10 Years Later: Jax After Super Bowl XXXIX

[Metro Jacksonville]

10 Years Later: Jax After Super Bowl XXXIX



On February 3, 2005, Jacksonville officially became the smallest city ever to host a Super Bowl. To compensate for a lack of hotel rooms needed, five cruise ships were docked along the St. Johns River. City leaders and business owners envisioned Super Bowl XXXIX fueling rapid growth and 24/7 vibrancy.

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2015-jan-10-years-later-jax-after-super-bowl-xxxix

[Noone]

All positive.
5 Cruise Ships.
Anyone else feeling sorry for the Baltimore guys 2014-412?
2014-560 our CRA/DIA in the USA is in council committees the day after Super Bowl XLIX.  Active legislation.
Open the river. Please.

[urbanlibertarian]

. City leaders and business owners envisioned Super Bowl XXXIX fueling rapid growth and 24/7 vibrancy.

Of course they did, that is the lie the NFL sells every gullible city: "Throw our billion dollar business a few hundred million dollars for free! You'll get SO much out of it!!"-- Of course, no dares challenge that when, on its face, it isn't true, whether it be the con of funding new stadiums or hosting the Super Bowl.

That's exactly right.  IMO the biggest potential benefit to the first coast from having the Jags here is Shad Khan with his very deep pockets and his apparent commitment to helping the region improve economically and helping the abandoned buildings and vacant lots of DT get developed.  It remains to be seen if the tax dollars spent on the stadium, gameday costs and hosting the SB will be worth the HUGE investment.  I hope so.

BTW I'm a season ticket holder since day one.

[vicupstate]

Wasn't Fidelity in Jax before the SB game?   

Is the courthouse garage retail spaces all taken or are there vacancies? 

[fieldafm]

Is the courthouse garage retail spaces all taken or are there vacancies?

I believe there is one (or maybe two depending on how they subdivide it) remaining.  Two restaurants (Pita Pit and Courtyard Cafe) and a law office have taken the majority of the ground floor spaces.

[ProjectMaximus]

And if you dare try to point any of this out, the average person will scream you down, INSISTING that having an NFL team is SOOOOOO prestigious and "does" SOOOOOO much for our city-- all without any evidence to prove it.

fwiw, I know from experience that it is ten times easier to have a conversation with Chinese funders about investing in projects in a city with an NBA team. Even Milwaukee and Oklahoma City carry much cache over Jacksonville...Ive actually wondered whether I can create some agreement whereby the NBA places a team in Jax and a hundred Chinese companies expand to Jax and sponsor said team, creating a de facto China franchise that happens to be based in Jax.

Sure, the NFL is different and isn't as huge internationally, but just saying.

[simms3]

Bay Area will be hosting next year.  I think it's viewed in different contexts in different places.  I remember it vividly in Jax and there was a huge buildup, constant media, constant hype, and it was very exciting being in such a small city hosting such a large event as it was obvious - I mean you couldn't not be around "the Superbowl" when it was in town.  However, none of this seems to be the case in SF/SJ...honestly the most I've heard is that an already super robust SF hotel market is going to cash in for a weekend next year and rates will go from like $10Bn a night normally to $10Trn a night for the SB, lol.

I'm pretty sure if I were not into football at all and had no inkling about the Superbowl and weren't betting big on a Superbowl Squares game, I could be in SF, or even SJ next year and not even realize it's going on.  I might wonder why my favorite club is closed for a private event or why cover charges went up dramatically for the weekend and doormen started pulling "are you on the list" more frequently, but it's a big city with a new suburban stadium, that's all...it will absorb 100,000 people as if it were any other weekend.

So yes, for Jacksonville it was a big deal.  The region's population swelled 10% in a single weekend - a region without much business/tourism typically, so that's a very big deal.  Looking back, I think a lot of smart people really gave it their all and people lost a lot of sleep over that event, and it did do some stuff for Jax, but overall I think it was a combination of mediocre execution AND the city simply being too small/sleepy for such a thing.

It seems half of this list actually predates the SB (library for instance)...and in my mind, there's no connection between development of the past 2-3 years and the SB, no cause and effect there whatsoever.  Jax had a 2005-2008 window post game and prior to the Recession taking its toll to really make strides from the game.  Unfortunately that didn't happen to the extent most probably had hoped.  And that then probably comes down to the politics of the city, the capabilities of the city (pretty darn limited...and it showed in the SB), and bad leadership.

