Leaders unveil conceptual plans for S.W. 2nd Ave. research park

March 15, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida and Shands HealthCare officials today unveiled conceptual drawings that they believe point the way to the future of the Southwest Second Avenue corridor linking the UF campus to downtown Gainesville.

The drawings of possible development of Shands’ 11-acre site between Southwest 10th Street and Southwest Seventh Terrace, formerly the site of Shands at AGH, were presented during a meeting of the Community Redevelopment Agency. The property will now be known as Innovation Square.

Although officials emphasized that the drawings are only a starting point for the discussion of how the area will develop during the next 10 to 20 years, they said the project represents an important collaboration designed to give the community another solid economic growth engine.

“This is really a good example of how this process is supposed to work. All the key stakeholders recognized the need for a long-term economic vision for that area, and so they came together and created one,” UF President Bernie Machen said. “The best part is, this project truly has the potential to help everyone – the university, the city, small businesses and working professionals.”

Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan said she thinks the concept is a great step.

“This project represents the next step in a community partnership that is establishing UF and Gainesville as an international leader in cultivating technological innovation and transforming innovative ideas into world class bioscience and technology companies,” Hanrahan said. “Plans for this site and the Southwest Second Avenue corridor reflect the bright promise of the university and the city to create opportunity and prosperity for our community.”

The anchor of the corridor, as officials envision it, will be the 45,000-square-foot Florida Innovation Hub at UF. Described as a “super incubator,” the hub will contain space for UF startup technology companies as well as related businesses. The building also includes office space for UF’s Office of Technology Licensing and UF Tech Connect, both of which assist with the commercialization of emerging technologies.

Construction is expected to begin in June and wrap up by fall 2011. The project is being funded in part with an $8.2 million grant from the federal Economic Development Administration. The university is contributing $5 million to the effort.

Officials foresee mixed use for the remaining acreage, possibly including both public and commercial spaces. Plans for the new site will continue to develop over the next year, Machen said. Funding for the property’s long-term development likely will come from a variety of sources, public and private, depending on the nature of the project at hand.

Machen said the project represents the efforts of several community organizations, including UF, Shands HealthCare, the city of Gainesville, Gainesville Regional Utilities, the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Community Redevelopment Agency.

Looking beyond the Innovation Hub and the surrounding property, community leaders believe the Second Avenue corridor will add a vital element to the community by creating an unbroken bridge between the UF campus and downtown Gainesville.

That corridor likely will be home to residential, office and recreational space, Hanrahan said.

During the past decade, the city of Gainesville and Gainesville Regional Utilities have invested millions of dollars in improvements to Southwest Second Avenue, including repaving the street, moving overhead power lines underground, and adding roundabouts, landscaping and better lighting and drainage.