Letter: Sept. 22 meeting will reconsider the future of the Weyerhaueser property on SR 121
I live in an agricultural/rural part of town on the west side of Gainesville, north of the 441 Highway Patrol station. SR 121 runs north through Seminole Woods, LaCrosse to Lake Butler, and north to the Osceola National Forest. The area is a wetland and home to many kinds of wildlife including the bald eagle seen on occasion. The area epitomizes the Nature Coast: the Santa Fe River, Rocky Creek, and Little Monteocha Creek wind through this section of North Florida, discharging into the property owned by Weyerhaeuser, originally zoned agricultural rural.
A meeting is scheduled for 9/22 at 6:30 p.m. to change the future land use map and rezone SR 121 North of 441 and entails:
- Amending future land use on the portion of the property currently designated as Single Family and Residential Low Density to Mixed-Use Office Residential.
- Designating Planned Development (PD) zoning on a portion of the property.
- Amending development requirements/entitlements established in the City’s Comprehensive Plan related to density, design standards, and environmental protections.
I don’t have many connections in Gainesville, but anyone living along this corridor will be greatly impacted by this development. If there is anyone concerned about setting this precedent or changing comp plans for the benefit of one developer, feel free to forward this information to any groups or individuals. Emails can be sent to cpb@cityofgainesville.org.
This issue was litigated, and a final ruling opposed the change. Weyerhaueser has come back again to amend the comp plan. http://flrules.elaws.us/doahcase/20-000581?fbclid=IwAR0xID9qLtvtcEqAbSAAcY_wybfcegusUkK2qXBjgIFcVHhjkVM9vwbgz8E.
Here is an article from 2018 describing the project.
https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/politics/county/2019/07/19/weyerhaeuser-restarts-vast-project-for-north-gainesville/4650494007/?fbclid=IwAR0uEs6ipdzofNpqN1aqZtVyUzR3QgE3Ao-Cqy1426brCnumSPoeswAo2KY
Debra Stucki, Gainesville
The opinions expressed by letter or opinion writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AlachuaChronicle.com. Letters may be submitted to info@alachuachronicle.com and are published at the discretion of the editor.
Appreciate your efforts but the City Commissioners of Gainesville could care less. The progressive liberals elected them, now we all have to live with their ignorance.
Both the commissioners’ and the voters’ ignorance.
Everyone here with me (a roomful) agree with that. The Gainesville Shltty Commission will act in whatever manner provides (in order of precedence):
1) Personal benefit to them (public or secretly)
2) Favor to a supporter or future benefactor
3) Publicity of being super woke so as to get noticed by Nancy P or Chucky boy or Andru Gillum.
4) Whatever the regular public attendees don’t want.
Excuse me but the City Commission does not give a rat’s ass about you or what you want.