JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Members of the Jacksonville Jaguars joined the Jacksonville Urban League Thursday evening to talk about the plan to develop a $445 million entertainment complex on Lot J of TIAA Bank Field.
The Cordish Companies, the developer for Jaguars owner Shad Khan, was also part of the meeting.
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Company representatives talked about projects they’ve undertaken in other cities and how they plan to bring their vision to life in Lot J.
“It’s a lot of different things. It’s designed to be somewhat all things to all people surrounded around sports. I mean that’s the bread and butter of what this project will be, but more importantly, it’s a project that we want the entire community to embrace and feel comfortable with and feel welcome to,” said Zed Smith, with the Cordish Companies. “So we spend a lot of time on our programming, making sure it’s diverse, making sure it’s dividing and also just making sure that the community loves what we’ve done.”
There has been ongoing drama amongst city leaders over the deal, which calls for the city to invest $233 million in direct spending or loans by the city of Jacksonville to the Cordish Companies.
At a public meeting Friday, Jacksonville City Council members got answers to questions and concerns that the council auditor has regarding the deal. The majority of them have been addressed and those in attendance said they feel confident that the Lot J project will move forward.
From now until Jan. 7, council members are going to review the documents and then take a vote during a special meeting. If enough agree, they could pass it then or wait until Jan. 12 at a regular council meeting.
Those in favor of the Lot J project say it’ll bring jobs, boost Jacksonville’s economy and lead to a thriving downtown.
But critics are concerned about the taxpayers’ share of the multimillion-dollar price tag.