The city and Jacksonville Jaguars are proposing $90 million in upgrades to EverBank Field, investments that would replace the facility’s club seating while building an indoor practice facility and amphitheater.
Under the latest round of improvements, the city and team would split the cost evenly at $45 million each.
“It really is a cool project,” said Sam Mousa, Mayor Lenny Curry’s chief administrative officer.
Legislation filed Wednesday to be introduced to City Council on Tuesday offers a brief description of what could be on the way. The improvements still require council approval.
By being introduced Tuesday, it would be on track for final approval Dec. 8, the last council meeting of the year.
The series of upgrades and improvements comprise:
• Replacing all 11,000 seats in the east and west club sections of the stadium for $25 million. Each side would lose 1,500 seats, bringing the total down to about 8,000, which Mousa said is about the NFL average. Filling the void would be constructed outdoor decks.
• An indoor FlexField practice facility located along the southern portion of the stadium adjacent to Gator Bowl Boulevard. The site has been used as an entertainment area for years. The new concept, Mousa said, will cost $20 million and provide a multiuse facility owned by the city that can house concerts and other events in addition to the team’s football activities. The Jaguars would manage the facility.
• An amphitheater, at a cost of $45 million. The facility would be tucked between the practice facility and the stadium. It could accommodate 10,000 people — 5,000 in fixed seating and 5,000 on a berm. Like the practice facility, the city would own this. However, a Jaguars subsidiary, American Thunder, would manage and operate it.
The city would be able to use the indoor facility and amphitheater by providing the team 60 days’ notice.
Mousa said the two facilities are seen as a revenue generator for the city.
The city would borrow its portion of the funding through commercial paper while interest rates are low, but convert it to a long-term, fixed-rate bond should interest rates rise.
Annual payback would come through part of the city’s 6 percent bed tax. Of that, 2 percent goes toward the last round of improvements that included the field’s scoreboards. But Mousa said there is capacity in that funding source to accommodate these improvements.
The Jaguars will design and construct the facilities, but the city will have oversight, Mousa said. And the city’s portion is capped at $45 million — the team pays any overruns. Should the projects come in under budget, the city and team would split what’s left equally.
Maintenance for the two city-owned facilities would come from surcharges on ticketed events at each. The money would be placed in a special account, with the Jaguars matching that each year.
If approved in December, Mousa said the Jaguars would like to start construction just after the Jan. 2 TaxSlayer Bowl. The goal is to have the work done before the start of the 2016 NFL season.
Mousa said the projects were shared with officials at the University of Florida and University of Georgia. Both sides showed excitement for the concept, he said, particularly the amphitheater and multiuse facility.
The city’s contract to host the annual Florida-Georgia game expires next year.
The latest plans come more than two years after the two sides agreed on improvements that featured the world’s largest scoreboards among other perks.
That spate of upgrades cost $63 million, with the city contributing $43 million and team spending $20 million.
In February, Jaguars owner Shad Khan unveiled his vision for the Shipyards, a riverfront site across from the stadium. That concept included a multitier practice facility, similar in scope to the one being pitched now.
Mousa said the EverBank Field improvements have no bearing on the Shipyards and that both parties are still interested in pursuing a redevelopment deal for the 46-acre tract of land.
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