The CRA Innovation Center is the largest single capital investment in the Bartow CRA’s history, and its clearest statement about where the District is headed. Now under construction at 180 Central Avenue North, the facility is on track to open in October 2026, funded through the CRA’s 2026 Bond Series.
When it opens, the Innovation Center will function as a collaborative hub for entrepreneurship, workforce development, and community engagement. It is being designed to co-locate key economic and community organizations, including CareerSource Polk, so that residents looking for training, businesses looking for support, and partners looking to coordinate on programming all find each other under one roof. CareerSource Polk will occupy the ground floor, with CRA administrative offices on the second.
The building will include modern office space, meeting rooms, and dedicated community programming space, the kind of facility downtown Bartow has not had before. The intent is straightforward: make it easier for people who want to start a business, train for a new career, or build a new community program to find the resources and partners they need without leaving the District.
Delivered by Rodda Construction, the Innovation Center represents a $3.4 million total project investment, the confirmed figure in the CRA’s records. It is the most significant capital commitment the CRA has made, and the clearest signal of where the District intends to grow.
The Innovation Center is more than a building. It is a bet that workforce growth, small business activation, and community programming all benefit from being in the same place. It is the most visible piece of the CRA’s strategy for the next decade, and it is coming to a downtown that is ready for it.