The Gainesville City Commission approved a pilot program Thursday to fiscally support downtown events with up to $5,000.  

The commission also approved four zoning and land use changes during the meeting.  

Rick Smith, director of Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA), said the goal of supporting events is to get more pedestrian traffic into the downtown area. The pilot program will start with $50,000 to use from June 1 to December 31, with an option given for the city manager to double the funds, if necessary. 

Smith said pedestrian traffic should boost visitors to permanent downtown businesses. He said the program wants to attract events that happen primarily in the public instead of confined to one establishment.  

The GCRA plans to establish a Gainesville Downtown Advisory Board in June to help oversee the pilot and return a permanent program after its end. The program is for both non-profit and for-profit organizations.  

The commission approved the plan unanimously, with commissioners Casey Willits and Ed Book absent. The motion contained provisions that the events should be held mostly on public property.  

The City Commission also voted to change the land use and zoning for two separate parcels.  

The first property, at 2001 NE Second Street, is currently vacant but planned for up to 140 rental units. Another section of the 6.4-acre property, owned by the Diocese of St. Augustine, would be a rectory, convent, missionary house and chapel. 

The developer will apply for state funding in the summer. If successful, the applicant said all units would be affordable housing at 80% of the area median income. However, regardless of state funds, the site will need to keep 25% of the rental units at that affordability level.  

Planned developments allow the city to add these conditions to the site. Commissioner Reina Saco supported the project and said she’d like to see more faith communities put forward projects to also help with issues like affordable housing. 

The commission approved the planned development zoning, but a public speaker brought up issues with the public notice for the project.  

While staff and the applicant said the project was noticed, commissioners asked whether their current methods were effective. The city used certified mail for a time, but staff on Thursday said that had the opposite effect since someone must sign for the mail.  

Gerry Dedenbach, vice president of CHW Professional Consultants, said the company gets stacks of return envelopes when it sends out notices for projects. He recommended looking to social media or other options for citizen engagement.  

The second property, 7 acres, is located just south of Citizens Field at the corner of NE 8th Avenue and Waldo Road. Consisting of multiple buildings and three different zonings, the property will change to a land use of urban mixed use and a zoning of urban transect 6.  

Dedenbach said the owner wants a unified zoning to make a future redevelopment of the site and its older buildings. The application passed unanimously.