Public invited to help shape design of Streatery downtown
Press release from City of Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The City of Gainesville invites all neighbors to a public workshop about the “Streatery,” the section of SW 1st Avenue between S. Main Street and SW 2nd Street, and the upcoming renovations planned for the new pedestrian-only space.
The workshop is open-house format for attendees to drop by and participate at their convenience.
Attendees will be able to help shape the design of the Streatery as they share feedback on landscaping, infrastructure, and street amenities for the project. They will be able to explore sustainable design options and also provide input on parking and event programming.
When: 4-7 p.m. on Wed., Dec. 11
Where: Hippodrome Theatre, 25 SE 2nd Place
The event is free and open to the public.
In October, the Gainesville City Commission approved a plan for road repair and construction upgrades to the Streatery to transform the downtown corridor into a walkable thoroughfare better able to host art festivals, farmers markets, food-truck rallies, and other activities.
Renovations for the designated corridor include a curbless street with new outdoor lighting, electrical outlets for food trucks, and improvements to correct drainage issues and meet standards as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Design plans include planting six new trees along the corridor; 11 existing live oaks would be preserved.
The infrastructure improvements are estimated to cost $2.4-2.8 million, and staff is expected to return to the Commission early next year with funding options. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2025.
If somebody is camping there, they will have five days to leave after being given a warning? You can’t make this stuff up.
“That wasn’t me you gave the warning to, that was my twin brother, George.”
Need to start tagging them like farmers tag cows.
🎯👮🏻♂️🚻🪠🚮🏥…
Hope that helps.
More absurd thinking from the Gainesville weirdo groups
How are you providing safe parking? How will you make people feel safe downtown? What about the bums, the panhandlers, the gangs? FYI, the “Ambassador Program” won’t solve anything the public needs, only the feel good wants of the inept GCC.
Can someone point me to when and how the decision was made to do this? A bad idea in my opinion no matter the details, but now changing the details at a cost of a couple of million means spending the same when hopefully it is decided to reverse the plan.
I say this as someone who occasionally goes to Loosey’s and a few years ago went to The Bull every so often.
By the way, I feel as safe parking downtown as I do at Walmart, The Oaks Mall, etc.
PS Besides for the loss of valuable real estate, which somehow no one ever buys, I favor turning the tree covered parking lot across from Looseys into a park. Does anyone know the history of that block, as the trees are rather old? I’m assuming livery stable, something like that.
Not sure, there aren’t a lot of photos of that area. This one suggests that it’s been a parking lot for a very long time. Maybe Baird Hardware was much busier back then?
View is looking north up Main Street, with the lowest east-west street is SW/SE 4th Ave. Not enough detail in the photo to add a year but I’d assert late 1940s or earlier.
https://www.floridamemory.com/fpc/commerce/c033588cg.jpg
This one is from the 1960s, looking NW (Seagle Building is your best landmark).
https://www.gainesville.com/gcdn/authoring/2017/06/02/NTGS/ghows-LK-4fde5991-fb3b-063e-e053-0100007f06ed-5d5f5f50.jpeg
Maybe Matheson or Florida History could add more info…
Good gets, and thanks!
1st photo – Looks like a parking lot in this one. I see Star Garage, Hipp, etc. When I 1st got here – mid 60s, – Baird Hdwe was on the SE corner of Univ and SE 1st (across from where clock tower is now), McCrory’s was south on SE 1st, mid block I think.
2nd photo – Still looks like parking across from Roberston’s Market (now Looseys, then a small grocery selling pig’s feet, etc., entry on a diagnol door facing corner). “New” county admin building makes this late 50s early 60s at least – not sure when it opened. Star Garage, Cox Furniture (now Hary’s) on corner, Commercial Hotel on S main (now County Build Dept). Surprised block where popular Sushi restaurant up from Hipp (name?) is empty. Wilson’s Dept Store.
Thanks!!
Original closure: https://alachuachronicle.com/city-and-local-restaurants-breweries-team-together-to-create-streaterygnv/
Decision to make it permanent: https://alachuachronicle.com/downtown-street-to-remain-closed-to-traffic/
Two restaurants closed on that block, Crane Ramen and Paramount. Maybe for retirement purposes, not sure if related to closing street.
It was absolutely related to the closure of the street. And about 40 downtown business owners are ready to send Fathead Harvey to the unemployment line instead of reelecting him. I’m sure they have zero respect for a total POS turd person like him given how hard they all work.
So how do you really feel? I agree!
The founder and owner of Paramount died about 5 years ago. They tried to stay open after that, but don’t know details.
My understanding is that an individual took over (bought?) both the Paramount and Amelia’s and ran both into the ground. Didn’t even pay the staff.
Could be, but it is a fact that the founder and owner of The Paramount died a few years ago.
Do you think having an expensive, fine-dining restaurant that requires customers to park in the upper levels of a dungeon-like, smelly, dirty, dingy parking garage, walk down flights of dirty stairs (“da elevators be broken”), and walk almost two blocks to visit their business establishment is a good plan? You have to pay to park, and you have to walk back to the dungeon-garage with a full belly instead of just hopping in your Mercedes or BWM and driving home in a few minutes. It totally ruins the whole dining experience.
What’s there now? That should answer your question, if you are trying to blame the incompetence of the person who took over the restaurant. I’m guessing nothing is there now, but I don’t really know. Crane Ramen has been closed for a long time. What is there? Anything?
Thanks Jennifer!
Food trucks will compete with barely surviving brick & mortar restaurants, how genius. Will the benches be long enough for *some* peeps to lay on and sleep for hours, without lay-proof dividers, too?
The driving force behind this is Loosey’s. If they want to compete with food trucks that is on them. The city ignored the other 40 business who don’t want it.
Off the top of my head, I can think of several food trucks already in the downtown area. Some of them have been operating for a while. There is one at the Beach. One sets up on the vacant lot (owned by the Bosshardts?) across from Capone’s. Sometimes another is on the vacant lot across from Vivid. I have seen a few others.
The last time I was downtown. I went to Loosey’s. There were people sleeping on the curb and in parking spaces next to Loosey’s. The garage has people camped out in the entry. Not a good look or family friendly.
Rice Hardware used to be there
Across from The Bull, where I think Williamson’s furniture was. Rice Hdwe lasted until maybe 15-20 years ago?
I have the best solution on how to renovate ‘The Streatery’. Remove it! It’s absolutely not helping ANY of the downtown establishments as it draws homeless in like flies. Inviting many more food trucks to compete directly with Loosey’s is a slap in the face to their owners. And the $2.8 million to ‘renovate’ it means that will more likely be 3-4 million when it’s completed. What an absolute waste of money. On par with all the other ridiculous decisions by the GCC.
Lets just get rid of all the parking downtown. That should help get more folks to visit. DERP
The lack of free parking is a huge detriment to the area. I am not downloading an app just to pay gainesville to park.