Shizuoka City Johoku Park Park-PFI — From Suspension by Resident Lawsuit to Whole-Park Redevelopment

Shizuoka City Johoku Park is located in Aoi Ward, Shizuoka. On March 23, 2021, Shizuoka City held the Johoku Park Park-PFI operator selection committee, reviewed 3 applicant proposals, and decided on the certified plan submitter. The selected entity was the "Connecting Park Project" (つなぐ公園プロジェクト, Tsunagu Park Project) consortium with Fuji Urban Development Co., Ltd. as the lead company, and Kiuchi Construction Co., Ltd., Tozaki Construction Co., Ltd., Fujiyama Co., Ltd. (Shizuoka Branch), and San Co., Ltd. as member companies—forming a 5-company consortium.

Proposed facilities were, under Park-PFI (Public Offering Management System), Starbucks Coffee's café and Asobicom (アソビコム, an all-weather indoor children's play facility) as central revenue facilities. However, on April 26, 2022, Starbucks Coffee Japan withdrew from the project, citing resident pushback over tree cutting. Then, on May 19–20, 2022, residents filed a lawsuit at Shizuoka District Court (two consolidated cases) seeking to block the basic agreement regarding facility construction and management, and Park-PFI-based operations were temporarily suspended as a result.

On March 28, 2024, Shizuoka District Court dismissed the plaintiffs' claims, and the judgment became final on April 12, 2024. Rather than simply resuming the original Park-PFI project limited to part of the park, the city pivoted to redeveloping the entire park, and conducted a resident survey starting in October 2024.

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As originally proposed in 2021, the Johoku Park Park-PFI business scheme was split into A and B Zones. A Zone was to place revenue facility groups (Starbucks Coffee café + Asobicom all-weather indoor children's play facility) as a private utilization zone. B Zone was the area for parking + pathways + public infrastructure, with the certified plan submitter handling management.

Starbucks Coffee had high visitor-drawing potential as a nationwide café chain and was to form the core of revenue facility design. Asobicom, an all-weather indoor children's play facility (usable in rainy weather), was designed to complement it with a revenue foundation not dependent on weather risk. The plan intended to combine adult demand for the café with family demand for the children's play facility for broad appeal. However, as noted above, Starbucks withdrew in April 2022, so this A/B Zone design remains only the original 2021 proposal.

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The "Connecting Park Project" (つなぐ公園プロジェクト) consortium comprises Fuji Urban Development (lead, regional real estate development) + 4 construction companies. The 4 construction companies—Kiuchi Construction Co., Ltd., Tozaki Construction Co., Ltd., Fujiyama Co., Ltd. (Shizuoka Branch), and San Co., Ltd.—are all local construction firms based in the Shizuoka region.

This occupational composition was originally designed to combine local capital + a national brand (Starbucks) to balance business viability and attraction power. Local construction firm participation contributes to local ordering of facility construction and local employment, but since the national brand, Starbucks Coffee, withdrew in April 2022, the original scheme's balance between local and national elements no longer holds.

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The specific issue in the resident lawsuit filed on May 19–20, 2022 (two consolidated cases) was seeking to block the basic agreement regarding facility construction and management. Detailed issues require primary confirmation from litigation documents, but typical issues in Park-PFI resident lawsuit cases can be classified into two categories.

First, pushback against tree cutting or landscape changes. Cutting trees in historical urban parks tends to invite emotional pushback from surrounding residents. Second, questioning the appropriateness of facility placement. When revenue facility placement disrupts residents' traditional park usage, pushback arises. In the Johoku Park case, residents first filed an administrative audit request on March 8, 2022 (rejected on April 20, 2022), continuing their campaign primarily over tree-cutting concerns.

Ahead of the lawsuit, on April 26, 2022, Starbucks Coffee Japan withdrew as tenant, judging that it could not fulfill its role as a bridge connecting the community amid continued resident opposition. The litigation itself concluded when Shizuoka District Court dismissed the plaintiffs' claims on March 28, 2024, with the judgment becoming final on April 12, 2024. The city's legal position was upheld, but the tenant that had already withdrawn did not return, and rather than simply resuming the original Park-PFI project limited to part of the park, the city pivoted to redeveloping the entire park. Following a resident survey starting in October 2024 and a resident briefing session in December 2024, a consultation council including local residents and park stewardship groups was established in 2025, and discussions on the park's management and utilization continue.

Winning in court does not automatically restore a withdrawn tenant or residents' trust. The Johoku Park case shows that insufficient resident consensus formation can trigger not only litigation but also the withdrawal of business partners, potentially forcing a redesign of the business plan itself.

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Three points to consider by municipalities referencing Johoku Park as a cautionary example.

First, incorporate resident consensus formation processes from Park-PFI offering design. Beyond sounding (private sector consultation), conduct multiple resident briefing sessions and institutionalize procedures reflecting resident opinions from the perspectives of tree cutting, landscape changes, and facility placement.

Second, pre-analyze the impact of revenue facility location selection on residents' traditional park usage patterns. Recognize the risk of resident consensus difficulty when facility location conflicts with pedestrian flow, quiet areas, or traditional rest spaces.

Third, plan on the premise that winning a lawsuit does not automatically resolve a business partner's withdrawal or residents' distrust. In the Johoku Park case, even after the judgment was finalized, the original tenant did not return, and the city shifted from redeveloping only part of the park to redeveloping the entire park. Build into the business plan, from the earliest stage, the possibility that recovery from a suspension requires not a "return to the original plan" but a "redesign of the plan itself."

Basics

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