Title
Innovation District - SW 9th Street Northern Extension (B)
Explanation
In 2010, after the closing and demolition of the Alachua General Hospital, the City of Gainesville, University of Florida (UF), Shands Healthcare, Inc., the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), and members of the private sector collaborated to develop a vision for the redevelopment of the vacated 16-acre property into what is now known as Innovation Square. Innovation Square represents an opportunity for the City to collaborate with the University of Florida to position itself as a leader in the innovation economy and attract and retain technology oriented businesses to strengthen the local economy. Over the course of many years several steps have been taken to lay the groundwork for this redevelopment/economic development effort, including master planning, rezoning of the property, construction of the Innovation Hub, multiple infill and adaptive reuse projects, and the construction of utility and infrastructure improvements to support building developments.
The CRA’s College Park/University Heights Redevelopment Area Plan supports the Innovation Square through several of its redevelopment goals. Most notably of the goals include Infrastructure, Private Investment, and Urban Form; additionally, the Plan identifies both the SW 2nd Avenue corridor and the former AGH site/Innovation Square area is identified as “Cornerstone Projects” for the area.
A critical step in development of Innovation Square is the thoughtful planning and development of the public realm. This specifically deals with the conversion of land into an urban framework of streets and infrastructure, public spaces and buildings, and block configurations. The urban framework, particularly the configuration of streets and blocks, provides a long-term structure for changing patterns of land use, building form and building occupancies. During 2012, the CRA began developing plans for two major infrastructure projec...
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