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Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area

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Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area

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Reinvesting in People and Places We target our redevelopment efforts in Gainesville's urban core. Is your property located in our reinvestment area?

We are a department of the City of Gainesville and our mission is to help underserved regions attract private investment through community partnerships and competitive economic development incentives. Projects have ranged from large scale construction projects like the South Main Streetscape and Depot Park, to smaller scale programs like the residential paint voucher and commercial facade improvements program. Check out the GCRA project map find out! https://gainesvillecra.com/gcra-project-map/

10/30/2026

A new connection for East Gainesville is on the way! 🚌 Last week, City Commissioners joined the Regional Transit System (RTS) team to break ground on the new Eastside Transfer Station at Cornerstone.

This milestone advances a collaborative investment in East Gainesville, bringing improved transit connections and new opportunities for residents, workers and businesses. Planned features include six bus bays, a community room and a staff training room.

With construction underway and completion anticipated in late 2027, Cornerstone continues to take shape as a hub for health, mobility and economic development.

10/29/2026

🎈 Downtown Gainesville is celebrating! 🎈 The Streatery is open, and we’re getting ready to celebrate its grand opening! Join City of Gainesville and GCRA on Friday, November 6th, for an evening of live music, local food, family fun, and a first-class celebration of this new public space in downtown Gainesville. ❤️⭐️

Here’s what’s happening:
✂️ Ribbon cutting and remarks to officially open The Streatery
📸 Photo booths and a giant marquee
🍽️ Taste of Downtown featuring bites from local restaurants
🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Kid & family zone with activities and a bounce house
🎸 Live music on an outdoor main stage and inside venues
🎶 A grand finale jam bringing together Gainesville musicians across genres and generations!

✨ The best part? It’s FREE and open to everyone!

Come experience The Streatery, support our downtown businesses, and celebrate a new place for our community to gather.
📍 The Streatery | 106 SW 1st Ave.
📅 Friday, November 6th
⏰ 5:00pm - 11:00pm
❤️ We'll see you downtown!

10/09/2026

🎄✨ It’s back, it’s brighter, and the prizes are bigger!✨🎄
The Downtown Holiday Lights Contest returns for 2026, and we’re turning up the holiday cheer! This year, four winners will each take home $1,500 for their holiday displays. Simply decorate your space and bring some holiday magic to Downtown Gainesville.

🏆 2026 Categories are:
🎨 Most Creative: Imaginative displays that turn holiday inspiration into something unexpected.
💡 Most Extravagant: Big, bright, and bold, a show-stopping display that goes all out.
♻️ Most Sustainable: Inventive, eco-friendly displays featuring up-cycled or reused materials.
✨ Indoor Magic: Welcoming interiors transformed into memorable holiday experiences.

Registration is now open! Sign up online to receive contest information and get ready to decorate your space for the holidays.

🎁 Register now at: www.gainesvillefl.gov/lights

07/16/2026

☀️ July heat? More like July eat! 😋🔥
Join us today with some delicious Peruvian food

06/24/2026

A major milestone is taking shape at The Streatery. 🚧🧱 After months of underground infrastructure work, one of the most visible phases of construction is now underway: brick paver installation.

Crews have completed stormwater improvements, asphalt paving, and the concrete base along SW 2nd Street, where historic brick pavers are now being installed. That section remains on schedule to reopen by the end of June. Along SW 1st Avenue, underground electrical and stormwater work has been completed between SW 2nd Street and SW 1st Street, with concrete placement and brick installation continuing throughout the corridor.

As part of the project, all granite curbing and historic bricks removed during construction have been carefully salvaged, with portions set aside to be incorporated into the finished streetscape.

For much of the project, the progress has been happening below ground. Now, the vision for a more walkable, pedestrian-focused downtown destination is beginning to emerge above the surface.

Thank you for your continued patience and support of downtown businesses during construction. We can't wait to share more as The Streatery continues to take shape. 🌿✨

06/23/2026

Built to age gracefully. 🌳 The new Heartwood monument sign features a face made from Corten steel, a material designed to develop a rich, protective patina as it weathers over time. Rather than resisting the elements, it embraces them—creating a warm, natural finish that evolves with the landscape around it.

Framed by Heartwood’s towering oak canopy, the sign reflects the same qualities that define the neighborhood itself: enduring, distinctive, and rooted in place.

A small detail with a lasting presence. 🍂

06/17/2026

A milestone moment for Heartwood. 🏡✨
This week, the neighborhood’s new monument signs arrived and were carefully lifted into place by crane. Once installed, the illuminated signs will create a welcoming entrance and a strong sense of arrival for residents and visitors alike.
Combined with recent landscaping, pathway, irrigation, and fencing upgrades, it’s exciting to see the vision for Heartwood continue to come together—one piece at a time.
We’re looking forward to lighting them up soon. 💡🌿

06/12/2026

The Florida Theater restoration is underway, supported by our Business Improvement Grant (BIG Program).
What stories can a building tell after nearly 100 years? Crews are beginning to uncover layers of the historic University Avenue façade, revealing pieces of the building's past that have been hidden for decades. In these photos, you can see the brick visible today, colorful tiles added over the years, and even older materials underneath.
Originally opened in 1928, the Florida Theater has been a downtown landmark for generations. Restoration efforts will preserve its historic character, including the iconic marquee and façade, while preparing the venue for its next chapter as a cultural and entertainment destination.

Own a commercial building that needs repairs or restoration? BIG Program Cycle 2 applications are open through August 1. Get more information here: https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/Government-Pages/Government/Departments/Gainesville-Community-Reinvestment-Area/GCRA-BIG-Program

05/26/2026

More progress is taking shape on The Streatery. 🚧✨ Stormwater work on SW Second Street is nearing completion, and new curbs and sidewalks are beginning to take shape as the project keeps moving forward.

Starting Tuesday, May 26, a portion of SW 1st Street will close as crews begin the next phase of work, including installation of water and sewer infrastructure. While construction continues, a few temporary traffic updates are in place to help keep things moving:

➡️ Vehicles exiting Lot 13 and the Alachua County Lot will now use SW 2nd Street
➡️ An added connection between the two lots will help improve exit access
➡️ Lot 10 now has an exit onto SW 1st Street to help with traffic flow and nearby parking access

Every step gets a little closer to a more walkable, welcoming downtown space and we can’t wait to share what’s next! All area businesses remain open and sidewalks closest to storefronts are accessible during construction.

05/07/2026

🚧 Construction on The Streatery continues moving forward Downtown. Over the past few weeks, crews have carefully removed and preserved the historic brick and granite curbs along portions of SW 1st Avenue for future reuse in the project.

💦⚡️GRU has completed sewer upgrades and most of the water line work on SW 2nd Street, while utility improvements continue along SW 1st Avenue between SW 2nd Street and SW 1st Street. Work is also underway on underground electric and stormwater infrastructure that will help support the new street design.

🧱 This week, crews continue salvaging historic brick and granite curb along SW 1st Avenue toward S. Main Street, followed by additional water and sewer upgrades.

❤️ We appreciate everyone’s patience as this next chapter for Downtown starts to take shape. Businesses remain open and accessible during construction, so continue to stop by and support the neighborhood along the way.

Address

2153 SE Hawthorne Road, Ste 223
Gainesville, FL
32641

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+13523938200

Website

http://www.gainesvillecra.com/, https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/News-articles/Food-trucks-at-Cornerstone

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