Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Services - Cornerstone Development

{
  "id": 245877,
  "_slug": "cityofgainesville",
  "title": "Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Services - Cornerstone Development",
  "status": "pending",
  "summary": "<p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\">The Cornerstone Development is a City-owned, pad-ready commercial development located approximately two miles east of downtown Gainesville. The site benefits from prior site approvals that streamline development timelines, proximity to established medical, research, transit, and community facilities, and a planned senior living facility nearby. The City seeks an experienced brokerage firm to actively market available development pads and parcels and assist in securing qualified purchasers.</p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\">&nbsp;</p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\">The Cornerstone Development is comprised of two phases, Cornerstone I and Cornerstone II.&nbsp; Cornerstone I consists of two built parcels and three vacant. &nbsp;The 31,000-SF Gainesville Training, Educational <span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">and Community Center (&ldquo;GTEC Center&rdquo;) and the 25,000-SF Merieux Nutrisciences building (&ldquo;Merieux&rdquo;) occupy two built-out lots of the six originally comprising the Cornerstone Campus.</span></p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\">&nbsp;</p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">GTEC Center is an incubator for small, local and diverse businesses in Gainesville and also contains the offices of the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (&ldquo;GCRA&rdquo;), which is the City department charged with revitalizing East Gainesville, Downtown and a portion of the area surrounding the University of Florida Campus. The Center <span style=\"color: black;\">(see Exhibit A, C and D for location) </span>was first constructed in 2000 as North Central Florida&rsquo;s first high-tech incubator, but its utility declined after the Dot Com Crash of 2001 and with the construction of two incubators by the University of Florida in the City of Alachua.&nbsp; <span style=\"color: #231f20;\">GTEC now serves a broader base of entrepreneurs, currently housing 16 businesses&mdash;94% minority-owned and 50% women-owned&mdash;while supporting workforce training, certification exams, and community events.</span></span></p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\">&nbsp;</p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">With its pivot to serving small, local and diverse businesses in East Gainesville, the GCRA is planning for a $5.5 million refurbishment and rebranding of the GTEC Center. <span style=\"color: #231f20;\">A 2021 analysis and feasibility study identified issues with outdated facilities, including oversized labs, limited small office spaces, and insufficient community areas. Community input through surveys, meetings, and focus groups emphasized the need for modernizing GTEC to enhance programming, community access, and support for minority-owned and locally focused businesses. Recommendations included creating flexible office spaces, improving common areas, and expanding entrepreneurial training. &nbsp;On February 19, 2026, the Gainesville City Commission approved a contract with local company D.G. Scorpio Construction to renovate the building.&nbsp; Construction is expected to be completed by January 2028.</span></span></p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\">&nbsp;</p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><span style=\"color: #231f20;\">These upgrades will position the GTEC Center as a key driver of local economic development, fostering small business growth and revitalizing East Gainesville.</span> <span style=\"color: #231f20;\">The GTEC Center refurbishment is expected to begin in spring 2026 and be completed by spring 2028.</span></span></p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\">&nbsp;</p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">M&eacute;rieux NutriSciences</span><span style=\"color: black;\"> (see Exhibit A, C and D for location) is a global food safety and quality partner &mdash; offering testing, labeling, auditing, consulting, sensory, training and research services to the food &amp; nutrition industry that has been located at Cornerstone since 2015. Headquartered in Chicago, M&eacute;rieux NutriSciences has grown from a single laboratory founded in Chicago Heights, IL, in 1967 to a global presence throughout North, Latin and South America, Europe, Middle-East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Present in 27 countries, M&eacute;rieux NutriSciences employs more than 8,000 people worldwide with more than 100 accredited laboratories. With a primary focus on food safety and quality, the company delivers services in various business sectors.</span></span></p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\">&nbsp;</p><p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 130%; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><span class=\"normaltextrun\"><span style=\"line-height: 130%;\">Cornerstone II lies west of SE 21<sup>st</sup> Street and is approximately 21 acres in size. It includes the 9,000 sf UF Health Clinic, which opened in August 2024, providing much-needed healthcare services to the community. The clinic&rsquo;s construction came from a combined $4.5&nbsp;million&nbsp;of City and County funds from the American Relief Plan Act funds.</span></span><span class=\"eop\"><span style=\"line-height: 130%;\">&nbsp; With the completion of a $3.8 million roadway and stormwater infrastructure project in July 2025, Cornerstone 1 and II finally were connected.</span></span><span class=\"normaltextrun\"><span style=\"line-height: 130%;\">&nbsp;</span></span><span class=\"eop\"><span style=\"line-height: 130%; color: rgb(0, 120, 212);\">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 130%; font-size: 12pt;\">&nbsp;</p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><span class=\"normaltextrun\"><span style=\"color: black; background: white;\">Another key component of Cornerstone II is the proposed Regional Transit System (RTS) transfer station, funded by a $4.1 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration. Once completed, this hub will strengthen transportation options for East Gainesville, supporting both economic growth and improved mobility for residents and workers, who currently&nbsp;travel to the Rosa Parks Downtown Station to connect with most RTS routes. Construction design and permitting are currently underway, and construction is&nbsp;anticipated&nbsp;to begin in early 2026.&nbsp;The City expects to release a solicitation&nbsp;in&nbsp;April, select a vendor in May, receive approval from the City Commission in June&nbsp;and start construction in October.</span></span><span class=\"eop\"><span style=\"color: black; background: white;\">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style=\"line-height: 130%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 11pt;\">&nbsp;</p>",
  "isPaused": false,
  "template": {
    "title": "REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL"
  },
  "addendums": [],
  "copyCount": 0,
  "isPrivate": false,
  "comingSoon": false,
  "created_at": "2026-03-12T15:32:27.217Z",
  "department": {
    "id": 7138,
    "name": "GG_Financial Services: Purchasing & Contracts"
  },
  "government": {
    "code": "cityofgainesville",
    "organization": {
      "city": "Gainesville",
      "logo": "https://assets.procurement.opengov.com/logo-uploads/d9341ba6-d8b9-425f-b2d5-0173e46905d6_Screenshot_2024-06-25_at_19.10.54.png",
      "name": "City of Gainesville, FL",
      "phone": "(352)334-5000",
      "state": "FL",
      "website": "http://www.cityofgainesville.org/",
      "zipCode": "32601",
      "address1": "200 East University Ave",
      "address2": null,
      "phoneExt": null,
      "timezone": "America/New_York",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "phoneCountry": "1"
    }
  },
  "financialId": "GCRA-260033-AF",
  "closeOutReason": null,
  "closedSubstatus": null,
  "proposalDeadline": "2026-06-01T19:00:00.000Z",
  "releaseProjectDate": "2026-04-27T04:00:00.000Z"
}