JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 An effort to build a soccer stadium for the Jacksonville Armada on the Eastside is at a crossroads, with the city now asking the developer to fork up the money for the land it was gifted or give it back.<\/p>\n
Back in 2020, the City of Jacksonville handed a nearly six-acre plot over to Jax Downtown Pro Real Estate LLC on the promise it would build an $80 million soccer stadium for the Armada on the land.<\/p>\n
But more than six years later, it sits vacant behind a fence displaying renderings of what could have been.<\/p>\n
Eastside residents like Ariane Randolph said they were skeptical of the plans from the start.<\/p>\n
\u201cDevelopment is important, but it has to be responsible, and it has to be sustainable,\u201d said Randolph.<\/p>\n
The project was supposed to be completed by September 10th under the deal.<\/p>\n
Now, the city has sent a letter to the developer demanding it pay the fair market value for the property, plus three percent annual interest, or else face possible legal action.<\/p>\n
We reached out to current Armada owner Robert Palmer asking whether he plans to pay up or give the land back to the city, but didn\u2019t hear back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was gonna be a catalyst for that neighborhood,\u201d said Councilmember Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large).<\/p>\n
Councilmember Salem worked on the original deal and told Action News Jax it\u2019s his understanding that challenges related to an attempted sale of the Armada may be behind project delays.<\/p>\n
But at this point, with no end on the horizon, Salem said he wants to hear whether Eastside residents actually want a stadium at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we\u2019ve got other people now with a soccer team here in town, and they\u2019re talking about building a stadium themselves,\u201d said Salem. \u201dSo, it\u2019s like we\u2019ve got multiple soccer teams talking about multiple stadiums, and I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s where we want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Randolph said she looks forward to the opportunity to explore new ideas for the land, in the event the city does take back ownership.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet the community decide what that best and highest use is for those who will make this a third place and spend most of their time here,\u201d said Randolph.<\/p>\n
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