JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The new site for the Jacksonville Fairgrounds on the city’s Westside has been approved for construction.
According to our news partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record, the city issued a permit this week for construction to start on an expo hall, office space and amphitheater. The project is expected to cost at least $17 million.
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If all goes according to plan, the area on Normandy Boulevard east of the Jacksonville Equestrian Center, which has already been cleared by crews, is expected to look pretty different by June of next year, according to the Daily Record.
The plans include an 80,000-square-foot facility that will function as an expo hall for events and office space.
The Record reported that the city will clear and grade the property and provide infrastructure, roadway improvements and parking, including up to 32 RV spaces with water, sewer and electrical hookups.
The city also committed to constructing an amphitheater that will have an extended seating area for shows.
The City Council first approved the redevelopment of the land and a lease agreement with the Duval County Fair Association in April of 2023, a year after Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan’s Iguana Investments Florida LLC agreed to buy the current fairgrounds property downtown.
According to the Daily Record, a revised agreement between the city and the fair association in May includes a 30-year lease of the site to the fair association, with two 10-year-old renewal options.
The fair is expected to move to the new site by next fall.