RELATED| \u2018A soccer stadium is not a good fit\u2019: Neighbors push back as Sporting JAX releases stadium district map<\/a><\/p>\nSporting JAX provided the following statement:<\/p>\n
This project is still in its earliest planning stages. Last week\u2019s meetings with HOAs and community members were productive, giving us the opportunity to answer questions, hear feedback, and have an open dialogue. As we move forward, we will continue to provide updates on the project and its benefits. We will also continue working with the City, residents, and stakeholders to deliver a project that benefits the community for generations to come.<\/p>\n
The organization also said the planning process is expected to continue into next year and that residents will have additional opportunities to participate as the proposal moves through the city\u2019s review process.<\/p>\n
Some neighbors say they still have questions about how the project could affect the surrounding area.<\/p>\n
John Kirkland, who has lived in the neighborhood since 2018, said he wants more information before reaching a conclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are the boundaries? Where\u2019s the stadium going in? I\u2019ve seen some renderings that there\u2019s going to be a lot of secondary construction around it, some other venues, which is all fine. We want to know where and when,\u201d Kirkland said. \u201cDevelopment\u2019s going to happen in Jacksonville, but we would like to have an honest, open conversation with these developers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katie Hopkins said she was surprised when she learned about the proposal because she believed the property could not be developed. She added that it has caused frustration and shock.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we bought this home years ago, we were under the understanding that it was protected wetlands and protected wildlife area, and so we assumed that nothing could be built there. So I think my initial reaction was just frustration, kind of a little bit of shock, and also just immediate thoughts of traffic, noise,\u201d Hopkins said. \u201cSt. Johns Bluff that goes into the Town Center is bad already, and we had to fight to get a stoplight out of our neighborhood, and we\u2019re so glad we have that. But now, adding a huge stadium, a huge shopping area, and homes is going to add to that traffic and make it even worse\u201d<\/p>\n
Not everyone who lives nearby opposes the proposal.<\/p>\n
Clarence Taylor lives near the potential site and believes the development would benefit the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s convenient; you don\u2019t have to drive all the way across downtown. It\u2019s something nice for the Southside,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n
According to Sporting JAX, the environmental permitting process and city review are among the next major steps before construction could begin.<\/p>\n
If the Planned Unit Development application is filed, the proposal would move through Jacksonville\u2019s public planning process, which includes additional review and public hearings where residents can comment before city leaders consider final approvals.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 The proposed Sporting JAX stadium near the St. Johns Town Center is still in its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361507,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2152,116,118,117,5436,24315,13311],"class_list":["post-361506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-development","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news","tag-morning-show","tag-sporting-jax","tag-st-johns-town-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}