The city of Gainesville hosted a community workshop on Tuesday to discuss plans for the Eighth Avenue and Waldo Road project, with local leaders pushing for shovels in the ground this year.  

Attendees traveled between stations to give input on different parts of the project: Citizens Field, MLK Jr. Multipurpose Center, Dwight H. Hunter Pool, Gainesville Fire Rescue Station 3, open spaces and outdoor courts.  

Stickers with smiley and frowny faces gauged interest in concrete bleachers, plastic bleachers or individual seats for a new Citizens Field and what kind of courts to install—from pickleball to basketball, ping pong to a climbing wall. 

At one point, concrete bleachers had all frowny faces save one while plastic bleachers had all smiley faces save one. 

Another station asked how the city should use an open plaza area. Options included a stage with shade, outdoor yoga, concerts, food trucks, art festivals, farmers markets, classic car shows and cultural/holiday celebrations. 

The data is being gathered by CHW Professional Consultants and Caldwell Architects, along with information from previous and future sessions, to present to city of Gainesville staff and the City Commission.  

Rick Smith, director of the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA), said around $14.1 million is set aside for the entire complex from the GCRA funds. Potential additional dollars have been earmarked from Wild Spaces Public Places (WSPP).  

The exact details remain in flux as the city and its consultants outline options like having multiple phases and figuring out what happens first or doing everything at once. 

Smith said the consultants will bring forward multiple scenarios with architectural imagery, site overlays and financing. He said staff hope to present to the City Commission before the summer recess in June.  

He said plans will include renovating current facilities to a “blue sky” scenario that involves a complete redesign of the Eighth Avenue and Waldo Road complex.  

The site plan used at Tuesday’s workshop showed an expanded Citizens Field with a track running around the central field. The current MLK Jr. Multipurpose Center would be turned into parking with a new 50,000-square-foot center built just north of Citizens Field.  

The Dwight H. Hunter Pool would adjoin the center, and outdoor courts and multipurpose fields would be added in the open spaces along the northwest side of the site.  

This plan would also reroute NE 14th Street that currently splits the site, allowing a larger pedestrian area around the stadium and a more unified site.  

The details, and cost, of that plan will be part of the package that returns to the City Commission—along with scaled-down versions. The seven commissioners will then need to settle on a concrete plan to move forward after decades of discussions and multiple iterations of the commission.  

A future workshop will be held before plans get sent to the City Commission.    

Mayor Harvey Ward, who attended Tuesday’s workshop, said in January that he wants a firm decision on the project in order to move forward. The current plans and deliberations have been in the works since Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut, also at the workshop, rejoined the commission in 2022. 

Chestnut said in January that she wants a shovel on the ground this year. In a 2023 interview with Mainstreet, Chestnut said residents in the neighborhoods surrounding the site have heard a lot of promises over the years. Many won’t believe the city will revitalize the complex until the dirt starts moving, she said.  

Citizens Field in particular is a unifying spot for the city. All three public Gainesville high schools play sports on the field and have for decades. The Alachua County Public School district leases the stadium from the city.  

“Everyone uses Citizens Field,” Chestnut said in that interview. “It’s where we have our games. People from the west buy into Citizens Field, people from the east, no matter where they are.”   

Just before Chestnut joined the board, former Commissioner David Arreola brought the issue to the dais. He pointed back to a 2017 plan to improve the site. Arreola said staff should consider using a part of its $32 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to renovate the site, saying it had deteriorated and needed work. 0