New Mixed-Use Project In Gainesville Is Giving The Community Something To Celebrate
By: Mark Winter
GAINESVILLE, Fla., Aug. 7, 2013 – Initial site preparation work will soon begin on Celebration Pointe, a new 125-acre, 1 million-square-foot mixed-use development located in Gainesville, Fla. The Project is being developed by Celebration Pointe Development Partners, LLC.
Located at the intersection of I-75 and Archer Road, Celebration Pointe will be comprised of approximately 300,000 square feet of upper-moderate and specialty retail, a significant restaurant and entertainment component as well as Class-A office space. In addition, nearly 1,000 multifamily residential units are being programmed along with a branded hotel.
Boasting more than a half-mile of direct frontage on I-75 in the heart of Gainesville’s most successful retail corridor, Celebration Pointe presents a compelling combination of demographic strength and outstanding access. “Celebration Pointe will be Gainesville’s first truly experiential mixed-use environment and the connectivity to the surrounding community will be unmatched,” says Tonya Creekmore, Retail Principal in the Avison Young Atlanta office, who is leading retail leasing for the project.
The Celebration Pointe development team has been working with Alachua County and the City of Gainesville to coordinate the inclusion of a number of mass transit stops within, and immediately adjacent to, the project. Dedicated rapid transit lanes will quickly and conveniently provide ready access to and from Celebration Pointe to the University of Florida, UF Health Shands Hospital and downtown Gainesville.
Celebration Pointe is located approximately two miles west of the University of Florida – home to more than 50,000 students and 28,000 full-time employees – and just minutes from the heart of Gainesville’s health care corridor. The project will be served by two primary access points featuring a prominent main entrance off of Archer Road, as well as a brand new vehicular and pedestrian bridge, currently in permitting stage, spanning I-75, providing multimodal access to and from Celebration Pointe. A new four-lane boulevard with generous pedestrian walkways and a dedicated bus lane will connect the project to Archer Road.
Celebration Pointe’s abundant green space, generous pedestrian walks, natural gathering spots, integrated bike paths and subtle design touches provide the best attributes of an energized and engaging urban environment. More than 100 acres have been set aside as a permanent conservation area along the Project’s western border. Combined with the 460-acre Lake Kanapaha Conservation Area and 240-acre Split Rock Conservation Area, there will be more than 800 acres of scenic nature preserve to the north and west of Celebration Pointe. The project also connects the more than five miles of outdoor trails that wind through Celebration Pointe directly to those surrounding conservation areas.
Part of the network of trails includes a portion of the 12-mile Archer Braid Trail that will run along the northern portion of Celebration Pointe. The Archer Braid Trail will connect Celebration Pointe with the University of Florida, UF Health Shands Hospital, Veterans Kanapaha Park, Haile Plantation, Kanapaha Middle School, Wiles Elementary, providing walking and biking access to thousands of students and single-family residences on both the east and west sides of I-75. Currently under development within the University of Florida, the 16-mile Gainesville Hawthorne Trail will be connected to the Archer Braid Trail and ultimately help form the backbone of an emerging interconnected trail network within Alachua County.
“Celebration Pointe will provide a dramatic and defining new destination for Gainesville,” said Creekmore. “Along with having prominent walking and biking trails, the project will focus on creating a sustainable environment that is intimately and inextricably tied to its urban identity and fabric of this great community.”
The initial phase of Celebration Pointe is projected to open by third quarter 2015. For retail leasing information please visit us at the ICSC Florida Conference in Orlando, FL on Aug 19-20, or call the Avison Young office at 770.916.6120.
To download the aerial renderings below, click on each image.
Aerial rendering of the north area of Celebration Pointe.
Aerial rendering of the west area of Celebration Pointe.
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