Local

• City of Alachua Honors Educator

•  Wilford Will Not Seek Reelection

ALACHUA – Students at W.W. Irby Elementary School will soon benefit from a Catalyst for Change grant.  Mayor Gib Coerper presented Irby Elementary’s Shernee Bellamy with a Certificate of Appreciation for winning the Catalyst for Change grant competition.

The competitive grant program is for teachers and schools to implement projects that increase student engagement and provides opportunities for K-12 students that focus on improving literacy and raising student achievement. 

Bellamy is a second year media specialist at Irby Elementary who has been teaching animation to first grade students.  “The biggest problem has been to be able to get current equipment and technology for the students to be able to create their animation projects,” said Bellamy.  “Now, with this grant money I will have the opportunity to take those stories online, which will allow them to flourish with their own mediums through the lens of Stop Motion Animation.” The grant funds will enable the students to bring their projects to life with current technology.

In what was a surprise to many, Commissioner Robert Wilford announced he will not seek reelection in April.  Reading from a prepared statement, he said it was a hard decision accompanied by reflection, prayer and conversations with his family.  Wilford plans to relocate to St. Augustine where most of his family resides, and where he plans to do volunteer work once they settle into their new location. Wilford closed his remarks by saying he tried to make a difference, and “the end of an era is the start of a new beginning.”

In other business, city staff is currently updating the City of Alachua Comprehensive Plan to reflect recent changes in state law. The amendment to the city’s plan adds a Property Rights Element, as required by changes to the State of Florida Community Planning Act, which became effective July 1, 2021.

The Property Rights Element specifies that the City of Alachua will protect and judicially acknowledged private property rights, will consider private property rights as part of the decision-making process, and that the property owner has the right to physically possess and control his or her interests in the property, including easements, leases and mineral rights.

The property owner also has the right to use, maintain, develop, or improve their property for personal use or for the use of any other person they choose and the right to privacy and exclude others from the property to protect the owner's possessions and property. State law requires the Property Rights Element and the City Commission unanimously passed the amendment.

The Commission approved a request to amend the land use designation on a proposed 160-acre development that is part of the larger 420-acre The Convergence development. The 160-acre land, owned by the University of Florida Foundation, Inc., is adjacent to the Sid Martin Incubator, which is owned by the University of Florida and is focused on providing space for bio and medical technology startup companies. 

The requested land designation changes are for the Cellon Creek development that will be located south of the intersection of Northwest U.S. Highway 441 and Southern Precast Drive and east of Cellon Creek Boulevard. The property is currently undeveloped and is comprised of cleared pasture, and some naturally wooded areas located in the south-central portion of the property and along the south property line. 

The proposed amendment would change the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) designations into a single designation of Corporate Park, which allows for a mixed usage of residential, industry and commercial. Currently the property is divided into Commercial, Community Commercial, High Density Residential and Moderate Density Residential. The Corporate Park designation allows for mixed use throughout the property, paralleling plans for The Convergence.  

Developers are recommending building a secondary road parallel to U.S. Highway 441 to connect it to Progress Park and The Convergence to limit traffic increase on that road due to the expected 1,000 new residential houses from both developments. 

In other business, the Commission considered and approved transmission and tariff agreements between Florida Power & Light (FPL) Company and the City of Alachua.  The agreements provide for the FPL sale and the City’s purchase of power and energy to meet the power supply needs of Alachua Substation No.1. The transaction agreement is to arrange and schedule transmission of purchased power over FPL lines, with the cost absorbed by FPL.

Power purchased by the City also travels over GRU transmission lines to connect to Alachua Substation No. 1.  The agreement with GRU to complete the transmission of FPL power and energy is expected to be completed and presented to the City Commission in February. 

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The High Springs Garden Club has selected its new Board of Directors for 2022 to 2024.  L to R: – Vice President Carole Tate, President Billie Jo Benedict, Secretary Ginger O’Loughlin, and Treasurer Vickie Cox.

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L - R: Deputy Director of the Office of Ag Water Policy at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Chris Pettit; Florida Farm Bureau President Jeb Smith, 2021 CARES recipient Scott Emerson, Executive Director of Suwannee River Water Management District Hugh Thomas, Dean for UF/IFAS Extension Dr. Andra Johnson.

