On Sept. 4, two hours after a downpour, Mayor Harvey Ward stood on the new brick of SW First Avenue and pointed out that there was no standing water in the street. "That in itself is a win," he said, according to The Independent Florida Alligator. Much of what crews replaced under that block was more than a century old.
That afternoon the construction fences came down and the public could walk onto the Streatery, the two blocks of SW First Avenue between South Main Street and SW Second Street. The official ribbon-cutting is set for Friday, Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. If you have walked through since September, you may have taken it for a nicer sidewalk. It is better understood as a stage. The city spent several million dollars making permanent something the block had already shown it could do: get people into the street, then into the businesses that line it.
A closure that became a business model
The Streatery started as an emergency. In September 2020 the city closed SW First Avenue between South Main and SW Second Street so restaurants could put tables in the road during the pandemic. In August 2022 the City Commission voted 4-2 to keep the two blocks pedestrian-only for good.
Over the next six years, some businesses built their revenue around the closed street. Jacob Larson, who owns The Bull, a bar and music venue on the corridor, told WUFT in 2025 that about a third of the bar's income came from free events held on the street. He also predicted the rebuilt corridor could raise sales by as much as 25%.
That dependence on events explains the design. The old roadway was a car street with tables on it. The new one is built for crowds from the start.
What the money went toward
The price climbed at every stage of planning, as reported by the Alligator and Mainstreet Daily News:
| When | Estimate or approval |
|---|---|
| 2022 | About $1 million per block, from a city architect's estimate |
| October 2024 | $2.4 million for the two-block concept plan |
| March 2025 | $3.2 million |
| March 2026 | Construction contract with D.E. Scorpio Corp., capped at $4.5 million |
Across planning, design and construction, the City of Gainesville's project page shows $4.95 million budgeted, paid for with gas tax dollars and Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area funds. The GCRA is a city-county partnership, and the county puts in more of the money: roughly $40 million of a program of about $70 million that runs from 2019 to 2029.
Most of the city's feature list is about hosting events:
- Retractable bollards at the intersections, so the street can open to maintenance and event vehicles and then close again.
- Power outlets on both sides of the corridor for events and programming.
- Pedestrian-scale lights that can be dimmed for ambiance during events and turned up for security after hours.
- Overhead string lights and tree uplighting that can be programmed for holidays and awareness events.
- A curbless street rebuilt from building face to building face, with room for larger outdoor cafés.
- Raised intersections at the SW Second Street and SW First Street crossings.
Some details are easy to miss on foot. The existing live oaks stayed, and new trees went in where there was no canopy. The pavers are non-beveled for accessibility and for anyone wearing heels. Crews salvaged the historic horseshoe hardscape and worked it back in, and some of the old bricks now sit in the raised intersections. The remaining historic brick and granite curb was set aside to repair other brick streets in the city.
Who is on the bricks now
At the Sept. 4 opening, Ward said every storefront along the Streatery was leased and open. The county's communications director, Mark Sexton, told the Alligator that all the businesses got through construction without closing. The city lists these businesses on SW First Avenue: Bourbon Street, The Bull, Capone's, Loosey's, Lor Kebab, Nest + Nibble, Surterra Wellness and Tekton Architecture. Around the corner on SW Second Street are Alpin Bistro, Café Voltaire, DTC Liquors, GainzVille Hub and How Bazar. City Church, The Loft and Signal Lounge face SW First Street.
Two businesses timed their openings to the street's. Brewing Thoughts, a student-owned coffee truck run by Titan Wojciak and Sofia Ortiz, moved into a storefront facing the corridor, between The Bull and Lor Kebab, as WUFT reported. Its grand opening was Friday, Sept. 18. Nest + Nibble, a mobile charcuterie business, soft-opened once the major construction was done.
Before the rebuild, a weekday morning coffee and a charcuterie counter had no obvious place on this block. Now they sit next to bars that do most of their business at night, and the street has reasons to be busy at more hours of the day.
The businesses already here are moving out onto the bricks. The city now allows tables, chairs, fencing and flower beds up to 27 feet from a business's building. Johnny Conti of Capone's told the Alligator the club recently opened a kitchen and plans an outdoor seating area with a large TV for game days.
What is still on its way
Ward was clear on Sept. 4 that the work wasn't done. "This is not a grand opening. We have a ways to go," he said, pointing to overhead lights and street furniture still to come. In its last dated construction update, from Sept. 1, the city said the permanent light poles were still waiting on a delivery date from the manufacturer. Temporary lighting was in place until the poles, fixtures, overhead string lights and tree uplights could be installed. The same update scheduled furnishings, edge planters and bike racks for mid-September.
The middle of the corridor is also unfinished. In July the city said it would issue a request for proposals for interactive public art, and that it would leave out center furnishings and planters until an artwork is chosen. By Sept. 1, planning for the art had started, and a timeline for public input was being prepared. The open space at the center of the street is waiting for that piece.
The city is also paying for improvements on the storefront side. On Aug. 13, the General Policy Committee approved a $500,000 Streatery Improvement Grant program for public-facing upgrades in the surrounding blocks, such as storefronts, signage, awnings, outdoor dining furniture, lighting and accessibility features. As the Alligator described it, the program covers the first $15,000 of eligible costs and half of each dollar after that, up to $50,000 per business. The city's grant page lists the application deadline as Friday, Dec. 4, 2026 at 5 p.m. Downtown business owners with questions about eligibility should go to the city's program page and staff, which have the details.
GCRA Director Rick Smith told WUFT he expects street markets, farmers markets and other activities on the corridor. No dates for a recurring series have been announced.
The first stretch on the calendar
The ribbon-cutting falls the night before one of the season's biggest weekends downtown. Florida plays Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 7. Daniel Hughes, one of the owners of Loosey's Downtown, told WUFT, "There's always one big standout, which I think this year is going to be Oklahoma."
From there, the next two months downtown look like this:
- Friday, Nov. 6, 5 p.m.: Official Streatery ribbon-cutting on SW First Avenue.
- Nov. 14–15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: The 44th Downtown Festival & Art Show, with more than 200 artists, live music, performances and food.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: A free screening of "Ratatouille" at Bo Diddley Plaza.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, noon: A Very GNV Holiday Parade, running from W. University Avenue and Sixth Street to the Alachua County Public Schools Administration Building at 620 E. University Ave.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 5 to 8 p.m.: The free Holiday Lights Celebration at the newly renovated City Hall Plaza, 200 E. University Ave., on the same day as the Holiday Kids' Dance Party at Bo Diddley Plaza.
- Thursday, Dec. 31: Downtown Countdown at Bo Diddley Plaza.
None of these events is officially programmed on the Streatery itself. All of them bring people within a few blocks of it, and the corridor is now built to take crowds. The city designed its string lights and tree uplights to change for the holidays. If the permanent fixtures are installed by December, this will be the first holiday season the block can use them.
The Streatery has been open to walk since Sept. 4, and the ribbon-cutting on Nov. 6 marks it as officially finished. If you're relocating with UF or UF Health and want to see how downtown fits into a daily routine, Anna Olcese and the Olcese Group can include the Streatery in your neighborhood tour. Let's find your place. Schedule a relocation consultation.
