Santa Fe College plans to replace the existing Center for Innovation and Economic Development on West University Avenue with a new $31-million building.
While the new building is still in the concept phase of the project and construction won’t begin for at least another year, it will have three floors and cover 85,000 square feet, said Dug Jones, the associate vice president of economic development. The building, located at 530 W. University Ave., will house the college’s business and information technology programs and offer more space to house businesses.
“It’ll be a great asset not only to the college and to students, but to the Gainesville business community,” he said.
The redevelopment was prompted by insufficient space in the current building, Jones said.
Half of the current building, or 5,000 square feet, is used for housing businesses. The center has 25 businesses, but only seven have office space while the remaining companies share the commonspace, he said.
About 90 percent of the new building will be used for the college’s business and information technology programs. The remaining 10 percent will be for the Center for Innovation and Economic Development services, said Cheryl Calhoun, director of the Blount Center.
The college has about $17 million of the $31 million needed for the building, Jones said. The project will be funded through a variety of sources including legislative appropriations, private contributions and grants from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
Leonardo Gabriel, a 28-year-old Santa Fe health science student, hopes the expansion will mean more business owners can receive support from the center like he did when he launched his business, Island Fresco, an organic snow cone shop.
“If I wasn’t incubating with them I don’t know if my business would actually get anywhere,” he said.
Contact Jessica Giles at jgiles@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter at @jessica_giles_.
Map of the location for Santa Fe College's Center for Innovation and Economic Development
