After the new Blount Hall opened in 2022, Santa Fe College reports nearly tripled enrollment in continuing education and doubled enrollment for credit courses housed at its downtown campus.
The Blount Hall, anchoring the corner of University Avenue and NW 6th Street, took decades to reach completion, but Santa Fe College President Paul Broadie II says the next phases of the Saints’ downtown Gainesville campus will quickly build off the success of the hall.
“We opened Blount because we wanted to make sure we were serving the needs in a major way on that side of town,” Broadie said in an interview. “And what has occurred, it has been beyond our expectations.”
The enrollment at the downtown campus rose from 800 students in credit programs to 1,814 students, and the continuing education program jumped from 250 students to over 600 students.
Broadie credits the steep increase in enrollment to several factors. He said the location is accessible to east Gainesville and Alachua County, and the college expanded its program offerings and wraparound services at the site, making it a completely independent campus.
Broadie added that the new hall serves as a nexus for education and community.
The building hosts community events throughout the year. So far this year, events have included leadership training by the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce, Dream on Purpose’s Cupcakes and Conversations, part of Gainesville’s Journey to Juneteenth celebration and a book launch party for “My Little Spade.”
He said these events, along with targeted outreach, serve as marketing and let residents know about programs available.
Santa Fe has two buildings just north of Blount Hall that the college has used for years—the Blount Center (1990) and Blount General Classroom Building (2005). In total, the college has more than nine acres of land around that intersection.
“It has a lot more potential, and we foresee a lot more growth down at the Blount Campus,” Broadie said. “There’s some interesting things that we’re going to do to further address the needs down there.”
The Santa Fe College Foundation owns the strip mall across NW 6th Street, with the PPG Paints and KED Plasma, along with the empty Planned Furnishings building across University Avenue. Another parcel, a grass strip used for overflow parking, just north of Blount Hall parking lot is also owned by the college.
Broadie said the college plans to turn the strip mall into the home for workforce development and community education programs. An Automotive Technology and Training Center will also be located within walking distance of the Blount Campus, he said.
Santa Fe College asked the Florida Legislature for $13 million to acquire more property downtown. The Legislature allocated half of that number, but Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the $6.5 million.
Regardless, Broadie said the automotive center will move from the Northwest Campus to be housed entirely at the new location. He said the estimated timeline has the facility opening in late 2026 or early 2027.
“Here’s my philosophy: the longer you wait, the more students you’re not serving,” Broadie said. “So, we’re being very deliberate, very methodical, but we’re not pushing this out 10 years, right? We’re trying to get it done because the need is now.”
The college is focused on the automotive facility first, with plans for the strip mall less developed.
He added that Santa Fe College is focused on growing and meeting needs across its service territory—Alachua and Bradford counties.
With $1.8 million from the Legislature, the Ralph W. Cellon Jr. Institute for Skilled Trades and Advanced Manufacturing is under construction at the college’s main Northwest Campus and projected to open next year.
Broadie said the college has partnered with Bradford County Public Schools to implement a nursing program. Santa Fe College’s Davis Center in Archer has grown 10%, and Broadie said the college is looking into having a signature program at the site.
“The growth is deliberate, and it’s the growth of Santa Fe,” Broadie said. “We’re not just focused on one area, trying to grow there. It just so happens that there’s a great need downtown, and that’s where we’re putting some emphasis.”
The downtown Gainesville campus offers synergies with the University of Florida. Broadie said the two institutions are strong partners.
Santa Fe has moved its Center for Innovation and Economic Development to the Blount Center, and Broadie said the center is working on a joint program with UF Innovate.
Mayor Harvey Ward said the core of Gainesville will become more unified as Santa Fe College expands its offerings at Blount Hall, tying the downtown area with the UF campus.
He said the college has done fantastic, calculated work to meet community needs without creating new ones. Blount Hall has caused more downtown activity, and as the downtown campus expands, Ward said pedestrian traffic will also increase in that corridor.
He said it’s inevitable that more apartments rise along University Avenue as well.
The city is already working with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to make improvements along the road and 13th Street.
“We have to push [FDOT] to continue to do safety improvements, and if we do that, we’ll be all right,” Ward said. “But if they don’t stay after, especially those spaces between downtown and UF campus, it’s going to get far more dangerous.”
A built-out Santa Fe campus and more residents in the downtown area will bring a boost for the core economy of the city, and Gainesville’s City Commission is investing to improve the downtown experience for visitors.
Broadie said Santa Fe students will be in the middle of it at the Blount Campus, visiting businesses, partnering with UF and graduating ready to make an impact.
“You got the No. 1 college in the state—our Student Success data shows that—and then you have a top 6 university across the street,” Broadie said. “Gainesville is an education hub that really produces a lot of talent, and we’re right in the mix of that.”