JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One neighborhood at the center of the Jaguars stadium renovation deal is the Eastside, located right next to the stadium. It stood to benefit from the city’s $150-million-dollar portion of the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA).
Last week, the Jacksonville city council voted to remove most of the money for the Eastside improvements from the overall deal and take it up next month. News4JAX has been speaking with Eastside residents for weeks, many of who saw that money as a way to make up for past promises to the area.
Russ Doe’s Sandwich Shop on the city’s Eastside is regularly packed with customers, many of whom consider it a lunchtime favorite. Brandy Boutros says that’s what she enjoys most about working there.
“We’ve got a lot of great customers, a lot of longtime customers,” Boutros said. “Some have been coming here 40, 50 years.”
Boutros took the business over in January and hears what her customers are saying about their community.
“The Eastside is very special to a lot of people and with the customers coming in, I realize that,” Boutros said. “I realize they’re very passionate about where they live and they’re very passionate about the Eastside.”
That’s why so many of the people who live and work in the Eastside neighborhood want to see the $94-million-dollar portion of the Community Benefits Agreement pan out to help Eastside neighbors and businesses. The money would go toward things like affordable housing, workforce development, and homelessness services for the Eastside and countywide.
A woman known as Ms. Cookie in the neighborhood grew up on the Eastside and has owned Avenue Grill on A Phillip Randolph Boulevard for 11 years. She has watched the stadium developments over the last several months.
“Whatever is meant for the Eastside, is meant for us,” Ms. Cookie said. “We’re going to keep on fighting and keep on pushing like we were doing before this was even brought up.”
Ms. Cookie hopes city leaders keep present and future Eastside residents in mind when this goes before the council next month.
“Housing is very important for residents that are willing to stay in their community and not be displaced to another side of town, that’s going to be foreign to them,” Ms. Cookie said. “So, it’s very important that we get something that’s going to help our newer generation and old generations remain on the Eastside.”
Both business owners remain optimistic and believe if the full funding goes through, it could lead to bigger things.
“I think it’s going to be something that’s going to bring tourists and it’s going to bring people here,” Boutros said. “And it would be great for us.”
“I believe it is going to happen,” Ms. Cookie said. “I’m just keeping prayers for that.”
The city-funded portion of the CBA is expected to be introduced as its own standalone legislation at council in July.