Jags president: Khan close to presenting development plan for the Shipyards

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan is close to presenting a plan for a mixed-used development at the city-owned riverfront Shipyards property, according to Jaguars President Mark Lamping.

The plan, which should be submitted to the city in coming months — hopefully no later than early next year, Lamping said — would have Khan be the master developer of the site. It would include a mix of housing, retail and restaurants and bars, a hotel and marina and "some sort of attraction."

"We believe it continues to play a very important role in our objective of assisting to bring more residents and more jobs to Downtown and to enhance the experience for everyone who visits the complex," Lamping said Wednesday.

The team has met with an "endless list of developers" to discuss the project over the past few years, Lamping said, but has not nailed down particular tenants or partners.

"We haven't finalized what those specific projects would be, but we do believe mixed use is the way to go," he said.

Khan's first plan for city leaders will not include extensive architectural drawings, but will provide specifics of the proposed development, Lamping said.

Some issues need to be dealt with before the plan could proceed. Among them:

• The Northbank riverwalk would have to be extended to connect Downtown with Metropolitan park.
• The future of the nearby Berkman 2 — the half-built residential tower now owned by its builder— would have to be determined.
• The city would have to figure out the extent of environmental remediation work on the site and how that would proceed. (Earlier this year, the city started the process of hiring a consultant to assess the site and lay out a remedial plan.)