BLAND ‒ Scott Emerson of Emerson’s Little Dam Farm, Bland, Florida, has been recognized as a 2021 CARES recipient. Florida Farm Bureau’s County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) program publicly recognizes Florida farmers and ranchers who demonstrate exemplary efforts to protect Florida’s natural resources by implementing Best Management Practices. The program highlights the many ways farmers and ranchers use best management practices to leave the land and its resources in better shape for the next generation.

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NEWBERRY – An item that garnered the most attention at the City of Newberry Jan. 3 Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board meeting was a proposed amendment to the Land Development Regulations (LDR) to allow small-scale rural event centers by special exception in the City’s Agricultural Zoning District.

Triggering this LDR amendment was a request by Shabnam Rumpf-Monadizadeh to allow her to run a small-scale (300 participants or less) event center which may include a petting zoo, a beer garden, an urban vegetable garden, a small wedding venue, a yoga studio or a number of other educational or entertainment-related events.

Planning and Economic Development Director Bryan Thomas pointed out that allowing this type of use by special exception rather than by right allows the City’s Board of Adjustment (BOA) control over whether they choose to approve applications. He pointed out that a list of examples of allowable uses did not mean that the BOA had to allow all of those uses in all cases. The ordinance allowing for this amendment could be written to sunset at a certain time, could follow the land or could follow with the applicant.

P&Z Vice Chair Gavin Johnson expressed strong concern that allowing this use in an Agricultural Zoned District may constitute a burden for neighbors. He also voiced concern that allowing one person to obtain the special exception might mean the City couldn’t deny someone else under the same circumstances.

According to Thomas, under a special exception process, the City would be able to deny a different application for the same type of business if there was a compelling reason not to approve a second business. He also explained that the approval of one special exception application does not set a precedent for the approval of a similar subsequent application. A special exception application allows the City to review each application on the merits of the intended use.

“If we’re not willing to allow any commercial use in an Agricultural Zoned District, then we need to say we’re not going to allow anything,” said City Manager Mike New. “However, I think our citizens want to allow us to make opportunities for people to do things, but they expect us to control it enough so they aren’t a burden on their neighbor.”

Board Member Linda Woodcock said, “We can’t put everything in an ordinance. We can’t possibly address everything.” She added that approving the ordinance and seeing how it works would also allow time for the citizens to provide input on how it’s working.

By a 4-1 vote, the P&Z Board recommended approval of Ordinance 2022-18/LDR 22-01 to the City Commission. Johnson casting the dissenting vote.

In other business, a quasi-judicial hearing on Ordinance 2021-74/LDR 21-27 was conducted for property owned by Shabnam Rumpf-Monadizadeh.

The City Commission originally adopted Ordinance 2017-18 on Nov. 13, 2017, approving the voluntary annexation of several contiguous parcels including an approximately 4.27-acre parcel identified as Tax Parcel 04370-001-000. The annexations were in dispute, but have since been resolved, which is why they were addressed by the Planning and Zoning Board on Jan. 3.

The Board gave unanimous approval to recommend approval to the City Commission on this property, located on the south side of State Road 26/West Newberry Road along both sides of a portion of Southwest 174^th Street, as well as several others.

To bring the property into conformance with the City’s Future Land Use Map and with the City’s Official Zoning Atlas, LDR 21-27 was addressed by the Board to amend the City’s Official Zoning Atlas by changing the zoning from Alachua County Agriculture (A) to City of Newberry Agricultural (A).

The proposed rezoning is contingent upon approval of the associated Application CPA 21-29 by the City Commission, which proposes to change this property’s Future Land Use category from County to City.

Thomas introduced Resolution 2022-01/SE 22-01, which was brought by Jayne Tate, Agent for GPS Newberry East LLC, owner. In a quasi-judicial public hearing, Thomas said the request was for a special exception to allow Greenfield East Pre-school to expand on its 1.03 acres at 21805 W. Newberry Road, which is located at Newberry Road and 218^th Street.

The expansion will allow the facility to increase student levels from 58 to 101 children. Thomas said that staff will likely double as well.

