Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Services - Cornerstone Development

Summary

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. The Cornerstone Development is comprised of two phases, Cornerstone I and Cornerstone II. Cornerstone I consists of two built parcels and three vacant. The 31,000-SF Gainesville Training, Educational and Community Center (“GTEC Center”) and the 25,000-SF Merieux Nutrisciences building (“Merieux”) occupy two built-out lots of the six originally comprising the Cornerstone Campus. GTEC Center is an incubator for small, local and diverse businesses in Gainesville and also contains the offices of the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (“GCRA”), 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 (see Exhibit A, C and D for location) was first constructed in 2000 as North Central Florida’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. GTEC now serves a broader base of entrepreneurs, currently housing 16 businesses—94% minority-owned and 50% women-owned—while supporting workforce training, certification exams, and community events. 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. A 2021 analysis and feasibility study identified issues with outdated facilities, including oversized labs, limited small office spaces, and insufficient community areas.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. On February 19, 2026, the Gainesville City Commission approved a contract with local company D.G. Scorpio Construction to renovate the building. Construction is expected to be completed by January 2028. These upgrades will position the GTEC Center as a key driver of local economic development, fostering small business growth and revitalizing East Gainesville. The GTEC Center refurbishment is expected to begin in spring 2026 and be completed by spring 2028. Mérieux NutriSciences (see Exhibit A, C and D for location) is a global food safety and quality partner — offering testing, labeling, auditing, consulting, sensory, training and research services to the food & nutrition industry that has been located at Cornerstone since 2015. Headquartered in Chicago, Mérieux 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, Mérieux 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. Cornerstone II lies west of SE 21 st 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’s construction came from a combined $4.5 million of City and County funds from the American Relief Plan Act funds. With the completion of a $3.8 million roadway and stormwater infrastructure project in July 2025, Cornerstone 1 and II finally were connected. 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 travel to the Rosa Parks Downtown Station to connect with most RTS routes. Construction design and permitting are currently underway, and construction is anticipated to begin in early 2026. The City expects to release a solicitation in April, select a vendor in May, receive approval from the City Commission in June and start construction in October.