Pent-up demand fueled construction boom in 2015

Below is a great Gainesville Sun article that provides a recap of the major development activity in Gainesville, Florida in 2015. Five eda projects are mentioned, including Celebration Pointe, Park Avenue at Santa Fe, Sonny’s BBQ, Home2 Suites and Archer Centro West. Thanks to all of our clients who made 2015 great.

Development returned to Gainesville with a vengeance in 2015 with the construction of several projects to meet pent-up demand for new stores, apartments, houses and offices after a lull that started during the recession.

Butler Enterprises started putting up the first new buildings in Butler North, the planned 750,000-square-foot expansion of Butler Plaza that will bring the entire shopping center to nearly 2 million square feet. The buildings include new locations for the relocating Lowe’s, Wal-Mart Supercenter and Sam’s Club stores, and the city’s first Dick’s Sporting Goods.

On the other side of Interstate 75, Celebration Pointe developers cleared 125 acres and started building roads — including a bridge over Interstate 75 — and installing utilities for the mixed-use project planned for 1 million square feet of retail and office space, and nearly 1,000 apartments. The first phase is set to open in fall 2016 with a Bass Pro Shops, Regal luxury movie theater, Hotel Indigo and an office building for Gainesville software company Info Tech.

Two large single-family housing developments opened west of Gainesville, including Oakmont at Southwest 24th Avenue and Parker Road with the first of a planned 999 homes and construction starting on the Resident Club. Finley Woods, with 465 lots, opened between Archer and Williston Roads.

The long-delayed University Corners project started construction at Northwest 13th Street and University Avenue with a new owner and a new name, The Standard, a 10-story mix of apartments, retail space, hotel and parking garage. The owner, Landmark Properties of Athens, Georgia, also started building The Retreat on Southwest 16th Avenue, planned for 188 student cottage apartments with 787 bedrooms over 22 acres after demolishing three complexes built in the 1960s.

Construction started on Park Avenue at Santa Fe at Northwest 39th Avenue and 83rd Street, the first traditional neighborhood development approved under the county’s updated comprehensive plan with 298 apartments and 30,000 square feet of retail space.

A stretch of Archer Road has a new look with a new Sonny’s BBQ building replacing the old building, and two new buildings comprising the Archer Centro West shopping center that includes Mattress One, CareSpot and Domino’s. A new strip center also opened in University Towne Center on Southwest 34th Street with an Earth Fare organic grocery store, Youfit fitness center and Chicken Salad Chick restaurant.