Eastside Residents React To Proposed Soccer Stadium

[thelakelander]

The owner of the Jacksonville Armada wants to build a soccer stadium on the city's Eastside, just north of the existing venues for baseball, football and hockey. Surrounding the city land where the soccer stadium is being proposed is a historically black community that has struggled with economic development, and residents there are looking at their potential new neighbor with a mix of skepticism and hope.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/eastside-residents-react-to-proposed-soccer-stadium/

[thelakelander]

There's more than one goal for the Jacksonville Armada FC's quest to build a new stadium near the Downtown Sports Complex.

The club's proposed deal could bring along a corporate building for some of team owner and Florida entrepreneur Robert Palmer's businesses.

Palmer is the founder of Maitland-based RP Funding Direct Mortgage Lender, HomeValue.com, Listing Power Tools and other business ventures based in Lake Mary.

RP Funding opened in Baymeadows in 2016 and leases 26,500 square feet of office space at 8381 Dix Ellis Trail in Prominence office park. It has 175 employees.

Full Article: https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/armadas-downtown-stadium-plans-more-than-soccer

[vicupstate]

The 'offices' in that rendering look a lot like a Self Storage facility.  Hardly a window in the place.

You can pretty much bet that $10 mm is not going to get you a 10,000 seat stadium either. 5,000 is probably tops there.

I can easily see this being a drive in/drive out venue that brings little benefit to the surrounding area.

Bottom line, there is probbaly a better location and a better deal to be had from teh city's perspective. 

[thelakelander]

I can only assume that rendering doesn't show the additional office space. The neighborhood really needs to take a hard look at this one. Unless, they're going to build something in that parking lot that draws people consistently to walk along A. Philip Randolph Boulevard, the impact will be about the same as TIAA Bank Field.......lead to additional properties being acquired and razed for event parking. Also, the two soccer stadiums mentioned in the Daily Record article are both surrounded by surface parking, not walkable or within a neighborhood.

[cindy394]

sadly,  I think this is just another land grab- taking part of an historic African American neighborhood for cheap with erosion of that same neighborhood and no benefits for the residents there.  The only way it should be allowed is if no older homes or business are torn down and a fund with a grant program is set up to help renovate properties in the area.  The city needs to commit resources to help rehabilitate the housing stock of this area- tearing down homes for sports parking and facilities (or just tearing them down because) continues to erode the character of the neighborhood and perpetuates the idea the area and people there have little worth- other than to exploit. 

[sandyshoes]

Oh, wait, hey - there's huge lot down by the river that's coming available! (...say it like Chris Farley's motivational therapy character pulling up his belt and saying "down by the river"...)

[Kerry]

The residents are pretty spot on.  Anyone selling the idea that stadiums create adjacent development only have to look at the current stadiums.  VyStar Arena, TIAA Bank Field, and the baseball grounds haven't attracted adjacent development in 20 years, and the only way they can do it now is by the City putting up $250 million.  Stadiums all over the country have failed miserably as a development magnet, to that point that the team owners and cities which built the stadiums now have to build the retail, office, hotel, and residential too, because the private sector has no interest in it.

[vicupstate]

The stadium, any stadium, cannot be the 'be all end all' reason for the retail/restaurant/bar to draw business from.  Stadiums that are a seemless part of a larger hub or district can work well, but  the more 'stand alone' and separated they are from the urban fabric, the worse they do.   

[Kerry]

The stadium, any stadium, cannot be the 'be all end all' reason for the retail/restaurant/bar to draw business from.  Stadiums that are a seemless part of a larger nub or district can work well, but  the more 'stand alone' and separated they are from the urban fabric, the worse they do.   

Yep, and usually in the situations where they work the stadium comes after significant renewal is already underway.  They only thing stadiums are a catalyst for is parking.

[jaxjags]

My only positive about this plan has nothing to do with the stadium per se. If the office buildings are built and RP brings some of their mortgage/real estate business there, then the positive may be an improvement to the neighborhood. These corporate jobs could be high 5 digit and low 6 digit  salaries which could attract more people to Springfield and result in improved East side neighborhood housing stock. This in turn could lead to more Springfield and East side retail. I know their will be plenty of comments about gentrification of the neighborhood. I get that. Just a stadium and soccer staff would not do this.

[bl8jaxnative]

Unless, they're going to build something in that parking lot that draws people consistently to walk along A. Philip Randolph Boulevard,

Until someone gets serious about the constant dealing at Philip & Pippin, no sane person will be choosing to be walking it. 

[thelakelander]

I guess I'm crazy. I was just there yesterday, giving a black history tour. With that said, whatever fears one may have through a problem that can be resolved by enforcement, should not drive long term physical built conditions of the corridor or community in general.

[Tacachale]

Unless, they're going to build something in that parking lot that draws people consistently to walk along A. Philip Randolph Boulevard,

Until someone gets serious about the constant dealing at Philip & Pippin, no sane person will be choosing to be walking it. 

People walk there all the time. They're called the residents of the neighborhood.

[Wacca Pilatka]

I guess I'm crazy. I was just there yesterday, giving a black history tour. With that said, whatever fears one may have through a problem that can be resolved by enforcement, should not drive long term physical built conditions of the corridor or community in general.

How often do you give these tours and how does one sign up?

[thelakelander]

Pretty often. We're working with WJCT right now on scheduling a 1.5 to 2 hour walking tour of Springfield on a Saturday in early-mid January 2020 now. We'll post more information soon.