GAINESVILLE, FLA – Front Street Commercial Real Estate Group (Front Street) has been selected to work with the University of Florida (UF) and JLL as the local property management and leasing agent for Ayers Plaza at Innovation Square. UF has engaged JLL, a professional services firm specializing in commercial real estate, to manage UF’s assets in and around Innovation Square to accelerate progress in the area. Front Street’s role in this project began April 1, 2016.
Ayers Plaza is a key property at Innovation Square, as it has space available immediately for interested businesses wishing to capitalize on the strategic location in proximity to UF’s main campus. As JLL and UF work with site selectors, corporations and developers on the surrounding shovelready acreage, Front Street will work to fill existing office space in alignment with current area tenants.
“Front Street is pleased to partner with UF and JLL to build further momentum within Innovation Square by managing and leasing Ayers,” said Nick Banks, managing director, Front Street, “Our brokers in Gainesville and throughout the state are excited to bring new companies to our region.“
With expansion of the Florida Innovation Hub scheduled for completion in 2018 and JLL working to identify leasees for surrounding properties, existing office space at Ayers Plaza offers an immediate opportunity for businesses to maximize publicprivate partnerships and to connect technology and research offerings from UF with the market.
“Innovation Square is an important part of UF’s drive to preeminence,” said Lee Nelson, director, Office of Real Estate, University of Florida, “In order to compete with the universe of innovation districts around the country, UF enlisting JLL and Front Street will enable the message of Innovation Square to be spread to the potential users and developers who will find value in creating something at one of the country’s premier research universities.”
Front Street has already started marketing Ayers Plaza in coordination with UF and JLL as part of a longterm vision for Innovation Square and the surrounding area. Additinal information about the property can be found at: http://www.frontstreet.net/ayersplaza.
ABOUT FRONT STREET:
Front Street Commercial Real Estate Group is a leader in the Central and North Central Florida commercial real estate business. The company’s mission is to impact its community, clients and industry by doing commercial real estate differently. Front Street is committed to leadership in the commercial real estate business by offering superior brokerage, commercial mortgage banking and property management solutions to its commercial real estate clients. For more information please visit www.FrontStreet.net.
ABOUT JLL:
(NYSE: JLL) is a professional services and investment management firm offering specialized real estate services to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying and investing in real estate. With annual fee revenue of $4.0 billion and gross revenue of $4.5 billion, JLL has more than 200 corporate offices, operates in 75 countries and has a global workforce of approximately 53,000. On behalf of its clients, the firm provides management and real estate outsourcing services for a property portfolio of 3.0 billion square feet, or 280.0 million square meters, and completed $99.0 billion in sales, acquisitions and finance transactions in 2013. Its investment management business, LaSalle Investment Management, has $53.0 billion of real estate assets under management. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit www.jll.com.
ABOUT INNOVATION SQUARE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Innovation Square brings technology and business together, enabling companies to harness the innovations of researchers at the University of Florida. Serving as a live/work/play community to foster the collision of ideas and the collaborative spirit of today’s researchers and entrepreneurs, Innovation Square features a longterm, 40acre urban plan that will include more than five million square feet of labs, offices, residences, shops, restaurants and more. For further information, visit: http://innovationsquare.ufl.edu/.