Source: WCJB, 12/7/23

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Members of the University of Florida board of trustees met Thursday to discuss a new partnership that would expand the Innovation District into a “major economic hub.”

The board will be partnering with Concept Companies and Trimark Properties to develop 50 acres east of UF’s main campus into a destination for Fortune 500 research companies to create a talent pipeline for UF students seeking high-paying jobs.

The Innovation District was opened in 2010, located between UF and downtown Gainesville, in the former home of Alachua General Hospital. The district currently houses more than 80 businesses ranging from start-ups to publically traded corporations.

The new partnership will see a buildout of 1.2 million square feet of space, with construction targeted to begin in late 2024.

The development will be made in six phases and includes science and technology research and design buildings, four parking garages, multifamily housing to fill the gap in professional, urban-style housing in the area, and a mix of retail, restaurant, and entertainment uses.

Officials with the board say nearly a year of research and discussion went into approving the joint master development venture.

“The idea was that an urban district centered around innovation, collaboration between the university and corporations, and pioneering research and technological advancement, would be the highest and best use of the area,” said John Fleming, a managing partner for Trimark Properties.