Title
GTEC Area: Master Plan & Phase 1 Development Update and Developer Selection (B)
Explanation
The largest undertaking of the Eastside Redevelopment area is the redevelopment of the 13.6-acre Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center (GTEC) area and the 15-acre former Kennedy Homes site. The sites are located within a quarter mile of each other, about one mile from downtown Gainesville and two miles from the University of Florida.
The GTEC Area Master Plan subject area is located between SE Hawthorne Road to the north, SE 8th Ave to the south, SE 20th Street to the west and SE 24th Street to the east. In 2011, CRA staff developed in-house conceptual master plan for the GTEC area. The conceptual master plan created an office and retail focused mixed-use development, aiming to retain GTEC graduate companies in East Gainesville and attract additional economic activity to the area. The plan leveraged on GTEC’s tangible resources and human capital, took advantage of the site constraints and natural resources, and enhanced site connectivity with the existing urban fabric, communities and resources. The plan was presented to the Eastside Redevelopment Area Advisory Board and to the CRA Board in 2011, and was well accepted. This plan served as the basis of design for the current Master Plan design.
In December 2013, CRA was granted a Partial Release of two mortgages encumbering unimproved sections of the GTEC parcels, making the land available for future redevelopment. The same month, CRA contracted JB Professional Group Inc. (JBPro) for surveying services for the City of Gainesville owned parcels in the GTEC Area (tax parcels no. 11339-0-0, 11340-0-0, and 11341-0-0). The survey was completed and submitted to the CRA in January 2014. Also in December 2013, CRA contracted Brown & Cullen Inc. (BCI) for civil engineering services for the GTEC Area Master Plan Project. BCI was also contracted to provide landscape architecture, geotechnical engineering and environ...
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