We need to rethink the Power District — and this time, keep it local
What to do about that big, ugly, decaying industrial complex between downtown and Depot Park?
Say, what if we rehabbed some of those abandoned buildings to provide “flexible spaces” for start-ups?
And maybe invited local businesses to tell us how they would turn blight into opportunity.
And make it possible for artists, actors and musicians to take up affordable residence in land too long neglected.
Wish I could claim credit for those ideas. But that’s pretty much what neighbors, stakeholders and city staffers suggested a decade ago, the last time we updated a redevelopment plan for the 17-plus acre collection of abandoned Gainesville Regional Utilities workshops and warehouses that we’ve taken to call the Power District.
Oh, we had great expectations for a Power District renaissance back then. And those expectations very nearly came to fruition five years ago, when a Baltimore-based developer galloped in and promised to create something wonderful for us.
That fell apart. And so the city made a deal with Collier International to help us find another partner with deep pockets and a grand vision.
And we’re still waiting.
More from Ron Cunningham:
Growing vertically will help make Gainesville more diverse, economically vital
Valuable real estate in downtown Gainesville shouldn't be wasted on parking
Management group would make downtown Gainesville a better place to live, work, play
Listen, we’ve got a new mayor and a new commission majority coming in pretty soon. And we’re putting the finishing touches on an ambitious downtown strategic plan. And we are already reaping the economic benefits of two critical public investments — Depot Park and the redesign of South Main Street — both of which we somehow managed to pull off without out-of-town benefactors.
So maybe we need to rethink the Power District.
Only this time, keep it local. And maybe take a more organic, piecemeal approach to turning this “funky industrial” complex, as it’s been called, into a funky success story.
Tim and Bret Larson, founders of the 4th Avenue Food Park, suggested as much last year when they proposed turning a few acres of old GRU property into a similar food park-type enterprise.
At the time Tim Larson told me their plan could “serve as a bridge to future and larger projects and will jump start more projects in the Power District.”
Recently I wrote about the very real threat of the arts being squeezed out of downtown because of higher rents. It’s already happened to the Acrosstown Repertory Theater, and similar artistic endeavors will likely be forced out as downtown becomes more successful.
I recommend that city officials take a field trip to Tallahassee and look at Railroad Square. It’s basically a collection of old warehouses near Florida A&M University that have been converted to galleries, studios, a theater, shops, a craft brewery and more.
And the place is hopping. It’s a people magnet.
Might some Power District buildings be similarly repurposed to provide low-cost venues for the arts? And could that, in turn, attract cafes, food trucks and even retail?
Oh, and a successful downtown requires more residential density, and particularly affordable housing. Where better to accommodate “smart” urban infill than on property already owned by the city and strategically located between downtown and Depot Park?
This is not to say that we don’t need to plan for incremental development. We do. But we are a creative city. We’re perfectly capable of master planning the Power District in-house and then inviting entrepreneurs to come in and do their stuff.
The Power District is one of the largest parcels of undeveloped property left in Gainesville. And it belongs to us.
So why, exactly, are we still waiting for some out-of-town hotshots to tell us what to do with it?
Ron Cunningham is former editorial page editor of The Sun. Read his blog at www.floridavelocipede.com. Email him at ron@freegnv.com.
Join the conversation
Share your opinions by sending a letter to the editor (up to 200 words) to letters@gainesville.com. Letters must include the writer's full name and city of residence. Additional guidelines for submitting letters and longer guest columns can be found at bit.ly/sunopinionguidelines.
Journalism matters. Your support matters.
Get a digital subscription to the Gainesville Sun. Includes must-see content on Gainesville.com and Gatorsports.com, breaking news and updates on all your devices, and access to the eEdition. Visit www.gainesville.com/subscribenow to sign up.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Ron Cunningham: Keep it local when planning Power District
