The University of Florida, Concept Companies, and Trimark Properties join forces to make Gainesville’s Innovation District a major economic hub
Press release from University of Florida, Concept Companies, and Trimark
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida Board of Trustees was briefed yesterday on a new plan to join Concept Companies and Trimark Properties in developing roughly 13 acres east of campus into a world-class destination for Fortune 500 research companies and creating a talent pipeline for UF students seeking high-paying jobs.
This strategic collaboration will further advance Gainesville’s Innovation District and bring it closer to achieving its identity as a bastion of progress.
“UF and Gainesville are on an amazing trajectory together, and this bold, new plan for the Innovation District captures the excitement of where we’re headed,” said Mori Hosseini, UF Board of Trustees chair. “We are committed to helping this vital link between our campus and downtown Gainesville reach its fullest potential.”
UF Trustee David Brandon called the Innovation District property “an absolute jewel, and it’s gratifying to see that Concept and Trimark recognize its tremendous potential. The vision for the Innovation District that was born nearly a decade and a half ago has been re-fueled and reimagined, and I’m confident we have all the right pieces and players now to move it forward.”
UF President Ben Sasse said the project is a perfect complement to the direction UF will be taking as it becomes a new model for public research universities.
“The nation’s No. 1 public university needs a top-flight community as a partner, and this project demonstrates just how committed Gainesville is to charting a bright future of innovation, job creation, and economic impact,” Sasse said. “If we’re all pulling oars together, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish.”
Gainesville’s Innovation District, which began to take shape in 2010, is a center of urban technology and business, located between UF and downtown Gainesville. It is two blocks from campus and two blocks from downtown, near Southwest Second Avenue and Southwest 10th Street – the former home of Alachua General Hospital.
The district currently serves as the home of UF Innovate | The Hub – with more than 80 businesses (ranging from startups to publicly-traded corporations), various restaurants, and residential and mixed-use buildings. The area has long been identified as one of Gainesville’s key opportunities for regional economic impact and development.
Brian Crawford, the founder and CEO of Concept Companies, echoed UF leadership’s sentiments.
“We aim to create a mixed-use environment for all sectors – from biotech and semiconductor to agriculture AI and healthcare research – to benefit from the proximity to the country’s top public university and the resources of our community,” Crawford said “We want this district to become a thriving ecosystem of possibility.”
In addition to being named the nation’s top public university by the Wall Street Journal earlier this year, UF recently announced its $1.085 billion in research expenditures in fiscal year 2022 placed it 25th among all U.S. universities, up from 27th in 2021. UF also is a national leader in artificial intelligence, building AI into its entire curriculum, and is home to the brand new Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology, a multidisciplinary space for medicine, pharmacy, and engineering that will serve as a hub for advancing computing, communication, and cyber technologies and further support UF’s work to integrate AI across the curriculum.
Detailed plans for the district’s further development include a total buildout of 1.2 million square feet of space, with construction targeted for late 2024. The development is outlined in six phases and includes science and technology research and design buildings; four parking garages; multifamily housing to fill the gap in professional, urban-style housing in the area; and a mix of retail, restaurant, and entertainment uses.
The goals of recruiting and retaining talent, providing professional housing, and creating a vibrant ecosystem match the stature and future plans of UF. The expansion hopes to leverage UF’s No. 1 ranking in innovation impact in 2020, $1.25 billion dollars in research expenditures, $12 billion invested in incubator companies, and unified commitment to innovations that tackle the world’s greatest problems.
Additional plans for the district include infrastructure improvements for both Southwest Second Avenue and Southwest Ninth Street, with a focus on increasing pedestrian connectivity and bikeability. The development team proposes to keep Southwest Second Avenue as a main thoroughfare, with enhancements for pedestrians (such as more crosswalks and strategic lighting), as well as improved retail and restaurant options. The Ninth Street plan is to redevelop the portion as a pedestrian-only street, which will include public access to a “pocket park” or urban green space area, and to encourage outdoor connectivity and community activities.
Nearly a year of collaborative research, discussion, and planning went into this newly approved joint master development venture, but the vision for the district was born about 15 years ago. When the Alachua General Hospital was first decommissioned, it was the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency, the City of Gainesville, and UF that began brainstorming future uses for the land.
