- Gainesville plans to remove 100-foot historic district buffers around University Heights to encourage property redevelopment.
- Current buffer zones limit buildings to three or four stories, while U9 zoning allows up to six stories plus bonuses.
- The City Commission passed the motion 5-1 with a January 2027 review deadline to address development delays.
Gainesville is moving toward eliminating 100-foot buffers around the University Heights Historic Districts on the north and south sides of University Avenue in an effort to free development in the area.
While 8- and 10-story buildings now dominate the southern side of University Avenue, the northern side remains primarily one or two stories and without redevelopment prospects, including alcohol stores and smoke shops.
Gainesville’s planning staff will write the amendment deleting the historic buffers, adopted in 2017, before review by the City Plan Board and the Historic Preservation Board. The City Commission would then vote to finalize the change.
Commissioner Bryan Eastman made the motion on Thursday and included a clause to have the item returned by January 2027. He said he’s tired of waiting years for development amendments to work through staff before returning to the commission.
“We asked about alcoholic beverage establishments two years ago,” Eastman said.
His motion passed 5-1, with Commissioner Ed Book in dissent and Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker absent.
Commissioners said the historic buffer zones prevented redevelopment on the northern stretch and agreed that the land currently fails to meet the highest and best use.
Commissioner Casey Willits said he and others feel like there is a stagnation of development in that area.
The buffer zones keep buildings to three stories (except in the southern historic district which allows four stories) before transitioning to the normal zoning in the area. For the University Heights districts, the zoning is primarily U9 zoning that allows six stories automatically and another two stories with approved bonuses.
The buffer boundary juts in, around and through parcels, forcing developers to consider scaling a building up at different height levels. That’s what one developer is trying to do next to Infinity Hall in the southern district.
Former Commissioner Adrian Hayes-Santos, who served when the buffers were implemented, spoke during public comment on behalf of Gainesville Is For People and advocated for the elimination. He said that property is where more housing should go and pointed to the taxing benefits.
The eight-story Hub building, at the southeast corner of University Avenue and SW 12th Street, paid $256,000 in property taxes to the city of Gainesville in 2025. The larger mixed-use apartment complexes in the area pay even more, like $816,000 for The Standard and $403,000 for the 10-story Sweetwater building.
Directly across the street from The Hub is Gator Beverage, which paid $3,540 to Gainesville for its 2025 property taxes. The parcel with Jungle Boys cannabis dispensary paid $6,686. Both are single-story buildings zoned to go up to 8 stories with bonuses.
Mayor Harvey Ward said some buildings on that side of University Avenue are already for sale or falling down. He called it the kind of empty that’s not getting better.
“We know what we currently have is not optimal for much of anybody,” Ward said.
The buffers were in place to protect against steep changes in development from encroaching on the historic districts. But Ward said the historic districts probably don’t want a smoke shop just as much as a six to eight story building.
Gainesville staff recommended revising the buffer zones to allow eight-story buildings on U9 and Downtown zoning. But commissioners pointed out that eight-story buildings are already allowed with U9 zoning and very little downtown zoning exists in the buffer zones. Removing the buffers entirely had practically the same effect.
Commissioners said they had no plans to change the historic district buffers outside of University Heights.