JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Stadium of the Future will cost $1.4 billion to build, but how much of an impact will that make on people who live near the Jaguars stadium?
Business owners on the Eastside of Jacksonville tell First Coast News that they hope there's a trickledown effect that benefits their neighborhood.
The Jaguars are the most prominent neighbor of Eastside residents and in the shadow of the stadium, the people who spoke to First Coast News said they hope the new Jaguars stadium shines a light on opportunities Out East.
The Jaguars are part of the fabric of the Eastside. People who travel along A. Philip Randolph Boulevard see a mural of a Jaguar every day. When the Jaguars presented their stadium plan to the city, team President Mark Lamping made a point to say this stadium would help residents Out East.
"That neighborhood, which is right next to the stadium, has been underserved for generations and quite honestly, we feel we need to be a catalyst to do what we can with others to solve that," said Lamping.
Dann Miller owns The Man Cave Barbershop on A. Philip Randolph and is supportive of Eastside development and hopes new development blends with mainstays already in the neighborhood.
"We know change is coming and new businesses are coming, we just want to have our foot in the door where we can participate and be part of change," said Miller, "the residents of this neighborhood and the business owners just want to be a part of it."
Howard Lee was born and raised Out East and remembers Bob Hayes racing through the streets when he was a kid. He hopes development brings back a sense of community.
"It should do good, everybody should do good," said Lee.
Tellisa Robinson is the CEO of Eastcoast Striping & Painting and has big dreams for what the stadium may do for business on the Eastside.
"I could just only imagine all the money that's going to be coming to this city," Robinson said. "It's coming to the small minority businesses, it's coming to the big companies, the small ones and we all get a chance to thrive."
The Jaguars stadium deal is currently being reviewed by Jacksonville City Council. It has a long road to go before it's officially approved, but business owners Out East hope the new stadium shines a light on everything their community has to offer.
To read more on the Stadium of the Future project, visit its website.