Jacksonville Jag's owner Shad Khan, and his company Iguana Investments, are proposing plans for a major to the Jacksonville shipyards. Khan's money would transform the 48-cre lot on the downtown riverfront into a vibrant entertainment and leisure district. However, Khan isn't the first of his kind. What follows is a brief list of other major professional sports team owners who have invested in large scale urban redevelopment projects, too.
1.
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Shad Khan
Team: NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars
Development: Jacksonville Shipyards
Khan's proposal for the shipyards includes a riverwalk, mooring space for the USS Adams, a football themed park, and practice fields for his Jaguars. Khan's project also calls for 1 million square feet of office space, 100,000 square feet of commercial space, 662 residential units, and 350 hotel rooms.
2.
Jeff Vinik
Team: NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning
Development: Tampa Waterfront 20/20
Owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Jeff Vinik, is investing approximately $1 billion to actualize his "Tampa Waterfront 20/20" project. Vinik has worked with his real estate team, Strategic Property Partners, for the last four years or so, buying up almost 40 acres of land surrounding the Lightning's hockey and concert venue.
Vinick's plan is to create a thriving neighborhood in Tampa's Channel District that with propel economic growth in the area. Vinik hopes that this district will become a mecca for retail, dining, entertainment, and business.
As of now, the project itself envisions a water taxi, ferry, wharf, new park, and new boardwalk—all connecting residents to the waterfront. Additionally, a bridge would be built to cross over to dining and shopping, renovations would be made to existing buildings such as the Marriot Hotel, and the TECO Line Streetcar would be expanded.
The plan as of now is just a visionary; Vinick is encouraging locals to contribute to the plan through Tampa 20/20's http://tampawaterfront2020.com/most-popular/">crowdsourcing website.