TIAA Bank Field's planned dog park will occupy a 2,000-square foot area in the south end zone deck
The Jaguars building a mini-dog park at TIAA Bank Field "smells like a weird marketing ploy," which could lead to "a lot of national lampooning of a franchise that has had its fill of punch lines," according to Gene Frenette of the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. The dog park will be "developed by Pet Paradise company," and will occupy a 2,000-square foot area in the south end zone deck. Frenette is not sure that dogs "having their own place to frolic and do their business at Jaguars' games enhances the game-day experience for fans," and the team could probably "find better use for the space than giving 50 or so canines their own playpen." Jaguars President Mark Lamping said that he and Owner Shad Khan have "grown to embrace the concept, a first for any NFL stadium." Khan said, "It fits the energy of the town. I think it's another innovative thing the Jaguars are doing" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 4/21). ESPN’s Clinton Yates said he can “understand the value of having a pet at a game." The dog park will "make things way more fun in Jacksonville” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 4/20). PFT's Mike Florio said, “I guess the dog can jump in the swimming pool if it gets close enough. They got everything covered in Jacksonville” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 4/23).
PARK & RIDE? In Jacksonville, Ryan O'Halloran wrote the development of Lot J will "eliminate 1,600 parking spots" at the stadium, which could be a "problem." Lamping said, "We need to solve that. Some of that will be accommodated by (a) structured parking (garage) although we know fans don't necessarily like parking in garages for sporting events. We need about 12,000-14,000 parking spots for every Jaguars game. Our lots account for half of that." Lamping said that one problem is "parking for the Florida-Georgia game, which generally requires 17,000-18,000 parking spots." Lamping: "This is more of a long-term belief and we're seeing it a little now is that people are becoming less dependent on their own vehicles and using ride-share and public transportation -- younger fans tend to prefer that. Long term, the demand for parking will slowly go down" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 4/21).
