Title
Kennedy Homes (NB)
Explanation
The former Kennedy Homes site is one of the most well-known properties in Gainesville. Funded through a loan from HUD, the development originally opened in 1968. However over the years, the property unfortunately came to embody many negative stereotypes associated with low-income housing. Challenged by poor maintenance, drug, and crime issues, problems at Kennedy Homes resulted in negative impacts to the surrounding community. In 2007, the City purchased and cleared the property. Simultaneously, the City and the CRA coordinated the Southeast Gainesville Renaissance Initiative (SEGRI), which produced a master plan consisting of a series of conceptual development visions for six key sites - including Kennedy Homes-- located throughout the southeast Gainesville community. As a follow-up to the conceptual SEGRI Master Plan, the CRA has tackled two major projects. The first has involved coordination with local stakeholders to create a draft Special Area Plan (SAP) for the SEGRI area. The SAP consists of a regulatory toolset to achieve the sense of place, amenities, and high-quality design identified through the SEGRI Master Plan. City planning staff and CRA staff are working on a petition to include the SAP into the City of Gainesville Land Development Code. The second major follow-up project is the implementation of redevelopment activities at Kennedy Homes.
At its meeting on May 19, 2008, the CRA approved the proposed redevelopment scope for the former Kennedy Homes property and authorized staff to prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a mixed-use project with a retail/commercial component and a mixed-income residential component, including an affordable housing component. The project scope will reinforce community efforts to establish a high-quality built environment; it will be characterized by innovative and attractive design, green building concepts, and dynamic street-level activity. The CRA, at its ...
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