Title
1717 SE 8th Avenue 30% Master Planning (B)
Explanation
The largest undertaking of the Eastside Redevelopment area is the redevelopment of the Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center (GTEC) property and the 15 acre former Kennedy Homes site. The former Kennedy Homes site which once served as public housing was demolished in order to stabilize and revitalize a significant portion of East Gainesville. The site contains a vacant 10 acre parcel and approximately 5 acres of wetlands. The surrounding community consists of well established neighborhoods, schools, and churches. The community is one mile from downtown Gainesville and two miles from the University of Florida, additionally many of the area’s natural amenities are nearby.
In November of 2013 the CRA Board approved a contract with JBrown Professional Group for Civil Engineering and Master Planning for the site. EDSA Landscape Architects were brought on board as a sub consultant to facilitate the Master Planning exercise as well as provide a concept for Phase I development of the site. Staff hosted a project kick off meeting to mark the start of the Master Planning designs for the former Kennedy Homes in December of 2013. On January 29, staff hosted a series of design workshops with community stakeholders and the design team culminating with a large community visioning meeting on that evening. Staff received input from residents on items such as:
· What is/should be the character of the area?
· Do you think the neighborhood should be developed as a single-family neighborhood, a multi-family neighborhood or a mix of both?
· Do you think a retail or office component would work in the neighborhood?
· Is home affordability a top priority?
Participation was strong during both workshops and the community input was taken into consideration by the consulting team.
The 30% master plan was submitted with three concepts for the redevelopment, all of the concepts were designed with the co...
Click here for full text