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HomeLocal governmentCounty reaches settlement on land for proposed Dollar General in Micanopy

County reaches settlement on land for proposed Dollar General in Micanopy

March 24, 2022

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

A cryptic “Proposed Settlement Agreement” with no backup on the consent agenda for the March 22 Alachua County Commission meeting turned out to be an agreement that will allow the County to purchase the parcel of land in Micanopy on which Concept Companies was trying to build a Dollar General.

In April of 2021, the county commission adopted a resolution declaring Tuscawilla Road a scenic road and, at the same meeting, failed to approve an exception that would have allowed trucks over 25 tons to use the road for access to the Dollar General store. The proposed store was also opposed by some Micanopy community members.

Concept Companies sued the County in November of 2021, asking the court to declare that the scenic road’s weight limit only applies to “thru traffic” and not to delivery trucks accessing the Dollar General property, and the settlement agreement announced on March 22 appears to settle that case.

During the announcements section of the commission meeting, County Spokesman Mark Sexton read the following statement: “We deeply appreciate the effort and cooperation of Concept Companies in reaching the settlement that we have just approved on the consent agenda. The settlement agreement works to the benefit of everyone who is affected by or interested in this development. It has been a difficult matter to resolve, and now we look forward to a better situation for everyone involved, and thank you to everyone who was a part of that process.”

Assistant County Attorney Corbin Hansen explained that the agreement allows the County to purchase the property and an adjacent piece of property “and preserve the values of those properties for the community as a whole.”

Commissioner Anna Prizzia made a motion to ask staff to “pursue due diligence, that we reach out to Micanopy and we explore a plan for the long-term and look into funding options and grant options that might help us to recoup the cost from the purchase of this land through the state monies that are available for conservation and cultural lands.”

Commissioner Ken Cornell said, “I think we’re about to do something pretty neat down there… as a result of us listening to the community.”

The motion passed unanimously.

  • Another example of the hypocRATS running Alachua County. The “I have mine and don’t want you or anyone else to have theirs” remains alive and well. They’ll probably turn it into a “park” or a “conservation easement” to prevent anyone else they deem “not worthy” from building or living there. Give it back to the ancestoral descendants if you are genuinely concerned.

    The black community better wake up… you’re always going to live on a plantation with these and city leaders.

    No wonder they don’t want single member districts.

  • There is a dollar store just a couple of miles south on 441…
    I have to agree with this decision. We need to preserve our historic roads while we still call. There aren’t that many of them left! Out and back

  • Moronz could purchase this but not the West End Golf Course and preserve that green space? FJB and the BOCC! And the goats they rode in on!

  • Thank you County Commissioners for having the courage deny a commercial retail store on our county scenic road and for protecting our heritage and historic land.

    • Chances are greater than 95% the road doesn’t bear your heritage nor your ancestral history.

      Their choosing to not allow Dollar General to build on the land has nothing to do with courage. It has to do with control; don’t be foolish to believe otherwise.

      • If it was an organic food store with fresh fruits and veggies, they would have bent over backwards to accommodate them. They have this idea that dollar stores don’t sell healthful foods and are harmful to communities (part of their white leftist elitist ideology/talking points/idiocy).

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