City Gives Final Plat Approval for Subdivision

ALACHUA ‒ The Alachua City Commission met on Dec. 13 at its final commission meeting of the year, reviewing the City’s financial standing. Finance and Administrative Services Director Robert Bonetti reported that the City’s budget is in good shape with more sources of funding than was used during the year.

At the end of the budget period, which began Oct. 1, 2020 and ended Sept. 30, 2021, funds for the city totaled $46,311,081 with funding sources totaling 103 percent and funds usage totaling 88 percent. Funds available to the City include an investment portfolio of $1,615,080 and cash holdings of 17,720,995.

In other business, developers of Savannah Station Phase 2B requested final plat approval for the subdivision of a 15.64-acre property into 64 lots, with associated right-of-way and common areas. The proposed development is located north of Savannah Station Phase I and Pilot Forest subdivisions, west of the Shady Lane Acres unrecorded survey and Interstate 75, and east of Northwest County Road 235. Construction Plans for Savannah Station Phases 2B and 2C were approved administratively on Oct. 28. Each approval was based on completion of the previous plats infrastructure and a surety deposit totaling 10 percent of the infrastructure cost, which must be covered by the developer.

To meet the City’s Land Development Regulations (LDRs), the approved Construction Plans for Savannah Station Phase 2B and 2C proposes to provide a total of 184 replacement trees onsite. The City's LDRs require new trees to be installed to replace healthy regulated trees that are removed for the subdivision on a one-for-one basis. If the tree replacement cannot be located on the proposed development, the LDRs allow for off-site mitigation. Off-site mitigation trees may be planted in City-owned properties and parks, City rights-of-way, conservation areas owned by the City, and within medians of State and County roads. Heritage and champion trees must be replaced on an inch-for-inch basis.

The number of trees proposed for removal would require 214 additional replacement trees to be planted to compensate for trees that are removed. The remaining off-site trees will cost $33,932, an amount that must be paid to the City prior to issuing a building permit for new construction associated with the final plat.

The preliminary plat for Savannah Station Phase II was approved by the City Commission on Feb. 12, 2019 and the Final Plat for Savannah Station Phase 2A, Unit 2 was approved March 8, 2021. The infrastructure for Savannah Station Phase 2A, Unit 1 was completed in accordance with the Subdividers Agreement and the City’s Land Development Regulations on Oct. 15, 2020.

In other business, the City has awarded contracts totaling $54,000 after the formal bidding process for labor and materials for mowing and landscaping services for the Municipal Complex/Swick House, Skinner Park/Alachua Lions Club & TK Basin. For companies responded with bids. The Municipal Complex/Swick House and TK Basin portions of RFB 2022-01 was awarded to SAS Lawncare, Inc. for $3,500 monthly. The Skinner Park/Lions Club portion of RFB 2022-01 was awarded to Royal Grounds Solutions, LLC for $1,000 monthly.

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