Citizens Field could soon switch owners, paving the way for Alachua County Public Schools to build a new $22 million to $25 million stadium.
The Gainesville City Commission directed staff Thursday to begin negotiating with the School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) for the sale of Citizens Field, the home stadium to all three of the city’s public high schools. The commissioners also set their priorities for the rest of the 8th Avenue and Waldo Road complex renovation.
SBAC asked for the sale option earlier this year. The public school system currently leases and manages the facility under a 40-year contract with the city. In March, Gainesville Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut, who has spearheaded a redevelopment project, said she was reluctant to agree to a sale.
At the time, the City Commission asked its staff to discuss partnership possibilities, but without ownership, the school board said it couldn’t use infrastructure funds to help renovate the stadium.
Chestnut made a motion to negotiate the sale of Citizens Field. The decision comes as city revenues fall short of the cost to renovate the entire 34-acre site. Since March, the city’s consultants returned with a $84 million price tag, including a new Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center, a new Dwight H. Hunter Pool, renovated multipurpose fields and a potential senior citizen center.
Gainesville currently has around $18 million for the project. By selling Citizens Field to its primary user, the city could earn some funding to help with the rest of the site.
In a letter to the city this summer, the school district recommended a sale price of one dollar. Gainesville Chief Operating Officer Andrew Persons asked the commission if it wanted to pursue a sale in that price range as part of the partnership or if it expected to sell closer to the approximate value of the underlying land at $1 million.
School board staff said the district has $22 million to $25 million for the project. Any funds the district uses to purchase the land can’t be used to actually build the new stadium.
The city’s consultants estimated that a stadium could cost anywhere between $10 million for a renovation to $35 million for a high-end stadium with a track around the field.
Gainesville staff said the site prep for the stadium and associated parking, like stormwater and utilities, would cost around $4 million to $5 million. The site prep would also benefit the city’s future work on the complex.
Commissioners discussed splitting the cost with SBAC and left staff wide leeway for negotiations. The contract would need to return to the commission for approval, and the motion included letting the city use the stadium five times a year for events and requirements that the site remain a stadium and open for the 2028-2029 school year.
SBAC staff said the site would take around 34 to 36 months to finish once the contracts are signed.
The City Commission then ordered its priorities as follows:
- Remediation and sitework
- New competition pool and aquatics center
- Community pool element
- Multipurpose fields
- Site prep for future senior citizens center
The commission said it plans to split the projects into two tiers, those with current funding and those that would need to be funded later. The remediation, sitework, competition pool and aquatics center would be able to proceed to design and construction.
With the order of importance, Gainesville staff plans to find a contractor for final design plans and see how the final costs will compare to the estimates before moving forward with construction.
The funding crunch also fueled another major decision. Early plans showed a redesigned road network inside the complex. Right now, NE 14th Street divides the complex and separates Citizens Field from parking, the MLK Jr. Multipurpose Center and Dwight H. Hunter Pool.
The city’s consultants recommended pushing the major amenities together with walkable spaces between them. But the reorganization would also cost millions extra.
The City Commission’s current path also delays a new MLK Jr. Multipurpose Center, making a renovation more likely.
Besides the complex itself, the Gainesville City Commission also voted to set aside $2 million for an economic development grant for the corridor directly around Citizens Field.
According to the city, the corridor has 39 vacant commercial, residential and industrial lots. The goal is to provide funding that incentivizes a business to set up shop in the area or a landowner to renovate and rent an empty home.
Commercial buildings over 5,000 square feet could receive up to $100,000, and buildings under that size could get up to $50,000. The program requires a match by the private owner.
The program also includes a facade improvement portion for occupied homes and businesses within the corridor boundaries. The corridor set aside for the grant program includes less than 100 parcels, and city staff plans to inform each of the eligible property owners.
Commissioners said the goal is to rejuvenate the entire area, not just the city complex, and to incentivize private dollars to flow to nearby parcels.