By Carole Hawkins, [email protected]
It doesn’t necessarily follow that success for the Jacksonville Jaguars equals more people buying homes in Jacksonville.
But, Jaguars President Mark Lamping made the case for why the team’s interests and the community’s are linked.
Lamping spoke at the March breakfast meeting of the Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council about the Shipyards project, its impact on Downtown and why the Jaguars care so much about it.
The Jaguars operate in one of the smallest markets in the NFL, he said. Half of its fans moved here from outside Florida and favor another team ahead of that of their adopted hometown.
That changes the strategy on how to create a successful franchise, he said.
“Our challenge isn’t to convert every NFL fan,” Lamping said, “but to give them a unique experience when they come to EverBank Field.”
It’s why it became so important in 2013 to build the world’s largest video boards and a north zone entertainment area, the cost of which was shared by the city and the team at $43 million and $20 million, respectively. The city owns EverBank Field and leases it to the Jaguars.
Lamping said those improvements were effective. Despite a poor football season, the Jaguars had one of the highest fan satisfaction ratings in the NFL.
“Don’t think we don’t know the most important thing is to provide a winning football team,” he added.
Management’s belief that consumer experience is vital to the success of franchise is why the Jaguars care so much about the Shipyards and about Downtown in general. The 48-acre Shipyards site, which Lamping called “the front door to EverBank Field,” has stood vacant for two decades.
It’s why the team submitted the Shipyards proposal, which he described as an estimated $500 million to $600 million investment that includes 200 to 300 condos, 200 to 300 apartments, 6,000 to 9,000 square feet of office space, 400,000 to 600,000 square feet of commercial/retail/restaurant space, a 300- to 500-room hotel and a 450-slip marina.
The Downtown Investment Authority gave its CEO Aundra Wallace the authority to begin negotiations with Khan’s company.
At the SMC meeting, Lamping said “If there’s another party out there that can do this, we’ll go from being a reluctant developer to being their number one cheerleader.”
The Shipyards project needs to be done all at once and right away in order to meet the team’s goals, Lamping said. He envisioned a three-year timeframe for its completion.