Gainesville Residents’ Challenge to City’s Elimination of Single-Family Zoning on hold while new City Commission reverses vote

Press release from Gainesville Neighborhood Voices, Inc.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On January 9, 2023, Administrative Law Judge E. Gary Early issued an Order canceling the scheduled February 14, 2023 hearing of the case filed by Petitioners Peggy Carr and Faye Williams. Their petition challenged the City of Gainesville’s October 2022 ordinance eliminating single-family zoning.

The Order states, “the parties indicate that Respondent [City of Gainesville] has determined to adopt a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to reverse the amendment that is the subject of this proceeding, thus resolving the issues in dispute.” As a result, the case is suspended temporarily, or “held in abeyance.”

The parties are given until May 9, 2023, to confer and advise the Judge of the status of the comprehensive plan amendment reversal.

Because the legal challenge to the elimination of single-family zoning remains unresolved, the City’s ordinance has not become effective. All single-family zoning classifications are still in place, and, as a result, it remains illegal to build multi-family housing in neighborhoods zoned for single-family housing.

Carr and Williams’ petition was supported by the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners, which intervened on the residents’ behalf. As an Intervenor, Alachua County’s challenge is also on hold.  

This Order does not refer to the State of Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) hearing petition, which was filed as a separate legal challenge to the City’s ordinance.

The Order Canceling the Hearing and Placing the Case in Abeyance can be found here. Carr and Williams’ full Petition for Formal Administrative Hearing, challenging the City of Gainesville, can be found here.

The State of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s Petition for Formal Administrative Hearing challenging the City’s elimination of single-family zoning is here.

Carr and Williams’ petition was supported by Gainesville Neighborhood Voices, Inc. Casey Fitzgerald, President of the nonprofit organization, expressed gratitude to petitioners Carr and Williams for filing the petitions and to Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut for leading the vote reversal. “These valiant efforts will help community healing and allow Gainesville to pursue meaningful, strategic affordable housing sooner rather than later.”  

  • Kudos to those who championed the reversal by the prior communist commission. Now there is at least a commission that has some semblance of hearing the voices. Amazing what happens when the 3 socialists are no longer tuning out and ignoring the residents. Remember that when those three butt buddies decide to run for office again.

    Just think of the possibilities if we can get rid of that wacko Saco.

  • >