[thelakelander]

The list has no relation to the actual hosting of the super bowl and its impact on Jax's economy. It simply illustrates a few major downtown projects that were officially completed after Super Bowl XXXIX was over.

[thelakelander]

Wasn't Fidelity in Jax before the SB game?

Yes. However, three mid-rise office buildings have been constructed on the property since 2005.

[marty904]

The list has no relation to the actual hosting of the super bowl and its impact on Jax's economy. It simply illustrates a few major downtown projects that were officially completed after Super Bowl XXXIX was over.

If the Superbowl wasn't related to this list, why not call the post "Jax development since February 2005"? I'm confused now.. Why are we talking about the superbowl if this post wasn't meant to relate to it at all?

[thelakelander]

^It's all answered in the opening paragraph. The Super Bowl didn't deliver what was being sold. While we're still waiting for the next one-trick-pony or knight in shining armor to fuel momentum to bring vibrancy (this isn't how urban revitalization works, so we'll be waiting a long time ), this list just shows some major developments that have come since the hosting of Super Bowl XXXIX.

Btw, this was our Super Bowl wish list of projects to complete, leading up to the big event:

# Decorative lighting on Main Street, Hart and Fuller Warren bridges

# Repaint the Main Street bridge

# Widen Butler Boulevard between Belfort Road and Gate Parkway

# Landscape along Interstate 95 from Interstate 295 to Emerson Street

# Landscape at Jacksonville International Airport

# Temporary bridge over Hogans Creek at the Alltel Stadium sports complex

# Northbank Riverwalk extension to Fuller Warren Bridge

# Renovate Skyway stations (did not complete before game)

# Finish demolishing old Fuller Warren Bridge

# Complete new interchange at Interstate 95 and Interstate 295 in south Jacksonville

# Finish widening Riverside Avenue near downtown

# Finish expansion of interchange at Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and Eighth Street (did not complete until after game)

# New interchange at Interstate 10 and Interstate 95

# New interchange at Florida 9A and Butler Boulevard

# Widening Interstate 95 with new Trout River Bridge

# Installation of permanent overhead message signs on Interstate 95 through north Jacksonville.

[marty904]

^ Ah, ok that makes sense... 

[heights unknown]

I think we did get a lot of new projects, business and developments as a a result of us hosting the Super Bowl; remember right after the Super Bowl there were a lot of proposed skyscrapers and other downtown developments in the planning and/or on the drawing boards? However, the economic crash and real estate bust which began in '07 and actually happened in '08 took the air out of Jacksonville's sails...and just like all other cities in America, these projects were either cancelled or put on hold indefinitely. Hopefully, we'll get some of that business and economic interest in our city back being that the economy has turned around. I live in Sarasota-Bradenton; and several projects/developments were either put on hold or cancelled back in 07/08; but walla, there are now four or five cranes back up in the Sarasota skyline (Bradenton is a red headed step child and nothing much is going on there). So hopefully a few of those talls and couple of super talls will get back in the proposed status if there is a demand and vacancy crunch for office space.

[Keith-N-Jax]

 Well its the COJ that didn't take advantage of the SB and all the excitement and momentum gain by hosting the event. Jax did well IMO based on what we have to offer. When the big game pack up and left, the COJ went back to business as usual.

[simms3]

I think we did get a lot of new projects, business and developments as a a result of us hosting the Super Bowl; remember right after the Super Bowl there were a lot of proposed skyscrapers and other downtown developments in the planning and/or on the drawing boards? However, the economic crash and real estate bust which began in '07 and actually happened in '08 took the air out of Jacksonville's sails...and just like all other cities in America, these projects were either cancelled or put on hold indefinitely. Hopefully, we'll get some of that business and economic interest in our city back being that the economy has turned around. I live in Sarasota-Bradenton; and several projects/developments were either put on hold or cancelled back in 07/08; but walla, there are now four or five cranes back up in the Sarasota skyline (Bradenton is a red headed step child and nothing much is going on there). So hopefully a few of those talls and couple of super talls will get back in the proposed status if there is a demand and vacancy crunch for office space.

I think you contradicted yourself a bit.  You can't on the one hand say that the SB spurred on a robust development pipeline in Jax and then allude to a similar robust pipeline across America, in all cases being put on hold due to economic forces.  But you're right, in 2005-2008 most cities were seeing many proposals and a decent amount of construction.  I don't believe for one second that in Jacksonville's case it was a Superbowl thang.

Jax never had any supertall proposals.  Jax would look weird with a supertall even if it were economically feasible...

IF being the key word