In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, Gainesville City Council approved the purchase of 6.8 acres of vacant property at the south end of the downtown Gainesville pedestrian bridge.
A press statement from the city called the tract at 110 Jesse Jewell Parkway "a critical connection to bring the success of Historic Downtown into Midtown." The city’s Midtown Urban Redevelopment Plan, adopted in 2006 and updated in 2010, outlines a plan to create a larger public focal point that will create jobs, spur additional mixed-used redevelopment and provide new public gathering spaces.
Northeast Georgia Health System was under contract with Gainesville City Center LLC to purchase the property for $10 million, with a due diligence period expiring on Oct. 21. In the move approved by Council on Tuesday, the hospital system turned that contract over to the City of Gainesville in exchange for an option to purchase city-owned property at the corner of Jesse Jewell Parkway and West Academy.
In 2008, the property was sold to private developer Gainesville City Center LLC with plans to build a high-rise hotel and offices; that plan never came to fruition and the property has sat vacant for a decade..
Development of the tract, which extends from Jesse Jewell Parkway to College Avenue, will be determined by the city after further study.
