JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The area around the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium is about to get a lot greener.
Millions of dollars from the stadium deal between the City of Jacksonville and the Jaguars are going toward four city parks near the stadium, the mayor's office said. It’s the only part from the original community benefits agreement that was not taken out of the deal before the vote Tuesday.
Junior Johnson, who owns Runners Elite, which he calls a “running family,” said they don't usually run as far as the Jaguars stadium... But that could change.
“A lot of the parks around the stadium needs a little bit of work done,” Johnson said. “So whenever we do decide to run those parks, it’ll have a little bit more things that we can have access to to kind of help our training and also give us a little bit more to look forward to on Sundays.”
From the stadium deal, $56 million is planned to go toward four parks. According to the mayor’s office, Shipyards West Park is getting the most money, nearly $25 million to develop it. Metropolitan Park will get about half of that, and Riverfront Plaza and Flex Field will each get around $10 million. The mayor’s spokesperson said that money will be used to finish Riverfront Plaza’s construction, which includes a restaurant, and to make Flex Field an exhibit hall event space.
Barbara Goodman, board chair of Riverfront Parks Conservancy, said parks are destinations that add economic value. She said parks are extremely important to cities and cited a number of benefits including de-stressing in the outdoors and family entertainment. She also cited what she called "the linger value."
“Tourists, when they come for something else like a football game and then you want them to linger,” she said. “You want them to stay and enjoy other things that are going on.”
A goal is for Jacksonville’s parks to connect the city just like Johnson says activities in a park, such as running, connect that city’s people.
“What I love about running specifically is that it's it brings and develops community,” he said.
On Wednesday there was an open house at Jacksonville’s Downtown Main Library for people to give their input on a restaurant design for St. Johns River Park on the Southbank. New renderings for Metropolitan Park were just released, which can be viewed here.