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The area known as the “Eastside” or “East Gainesville” constitutes several neighborhoods and mixed-use corridors east of the City’s downtown business district. The East Gainesville area has had limited revitalization until recent years, and still lags that of the west side. Little commercial or residential development occurred through the 1970’s and 1980’s. While there were several reasons for this malaise, the points most often cited were the comparative isolation of the area relative to the University of Florida economic engine, the economic base shift from agriculture, and dismissed reliance on the railway system as a dominant form of personal and goods transportation.
Recognizing the apparent lack of progress in the economic growth and vitality of the area, the East Gainesville Task Force became active in the early 1990’s. In 1996, the Task Force recommended the creation of a Community Redevelopment District. Following a thorough investigation of existing conditions for a proposed redevelopment district, and as documented in an Assessment of Needs Study prepared in the fall of the year 2000, the City of Gainesville City Commission adopted blight findings for the Eastside Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) in December, 2000. The City Commission authorized the consulting firm of Ivey, Harris & Walls, Inc. to prepare the statutorily required Redevelopment Plan, which was adopted by the Gainesville City Commission in October 2001.
In January 2006, the City Commission recognized the significant potential for redevelopment in South East Gainesville and focused on an area with particular need and potential just south of and adjacent to, the current southern boundary of the Eastside Community Redevelopment Area. In May 2006, the City Commission authorized the consulting firm of APD, Inc. to prepare the Finding of Necessity Report for the southern expansion of the Eastside Community Redevelopment Area and the Gainesville City Commission adopted the blight findings on July 10, 2006.
In general, noting that the physical condition and pattern of development in this area are the products of some seventy years of development activity, this plan has been prepared to not only update the existing Eastside Community Redevelopment Plan but also to address the conditions of blight that were identified in the Expansion Area. This plan update meets the requirements for community redevelopment plans, pursuant to Chapter 163 Part III, Florida Statutes and is consistent with the City of Gainesville Comprehensive Plan and offers a guide to those efforts that will take some time to come to fruition.
Download Complete Area Plan (PDF)
| Approved by the CRA 3/16/09 |
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| Revenues |
$759,738 |
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| Minus: Payroll & Operating Expenses |
$129,086 |
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| Minus: Total Debt Service & Development Agreements |
$21,875 |
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| Project Funding |
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CRA Office Building |
$51,000 |
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Façade/Paint Program |
$30,000 |
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Cotton Club/Perryman Grocery |
$75,000 |
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Hawthorne Road Cafe |
$232,827 |
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Bus Shelters |
$75,000 |
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15th Street Improvements |
$40,000 |
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Gateway |
$25,000 |
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University Ave. Medians & Improvements |
$55,000 |
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Acquisitions & Options |
$25,000 |
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Total, Projects |
$608,827 |
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