Jaguars State of the Franchise 2018

[minder]

Just wondering, last year's was around this time, so I'm guessing the next one will be due. Guess all will depend on this JEA announcement.

[minder]

This is tomorrow. Can't imagine it'll provide anything more than bluster about the developments and nothing certain. Lamping says they "remain committed" to Lot J despite not landing JEA. Seems to me like they had no Plan B and will have to somehow convince a big company based in the suburbs to move based on his comments in the DR. Good luck with that.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Lot J is more designated for entertainment development. I don't see how JEA is/was a vital part of this. It was just a location among others they could have chosen from.

[Kerry]

This is tomorrow. Can't imagine it'll provide anything more than bluster about the developments and nothing certain. Lamping says they "remain committed" to Lot J despite not landing JEA. Seems to me like they had no Plan B and will have to somehow convince a big company based in the suburbs to move based on his comments in the DR. Good luck with that.

Correct - JEA was the ONLY plan for Lot J.  Khan didn't want the City to sell JEA because he was positive the fix was in and didn't want anyone messing it up, but then he lost anyhow.  There is no Plan B.

Let's get real - the only reason for Lot J is to funnel city dollars into the Jags organization.  If this was an actual profitable endeavour they would have already broken ground.

[Kerry]

Lot J is more designated for entertainment development. I don't see how JEA is/was a vital part of this. It was just a location among others they could have chosen from.

The Jags flat out said they need 2,000 employees on-site or nothing happens.  Of course, that is a paraphrase but that was the jist of Lamping's comments last week.

[Kerry]

I'm not even convinced that there is any intention to build any of the 'entertainment' component.  If there was how come after nearly 2 years not a single shovel been stuck in the ground?  Why were they waiting on the JEA decision before building anything?  Back in October Lamping said they were close to inking a deal with the City.  What happened to that deal?

[minder]

Lamping said the Power & Light District, a Cordish project in Kansas City, Missouri, attracted the headquarters for H&R Block. H&R Block Center brought 1,600 employees from a half-dozen locations into a 17-story high-rise tower and a smaller structure.

The district comprises housing, offices and entertainment.

Those almost 2,000 jobs, Lamping said, created opportunities. "Once you get that, a lot of things can follow."

My question is then, who brings circa 2k employees from the suburbs or from another city or country or whatever?

[thelakelander]

The Power & Light District is such a bad comparison. It's one or two blocks from the center of DT Kansas City. If measured from our BOA Tower, it would be like building Lot J on Main Street in the parking lot next to Burrito Gallery.

[Kerry]

The Power & Light District is such a bad comparison. It's one or two blocks from the center of DT Kansas City. If measured from our BOA Tower, it would be like building Lot J on Main Street in the parking lot next to Burrito Gallery.

Exactly!!!  If Khan was serious about development and not handouts he would build his vision as close to downtown as possible.  Building next to the stadium is stupid, from a development point of view.

[Kerry]

Lamping said the Power & Light District, a Cordish project in Kansas City, Missouri, attracted the headquarters for H&R Block. H&R Block Center brought 1,600 employees from a half-dozen locations into a 17-story high-rise tower and a smaller structure.

The district comprises housing, offices and entertainment.

Those almost 2,000 jobs, Lamping said, created opportunities. "Once you get that, a lot of things can follow."

My question is then, who brings circa 2k employees from the suburbs or from another city or country or whatever?

No one does.  While Jax does have employers with numbers that greatly exceed those, they are almost all back office operations that specifically located in Jax for cheap land, cheap rent, and cheap labor.  You don't rebuild an urban core on that strategy.

[thelakelander]

The Power & Light District is such a bad comparison. It's one or two blocks from the center of DT Kansas City. If measured from our BOA Tower, it would be like building Lot J on Main Street in the parking lot next to Burrito Gallery.

Exactly!!!  If Khan was serious about development and not handouts he would build his vision as close to downtown as possible.  Building next to the stadium is stupid, from a development point of view.

If they want to build at the stadium, they just need to be realistic with the comparisons. Xfinity Live is a more appropriate example. However, that pales in comparison of visual and economic impact on the surrounding area.

[minder]

Bricktown should be a better comparison than the P&L IMO given its distance from the immediate core of the DT area in OKC, but even Bricktown has a reasonable reliance on a corporate presence (Sonic HQ). The fact 2+ years in all they have to show ideas wise was desperately pinning their hopes to JEA strikes me as terrible planning, and JEA was basically reshuffling the deckchairs given they were already in the area.

[Kerry]

I don't even think Bricktown is a good comparison - it is directly adjacent to downtown OKC and has at least 10 hotels and a 30 year head start.

Also, there are more companies in Bricktown than just Sonic.  There are several software companies, at least 1 oil company, an architecture firm, and several other random companies.  Not to mention Bricktown is on two streetcar routes, at the junction of 3 interstates, 1 mile from OU Medical and the State Capitol, and easy walking distance from +2000 residents.

[minder]

I don't see how Bricktown can't be the vision, but without the meat and potatoes daily users, i.e. office workers and residents its going to be much harder to make it a success and they do not seem capable of attracting a corporate presence at all thus far, its all very half baked. IIRC they initially announced office development as part of Lot J then announced a rushed bid for JEA in a low rise building that was not part of the initial design. People going to sports games or concerts aren't using stores or getting something to eat or coffee on a Tuesday afternoon to sustain these places. I await tomorrow with bated breath. Getting very sceptical about it all.

[thelakelander]

That's why they want the Hart Bridge ramp gone. Those properties need direct access to the extra expressway traffic to be more viable for development and everyday use.