- The Gainesville City Plan Board voted to reject new land use and zoning for The Cottages at Depot Park due to public concerns about development impacts.
- Current zoning allows redevelopment and increased density on the 2-acre parcel with 37 units, though affordability is a concern.
- The Gainesville City Commission will make the final decision, which may differ from the plan board's recommendation to deny the changes.
The Gainesville City Plan Board voted to reject a proposed new land use and zoning for The Cottages at Depot Park on Thursday, with 16 public commenters worried about the impacts of future development and advocating against any regulatory changes.
But even with the denial, the new owners, who purchased the 2-acre parcel within the past few years, could still redevelop, increase density and change the character of the housing complex. Also, the plan board vote is only a recommendation. The Gainesville City Commission will make the final decision and could differ from the plan board.
The property has around 37 units currently, and one resident said during public comment that his rent has held steady at $1,100 for the last three years.
Board members Bobby Mermer, Jamie Bell and Jayne Moraski said that a level of affordability is rare in the downtown area. Based on that affordability, those three voted against the new land use that would potentially provide less affordable housing with a future redevelopment.
Board member Stephanie Sutton joined to create the four-person majority. Sutton didn’t comment on the land use portion, but during the zoning vote, she said the land already has maneuverability to boost density and allow more intensity within the current regulations.
Sutton noted that the proposed Urban 6 zoning would allow a drive-thru by right, and she said that area would not be an appropriate place for that type of business.
Board members Jason Sanchez, Joshua Ney and Robert Ackerman dissented.
Ney advocated for more density, saying that’s how the city increases affordability. He added that the project is in the city’s core where density should happen.
Ackerman agreed. He said the city has planned for the Power District and downtown areas to be where growth happens.
“This area of the city is going to change; there’s little doubt about it,” Ackerman said. “The impact of the redevelopment of the Power District alone is going to affect all of the properties around it.”
Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) is already demolishing buildings in the area ahead of a potential sale.
He also pushed back against residents’ concerns about how much density could come, saying the new zoning wouldn’t triple the number of units on a relatively small parcel. He added that traffic, utilities and other concerns would be addressed when, or if, an actual redevelopment proposal came before the city.
But the split vote recommended denial of the new land use. An identical vote recommended denial of the new zoning—also referencing affordable housing as the rationale.
Sanchez cautioned public commenters that the property owners could still redevelop the site under the existing land use and zoning, which would still mean residents leaving and a denser development.
An agent for the owners said the plan would likely be a redevelopment that moved the residential compound closer to market-rate housing.