The Streatery, an outdoor seating area that allows downtown Gainesville restaurants to have additional outdoor seats, was supposed to be ready for the public prior to the first game. It wasn’t.
Instead, the city had a soft opening on the Friday before Labor Day, nearly five months after construction began. The official new grand opening date, which includes a ribbon-cutting, is now expected in early November, but “we have a ways to go,” Mayor Harvey Ward said.
The construction barriers that blocked the corridor for months were removed, allowing visitors to get their first look at the renovated Streatery and for crowds to gather downtown for Florida’s first two home football games.
“It’d be nice to have everything come together at once,” said Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area Director Rick Smith. “And that’s a good thing because we started April 13. There's no barriers to anybody coming down and the businesses are fully open for business.”
Crews have completed most of the brick paver work, with the exception of light pole locations. According to the Sept. 1 construction updates, furnishings, planters along the corridor and bike racks are scheduled to be installed sometime soon in mid-September. Planning for public art has also started, but there isn’t a timeline for public engagement.
Gainesville residents and football fans aren’t the only ones benefitting from the Streatery’s soft opening. The timing was especially important for businesses along the Streatery. Daniel Hughes, one of the owners of Loosey’s Downtown, said the current state of the Streatery is much more inviting than it used to be.
“The first game is almost always the second-best game of the year for business,” Hughes said.
Pedestrians can now visit the updated Streatery, but the new grand opening target date is particularly important for downtown businesses. Florida’s football team faces Oklahoma on Nov. 7, an event that will bring in many visitors.
“There’s always one big standout, which I think this year is going to be Oklahoma,” Hughes said.
Businesses have remained open throughout construction, but Hughes said that noise and the restricted areas made it challenging to attract customers.
“It’s loud, dusty and hard to navigate,” Hughes said. “You couldn’t drive up, you couldn’t walk by and see us, you couldn’t walk in and be like, ‘Oh, there’s Loosey’s, and they’re open.’”
Hughes expects the revamped Streatery to create a different look for Loosey’s and the surrounding downtown area.
The Streatery was first created during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide businesses with an area for outdoor seating. Since its creation, Ward said he has envisioned renovations to the area. In March, the Gainesville City Commission unanimously approved spending up to $4.5 million on the project.
Some of the Streatery’s infrastructure dates back more than 100 years, Ward said. Crews removed old, uneven bricks to repair drainage and electrical systems and installed new brick pavers to increase pedestrian safety.
Brian Singleton, the city’s interim chief operating officer, recalled uneven sidewalks and poor drainage in the area during his time as a University of Florida student. He said he is glad to see the infrastructure brought into compliance with current regulations.
Work is still yet to be done, but Singleton expects that once completed, the renovations will remain under the $4.5 million budget.
Smith said he anticipates events including street markets, farmers markets and other activities at the Streatery. He also emphasized the importance of businesses downtown, hoping to drive traffic so more people visit the establishments.
“There’s been a major project, and it looks like it’s going to be done soon,” Ward said. “A lot of things will be able to happen here that have not been able to happen here in the past.”