCJ to expand/develop its existing downtown campus into a traditional college featuring dorms in renovated buildings in the Northbank. Getting a major school to pick up and move to downtown is a pipe dream. FSCJ is our closest example to a SCAD like renaissance.

[Kerry]

It doesn't have to be a relocated school, although that could happen.  New colleges are created all the time (if Khan wanted to do something productive).  The issue I have with FSCJ is that it can't just focus on their downtown campus.  They have 4 campuses and 4 other facilities.  Now maybe if they started closing those other campuses while expanding downtown...

Anyhow, that is just one idea.

[Tacachale]

Bring a real college/university to downtown - even if the City has to fund it.

Three of our colleges are increasing their presence downtown, which is a good start. However, there aren't a lot of colleges that up and move, and a lot of the ones that do, aren't the kind that really benefit the community - not nearly as much as branch space from established colleges and universities.

Overall, a lot of good, sensible suggestions.

Remote classrooms for JU and UNF aren't going to cut it in my opinion, and I don't think FSCJ has this in their mission statement.  Savannah has SCAD, Tampa has University of Tampa, West Palm has Palm Beach Atlantic, and I am sure you can pick almost any thriving urban center and find a university.  Too Bad Jax didn't try to lure the new Florida Polytechnic University to downtown.  Instead it was built in the middle of nowhere along I-4 outside Lakeland.

As for as the thought about a college being in downtown and being a large part of its revitalization, Jax's best bet remains to work with FSCJ to expand/develop its existing downtown campus into a traditional college featuring dorms in renovated buildings in the Northbank. Getting a major school to pick up and move to downtown is a pipe dream. FSCJ is our closest example to a SCAD like renaissance.

Correct. New colleges certainly aren't created all the time, at least the kind that would have a positive impact (we'd be better off without any University of Phoenixes or Kaisers anywhere). Most new colleges that are created have a specific place in mind, like Florida Poly or St. Leo University. While it happens occasionally, it's rare for a college to be up for grabs by a city. However, satellite campus of established schools are created regularly; our best bet is for our local universities to continue their investments in the urban core.

[JBTripper]

Blaming the Jaguars is pretty dumb, Khan has been the owner for a few years, the downtown area has been neglected for many decades before the Jaguars where even born. Looking to blame ,,COJ/JTA is where you need to start.

Jags have been here for 23 seasons and there isn't even a sports bar next to the stadium.  When does it start to pay off?

Ignoring that Tailgaters Bar & Grill is directly adjacent to the stadium, that's like saying The Landing isn't next to the river, it's next to the bridge.

There are two sports bars, a brewery and a distillery next to the stadium. You ever been down there?  Of course that could be an NFL-wide problem.  MLB, NBA, and many universities seem to have done pretty well fitting many of their facilities into an urban setting with adjacent private sector development.

Those are next to the Arena.  There is zero private sector development adjacent to the stadium.

[Tacachale]

It's really part of the greater complex of sports and entertainment uses. The stadium is a major reason they are there from what I understand. They're all close enough to jell. It's like a five minute walk between Intuition and the stadium, if that.

Fine, how long they been there?  The Jags have been here 23 years.

New development has only been attempted fairly recently. There wasn't even any new public development until the early 00s with the Arena and Baseball Grounds. Intuition, Manifest, etc. have all been within the last few years, as has Daily's Place.