JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A newly released site map is offering the clearest look yet at how Sporting JAX’s proposed stadium district near the St. Johns Town Center could be laid out, as the project continues moving through environmental review and draws mixed reaction from area residents.
Published on the club’s Centre JAX website, the preliminary plan breaks the development into six districts across roughly 375 acres near Interstate 295 and Town Center Parkway. The update comes after some neighbors raised concerns about the size of the planned 15,000-seat stadium and how it would fit near existing neighborhoods.
The site map shows the project would include stadium, retail, entertainment, hospitality, healthcare and residential components, along with one area labeled as undeveloped wetlands.
Sporting JAX says the stadium would serve as the centerpiece of a walkable, year-round destination designed to host men’s and women’s professional soccer, along with other sports and community events.
The men’s team currently competes in the United Soccer League Championship, while the women’s team plays in the Gainbridge Super League. The club has said the new stadium would be designed to meet requirements for the men’s team to compete in the planned USL Premier league when it launches in 2028. Sporting JAX has said it hopes to begin playing in the new stadium that same year.
Neighbors raise concerns about scale and location
The release of the site map comes as residents continue to voice concerns about the scale of the project and its proximity to nearby neighborhoods.
At a recent Jacksonville City Council meeting, some residents said they believe the stadium and surrounding development do not fit the area as planned.
“Do we have to accept that progress is inevitable? Does every neighborhood have to continue in fear that developers can callously ruin their community?” Cathleen Parra asked the council. “Do cities want citizens to swallow that all big money will have their way? That is the threat all neighborhoods had to deal with: a morgue, a slaughterhouse, and now a 15-thousand-seat soccer stadium.”
Parra added that development in the area should follow more thoughtful, planned growth, rather than what they described as a rushed or disorganized approach.
“Everyone should know by now that smart planning and development should be the norm, the helter-skelter approach should have gone away in the last century,” Parra said. “A soccer stadium is not a good fit with the two surrounding neighborhoods.”
“We have a sporting complex, isn’t that where the sports are supposed to go? The sporting complex?” asked another resident. “I think things should make sense.”
However, not all feedback has been critical. Some residents near the Town Center told News4Jax’s Reporter Briana Brownlee and photojournalist Jesse Hanson they see potential benefits in additional development in the area. Clarence Taylor said he fully supports the development, even if that means more traffic.
“I stay close by, it will be easier to get to it and more people in the area,” Taylor said. “It’s convenient, you don’t have to drive all across town, and it’s something nice for south side.”
Environmental review ongoing
The project is still in the early stages of regulatory review. Earlier this year, records showed the St. Johns River Water Management District was reviewing an application tied to stormwater management and potential activity in or near wetlands on the property.
According to those filings, the review includes construction or operation of new works and a stormwater management system, as well as activities within or near wetlands or surface waters.
Sporting JAX has not announced a final construction timeline but continues to target a 2028 opening for the stadium.