“The idea was that an urban district centered around innovation, collaboration between the university and corporations, and pioneering research and technological advancement would be the highest and best use of the area,” said John Fleming, a managing partner for Trimark Properties.
Now the team can help fully realize the Innovation District’s potential.
“The whole concept of innovation districts has undergone tremendous evolution since its inception during the Industrial Revolution,” Crawford said. “Now seen as a hub of advancement designed to leverage collaborations between research-driven academia, technology, corporations, and a diverse community, its mission is to inspire a diverse exchange of ideas geared toward solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”
Good Luck with that!
But…..but….what about the so called ‘gentrification’ of this historically black neighborhood. Some people might miss the late night block parties, multi ethnic beatdowns, random shootings, and robberies too?.
It wasn’t historically black, it was AGH hospital before.
Hopefully Sasse can recruit non-woke actual companies. And not fill vacancies with more law firms.
This part of SW Gainesville was never a black neighborhood.
This will go a long way towards the ultimate goal of turning Gainesville into San Francisco East–a goal that any normal person would want–and it’s time to give credit where credit is due.
Kudos to Harvey Ward, Grace Marketplace, and the Gainesville City Commission for their hard work importing homeless vagrants, drug dealers, and violent ex-cons into Gainesville at a rate that puts cities 10x our size to shame. A permanent, unfixable population of violent homeless addicts is the core of any great city.
We also can’t forget the fruits of their remarkable transportation infrastructure vision, which has successfully turned turned downtown traffic into a disorganized, permanently under-construction gridlock that would make NYC jealous. As long as it is still possible for working class serfs to enter or leave the city freely, we can never achieve our full potential as a city.
The only missing piece of the puzzle was the embarrassing scarcity of wealthy pedestrian potential homicide victims, and the lack of walkway space for the homeless to build their future tent cities. The construction of these sparkling glass and concrete commie-block buildings will finally help bring their vision to light.
Dude, Grace is about 3 miles from downtown and is the one of the reasons that the homeless crowd that used to stay permanently in the Plaza is gone. Perhaps you are unaware that homelessness is a national problem since Baker Acting people and loitering were both made much more difficult by our courts in the 1980s and tends to be greatest in warm climates that aren’t dirt poor.
I drive through downtown often and have no problem with the mostly synched lights if it’s not rush hour, and I love the half dozen traffic circles along Depot and 6th Street that can get me from Waldo Road to SW 13th Street or Univ and 6th without stopping once.
Sounds like you haven’t even been downtown in years. Try Harry’s, The Hipp, The Bull, or Friday night concerts on the Plaza with hundreds of mostly family type attendees, with oldsters in fold up chairs and kids chasing each other and dancing in the astro-turf center.
Jazzman, you’re right. I too loved Gainesville back in 2000. But not now! We never go downtown anymore!
Not since Poe and other feckless city and county commissioners wrecked our town with too many regulations and mind numbing restrictions. For one, where can you safely park?
Citizen, the homeless population is much less now in downtown than in 2000 when they owned the plaza. I park either north of the clock tower somewhere or down by the criminal court.
What planet is this nutjob on? The maga traitor planet?
The occultist always stick together! To those who are aware this press release reads like a Freemasonic circle jerk. Order out of chaos, right?…or problem, reaction, solution?
…How was that area to be redeveloped into this new UF/city biomedical utopia without first destroying everything that was there? All of this planned much longer ago than most realize
No mention of tax dollars being used (in reality there will be some) but if its minimal i’m all for it if it improves some of the sidewalks, roads, etc. in that area with a chance to get some companies to relocate.
All the infrastructure is pretty much there now…and yes, the major site work, utility upgrades, and initial buildings were largely paid for by federal funds (via the US EDA beginning during the ‘last recession’). Local government also spent a sizable amount to get this plot ready. Basically zero private developer money. Imagine that
Yeah. the infrastructure is there, including slow moving two lanes, like the one in the picture. It will require another unsafe parking garage also.
Cripes, this site needs some new comment writers. The same angry old men writing the same ignorant attacks denouncing anything proposed. This project is already underway, transforming SW 2nd Ave, and taking advantage of the city hosting one of the top research institutions in America. It’s about time.
