Jaguars Owner Shad Khan and President Mark Lamping "expect to get approval for the development of Lot J by January and anticipate ground-breaking to begin by the end" of Q1 in '20, according to Gene Frenette of the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. Khan said that he views the Lot J development as the city's "most significant centerpiece in a decades-old battle to build up downtown Jacksonville." Khan: "This has been like a 50-year objective in Jacksonville to do something downtown." Frenette noted Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry three months ago announced a "tentative deal for the city to pay up to" $233.03M toward the cost of the proposed $450M development next to TIAA Bank Field. Khan's development team, including The Cordish Cos., would "build the entertainment district containing restaurants, bars, a 300-unit luxury high-rise tower, a 200-room boutique hotel, an office tower and outdoor stage, though the plan does have flexibility." Both Khan and Lamping "emphasized" that '20 is a "really critical year" for the Jaguars' development. The team is "trying to move up the 32-team NFL ladder in terms of local revenue generated." Lamping: "We want to get out of the bottom quartile of the league. Next year, three teams [the Rams, Chargers and Raiders] that were in the bottom quartile with us are all moving into new stadiums." Frenette noted the Jaguars are "currently in negotiations with the NFL to extend" the contract to play games in London beyond '20. Khan did not rule out "taking a second home game overseas, contingent upon the agreement terms and length of the extension" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 11/3).
