The Jacksonville Jaguars have been working for months with city and service agencies to prepare to start construction in 2025, after the current season, for the Stadium of the Future.
This week, it continued.
Following an initial May request and a July pre-application meeting, city utility JEA is reviewing an Aug. 21 service availability request for the city and Jacksonville Jaguars’ proposed renovation of the 29-year-old EverBank Stadium.
It’s part of the many complex steps involved in the $1.4 billion project to renovate the Downtown NFL stadium at 1 TIAA Bank Field for the Jaguars.
The July 23 meeting between JEA, civil engineer England-Thims & Miller Inc. and other stadium representatives was set to discuss the water and sewer availability for the stadium improvements.
Meeting notes summarized that the proposed project duration would be from 2025-28, with the first phase “relocating anything that would conflict with the proposed foundation upgrades.”
The notes detailed what was discussed for the water, chilled water, sewer and electric needs for the improvements.
In May, ETM had asked JEA about the availability of electric, reclaim, sewer and water services. JEA responded with details about what it and the applicant would need to do as they set up the July pre-application meeting.
Taking the next step this week, ETM submitted plans Aug. 21 for the “Phase 1 - Utility Relocations” for the stadium with JEA. ETM prepared the plans for Jacksonville Jaguars LLC.
HOK, previously known as Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum Inc., is the architect.
The Phase 1 project will consist of the installation of underground utilities, clearing, grading, foundations, roadways, parking areas and associated construction for the stadium reconstruction.
ETM requests that JEA determine the service availability for that part of the project.
ETM also submitted paving and drainage plans with the city that said the primary renovation will include construction of a roof structure for the stadium.
The plans included calculations for the underground drainage collection system collecting the roof drainage areas only.
The application said the intent is to relocate any drainage structures and piping in conflict with the proposed foundation systems.
The deal
The Jacksonville City Council finalized a deal June 25 to revamp and modernize EverBank Stadium and keep the team in it for the next three decades.
Council members voted to approve a $1.45 billion package of legislation that includes funding for the stadium’s makeover, a 30-year lease, a nonrelocation agreement and $56 million in spending on riverfront parks and the flex field next to the stadium.
Ordinance 2024-0904 says the deal includes $775 million in public funding for the stadium, the most expensive single capital project in the city’s history.
The Jaguars will take the agreement to the NFL owners group in October. The team needs a 75% approval vote from the owners to proceed.
The deal calls for the team and city to each contribute $625 million for construction, with the city adding $150 million for deferred maintenance and capital improvements to prepare EverBank Stadium for the project and make it usable for the Jaguars during the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
The team’s timeline calls for the stadium construction to begin in February 2025.
The team will play at EverBank Stadium during the 2025 NFL season with a slightly reduced capacity, then will return to EverBank in 2026 with a stadium capacity of about 43,500.
In 2027, the Jaguars will play their home games in Orlando or Gainesville, but with the possibility of playing three home games in London.
The renovated stadium would open in August 2028.
The vote culminated a yearlong process that began with the Jaguars unveiling their plans for the upgraded stadium in June 2023.
Plans include a shade cover that will protect all seating areas from sunlight and rain, an open-air design that will produce cross-ventilation through spaces at the corners, an elevated and expanded concourse that will include observation decks offering views of the St. Johns River and Downtown skyline, a reflective exterior material that is designed to reduce heat, an artificial playing surface, new concessions and beverage options, and more.
The new stadium will be downsized from 67,814 to 62,000 seats, with the ability to expand capacity to 71,500 for college football games and concerts.
The stadium is on the site of the former Gator Bowl, which was built in 1927 and overhauled in 1994-95, opening for the new Jacksonville Jaguars in August 1995.
The development team
The Jaguars’ 1stdowntownjacksonville.com information site says that the Jaguars have awarded nine RFPs to:
• AECOM Hunt/Barton Malow for preconstruction services.
• HOK, already a design partner, for architect of record services. HOK is based in St. Louis.
• Terracon Consultants for the Phase 1 environmental site assessment services. Terracon is based in Olathe, Kansas, near Kansas City, and has an office in Jacksonville.
• ETM Surveying & Mapping for surveying and subsurface utility engineering services. Known as ETM Survey, the company is affiliated with Jacksonville-based England-Thims & Miller Inc.
• Langan for geotechnical services. Langan Engineering & Environmental Services is based in Parsippany, New Jersey, and has an office in Jacksonville.
• ImpactDM for project management. Impact Development Management, based in Atlanta, says it is a commercial real estate development management firm that helps clients “execute economical, functional, and aesthetically pleasing projects.”
• Rider Levett Bucknall for the role of cost consultant. RLB.com says it is an advisory, cost management and project management services firm. It is a London-based global company with 15 offices in the U.S. among 20 in North America.
• ME Engineers, an international company, for technology services.
• Gallagher Insurance Co. for insurance broker services.