And more “top research institutions” who will utilize city services without contributing to the tax base.
The tax base which supports ALL city and county residents, NOT just the pseudo elite.
Citizen, that is how state property is treated in Florida. However, the increase in business activity due to 50k students and thousands of faculty and staff is the difference between Gainesville and Lake City, our competitor for landing the university in 1903. In this particular case, the benefit is tapping into the research money which UF attracts.
Tax dollars aside, this is a substantial net monetary gain which any city in the state would gladly take off our hands and that doesn’t include the cultural energy in activities and population which we benefit from.
Jazzman, GNV has been run by incompetents under Hanrahan, Poe and now Ward. They are driving the city towards the California model, which is approaching the limits at which socialism can no longer support itself. Uncontrollable homelessness, bums, dopers from all over the country. Destruction of the road system to suit some fancy of people walking around and using bikes or scooters. A bus system they try neat, uneconomic stuff, to find they can’t afford it. Spending millions more than they collect in taxes and ‘contributions’. Yeah, GNV politicians are great. NOT.
Depot park, increase in downtown business all due to the folks for are lying about.
The city has done such a piss poor progressive partisan job that the state was forced to intervene and bring in a certified insider to attempt to complete this whole 15 minute city / UN model city before it’s too late. Over the past couple of decades too much government money from all levels has been thrown at this New City (and many other US cities) for them to just walk away.
You don’t select one of the most despised 100 people in the country (US Senator) unless you’re in a stalled and desperate state. Gotta get the ‘resistant’ right aisle onboard locally and who better than a GOP senator, right? Ben Sasse is the new head Gville developer and I hear that they have ‘transformational plans’ for all of us
Ben Sasse was probably put in place to slow the prior two Ashkenazi president’s plans for diversity which included bringing in 5 thousand Chinese students instead of allowing well qualified legacy students entry into the University. BTW, are you aware of the number of Chinese below our Southern border right now, waiting for a signal? Who’s to say some of those 5 thousand aren’t Chinese military as well as ‘students’?
JENNIFER, the censors are at it again… Comment on Jazzman’s post.
Gainesville/Alachua County needs more job opportunities for young people. I hope there will be jobs resulting from this plan that don’t require a 4+ year degree. Will the Innovation District be partnering with job training programs for young people or those wanting to transition into a new career?
I think there is tremendous potential here for good, but also for local gov’t overreach. My hope is that this partnership will help rein in temptations for over-regulation/taxation and instead encourage a business-friendly environment with lots of opportunities for the citizens here. Addressing the legislative issues that allow the homeless proliferation would help, as would more job opportunities for those who don’t have advanced degrees.
Traffic is a real problem around campus and throughout Gainesville. I hope real solutions for people who have to commute to work in their cars (safe parking for women, for example) is a serious part of the planning. I really feel vulnerable parking in parking garages alone – if there’s any other way, I avoid parking in a parking garage. And I’m not going to take RTS – that’s even more intimidating and inconvenient.
I avoid the downtown area now as much as possible because of the aggressive homeless (been approached multiple times for money, and had some scary moments when I declined), and if I have to go downtown for any reason, I take someone else with me. Used to enjoy taking my children to the downtown library weekly, but would not feel safe enough to do that now. The area has been taken over by loiterers, both indoors and outside.
This is an opportunity to improve Gainesville and Alachua County. I hope that this initiative lives up to it’s potential!
Women can’t get paid the same and have special safe parking. Which is it?
I wasn’t suggesting that women have special parking. Speaking from my personal experience as a woman, parking in Gainesville is not safe. That’s all I was saying.
All of this would have been a lot further along if Lauren Poe hadn’t done what he could to kill the tech startup culture beginning to thrive here at the time. Tech entrepreneurs and tech workers really accentuated making him look an inbred hillbilly with no brains – in stark contrast to his delusions of grandeur; I think that might be the reason he didn’t care for them. He’d rather have a city full of brain-damaged, drug-addicted, sex-offender-registered bums sucking down beers on every street corner that he can feel ‘superior’ to. Good job, Speshul Lauren!
But what about the hideous downtown?