Concern about increased trips, which may possibly require a turn lane or traffic study, was discussed. A motion to approve recommending approval to the BOA at their Jan. 11 meeting was made with the caveat that the applicant make contact with the Florida Department of Transportation to discuss whether further traffic studies would be required. The motion received unanimous approval.

The Board also voted to recommend the following items to the City Commission:

Ordinance 2022-04/CPA 21-30, a large-scale amendment consisting of approximately 133.12 acres, Ordinance 2022-05/CPA 21-31, a small-scale amendment consisting of approximately 38.2 acres, Ordinance 2022-06/CPA 21-32, a small-scale amendment consisting of approximately 7.38 acres, Ordinance 2022-07/CPA 21-3301-06-22, a large-scale amendment consisting of approximately 194.44 acres, Ordinance 2022-08/CPA 21-34, consisting of approximately 4.27 acres, Ordinance 2022-14/LDR 21-41, consisting of several contiguous parcels totaling approximately 133.12 acres and Ordinance 2022-15/LDR 21-42, consisting of 4.27 acres.

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ALACHUA ‒ A new development in the city of Alachua is poised to bring over a thousand households as well as science and technology research companies to the area.

Concept Companies and The Roberts Company broke ground on The Convergence, a 420-acre development. Anchored by Momentum Labs, the development will be located adjacent to Progress Park and is designed as a hub for major science and technology research companies. The development will feature a mixed-use sustainable community with residential housing adjacent to high tech businesses as well as miles of adjacent nature trails, sports facilities and adjacent community recreation amenities.

The Convergence is strategically located near Sid Martin Biotech incubator in Progress Park and will offer incubator employees, as well as employees of already established life sciences, biomedical research, medicine, and chemical sciences companies, an opportunity to live close to their work. The development will also attract additional high-tech industry by offering expanded research and development facilities and commercial space.

Officials from Gainesville and the City of Alachua as well as business leaders gathered on a chilly Friday, Jan. 7, to witness the groundbreaking ceremony and to hear about the development.

To emphasize the collaborative nature of The Convergence, in addition to the groundbreaking, San Felasco Research Ventures, a joint enterprise by Concept Companies and The Roberts Companies, organized a community concert headlining local favorite Sister Hazel and gave away 1,200 free tickets to the general public. Georgia songwriter Carly Burruss opened the show as the sun set and the temperature dropped. Despite the cold, the audience continued to build as Sister Hazel took the stage for an almost two-hour show.

“Our goal is to create a collaborative community where people can come together and work on their projects, live in the same place and really do extraordinary science without sacrificing lifestyle,” said Brian Crawford, CEO of Concept Companies. “We’re estimating approximately 1,000 households and as much as three thousand square feet of commercial space. That commercial space is mixed use so there’s predominately research type space but also community space for retail and fitness centers,” said Crawford.

“The addition of this project within Alachua will strengthen research and business activity in our biotechnology sector,” said City of Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper, “With the combination of this new project and existing assets, our region is poised to become the epicenter of science, research and technology in the State of Florida.”

“It’s been a pleasure and an honor working with the City of Alachua on several critical projects in the region, including Copeland Park and Foundation Park,” said Crawford.

According to Crawford, they expect to start building homes and tech companies later this year. “There are lots of moving parts to a project of this size.”

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GAINESVILLE ‒ The public is invited to the Sunshine State Book Festival, to be held Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 29-30, in Gainesville.

This annual event brings readers and writers together. No reservations or tickets required. Saturday’s festival takes place in the Oaks Mall on West Newberry Road near I-75. It runs from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet and engage with 100 authors, purchase books and have them signed. There will also be hourly drawings for free books. Bring the kids or grandkids. They will enjoy the children’s area with storytellers and activities.

Sunday’s program will take place at the Matheson History Museum, 513 E. University Avenue in downtown Gainesville from 1 – 5 p.m. Attendees will enjoy four presentations by well-known authors. The festival is sponsored by the Writers Alliance of Gainesville.

For full details, visit SunshineStateBookFestival.com. Since the festival is completely indoors, it will be held rain or shine.

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