Farmlands: Video from Planning & Zoning Board Meeting
Here is the video from the City of Alachua Planning & Zoning Board (PZB) meeting from 4/21. It is queued to start at the Farmlands items. Farmlands is 182 acres south of 441 on 188th St by the Alachua sign (tree farm between Wawa and High Springs) is up for major changes. My goal is to get the word out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OapH42J7We4&t=9272s
There's a lot of talk in the community that a Walmart will go here, traditionally that will not be confirmed until a much later stage. (I have reliable sources I trust that also shared this information but the public will not see this in writing for quite some time.)
What's important now is, if land use and zoning change, that type of development will be allowed by right. So it's not just who will be there, it's what the public and City Commission will allow on the land.
Before we go in detail on the video, action items:
- Email planning@cityofalachua.com, commissioners@cityofalachua.org
Subject line "Farmlands May 4th"
Optional: copy speakupalachua@gmail.com
- Attend the meeting on Monday, May 4th at Alachua City Hall
What you'll see where the video is queued are two items:
1. The first one for Farmlands is a "Future Land Use Map" which is a request to change how the City designated areas. This is a legislative item, which to my understanding, is to "change the rules" of what's already established by the City. For this property, the current rule is a small strip of commercial space on 441. The applicant is requesting to change it to a larger area - see the map attached. Little pink box (current), big red box (proposed). This also includes 203 homes. The applicant will say they are reducing the number of homes, that is because it's for more commercial space.
A request to change the map passed as a 3-1 vote by the PZB which is a recommending body, and it does carry weight. Next it goes to City Commission to review in two different meetings, the first is Monday, May 4th.
2. The second Farmlands item is to rezone. This is only possible because the previous item passed. If the land use change fails, the rezone cannot proceed. That passed the PZB as well.
I requested the presentation slides from the City of Alachua on April 22 so I could share them here. As of April 23, no response yet and they're closed for three days, so for now the graphics are only available in the video.
