A little more than a month after approving additional office and retail space at the Tower Rd./SW 24th Ave. Activity Center, the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners has unanimously denied a proposed comprehensive plan amendment that would have allowed an additional mixed-use development at the intersection. Developers had proposed adding another 10,000 square feet of office and retail space and 12-14 residential units to the northwest corner of the activity center.

The northwest quadrant, which is about 3 acres, currently has an unused 4,000 square-foot church. The developers had proposed converting the property into 6,000 square feet of retail space, 4,000 square feet of office and 12-14 residential units. There currently are Mitchell Realty Services “For Sale” signs on the property.

According to county staff, the area, which is classified as a low activity center, is supposed to have only 30,000-100,000 square feet of non-residential uses and are supposed to be considered equivalent to “neighborhood shopping centers.” However, the Tower Rd. Activity Center, if the amendment had passed, would have had slightly more than 198,000 square feet of mixed uses.

In addition, it was found that an additional 240 daily trips would be added to the Tower Rd. corridor, which already is considered over-capacity.

“My biggest concern (with the amendment) is the traffic,” said commissioner Lee Pinkoson. “We’re there, as far as concurrency goes.”

Speaking on behalf of the developer, Clay Sweger of Eng, Denman & Associates, said that only a small number of trips would be added to the corridor and that the BOCC had set a precedent through prior approvals. He also said that it was agreed that no drive-throughs would be on the site and that adding the new quadrant would only increase retail in the activity center by three percent.

“I appreciate that it’s not an overly large intensification that’s being proposed,”?said commissioner Mike Byerly. “But, at the same time, ‘we’ve come this far, another five to ten percent wont hurt,’ is not a very compelling argument for me.”

Byerly also stressed that there didn’t appear to be a need for more retail in the area. “There is enormous commercial development at both ends of this 2 mile stretch of roadway and there’s a substantial development just two miles west in the Publix (Haile Market) shopping center,”?Byerly said. “The element and mix of uses that’s tending to transform the nature of the area is the non-residential. I would be more supportive of a residential development (at the site).”

Residents of the Sunrise development had their association president speak against the comprehensive plan amendment on behalf of the homeowners. Their main objections to the project were the added traffic and whether there was an actual need for additional retail in the area. There also was a petition signed by more than 100 area residents opposing the amendment. Three local residents got up to speak against the proposed amendment even after commissioners had indicated they would vote against it.

Another area of contention for people who live in the area of the Activity Center was that the northwest quadrant is bordered on the north by the adjacent Gainesville Country Day School preschool campus and building.

“I’m trying to envision what (the activity center) ought to look like in the future with that combination of commercial and retail and residential,” said commissioner Paula Delaney. “I just can’t get past that little 12 or 14 units here and 6,000 square feet there. I really would like to see it come back with the whole (activity center) looked at. Where have we been? What have we got??What do we need to do to piece that corner in and have it transition from single family neighborhoods on one side to what’s going to be there?”