Glory Reitz
The Newberry City Commission approved the first reading of a map amendment to future land use (FLU) and a text amendment to its comprehensive plan, both actions making way for a planned development called “NC Ranch.” The development would bring multiple housing types and a town center to Newberry over the next 50 years.
The commission’s decision at Tuesday’s special meeting was unanimous, both to change the FLU for the 1,293 acres from agriculture to planned development, and to amend the comprehensive plan text to include a specific locations sub-element.
“It is not more intense than any of the other projects, as far as density/intensity goes,” Jean-Paul Perez, Newberry’s principal planner, told the commission. “It just happens to be more land than any of the other ones that you’ve considered before.”
These steps are only early stages of the development, as the commission has not touched on rezoning yet. FLU designates what land use types and densities Newberry finds desirable for a particular area, helping ensure that future developments fit with the city’s vision.
Both amendments now go to the Florida Department of Commerce (FDOC). While FDOC reviews the amendments, staff will work with the applicant to finalize a development order and schedule a first reading for rezoning.
Both amendments and the rezoning petition should come before the commission for a second reading in February or March of 2024. According to CHW Professional Consultants’ timeline, the developer hopes to begin its 50-year timeline in 2025.
The area sits inside Newberry’s urban services area (USA), the designated area where the city will encourage development, and which the city worked to amend over the summer.
“All your master planning you’re doing this for this area, that’s where you said I want this kind of growth,” said Frances Chandler-Marino, owner and president of Femme By Design, Newberry’s consultant on the project.
Marino said she has worked on much larger projects, and the planned development’s consistency with Newberry’s vision seemed straightforward to her, but the zoning and development order will bring the complexity that will require her services.
The text amendment to the comprehensive plan serves a similar purpose to the FLU map amendment, but it provides more detail.
The amendment affects Objective I.6.1 of the city’s code, establishing a 50-year planning horizon and policies and conditions for NC Ranch, including a density of less than four development units per acre, specific non-residential intensity, a mixed-use core along US 41/27, timing, funding and implementation standards, and protections for the rural/urban edge.
According to Marino, the city’s plan does not include much protection of the rural/urban edge, but the applicant’s text amendment does.
The 50-year planning horizon also allows the city to use master planning, avoiding piecemeal development and gaining more input from the community along the way. The applicant has committed to check in with the city every two years during the development timeframe, making sure it is advancing harmoniously with what Newberry’s infrastructure is able to handle.
The applicant has also displayed a willingness to donate land for something like a fire station, police station or a school.
The land is currently and historically used for pasture, silviculture and field crops, with a development potential of one dwelling unit per five acres at the most. The planned development would bring 4,500 dwelling units, a 250-bed assisted living facility and 700,000 square feet of nonresidential space for self-storage, medical offices and a shopping center.
The development would cover a broad range of housing types, including tiny homes, starter homes, townhomes, estate-type homes and more, according to Gerry Dedenbach, executive vice president and principal planner at CHW.
The average density would be 3.48 homes per acre, less than the standard of four development units per acre for low-density residential zoning.
Dedenbach told the commission the development is planned this way because E.D. “Tripp” Norfleet, the developer, is from Newberry and cares about what happens there.
“We’ve got all the national builders,” Norfleet told the commission. “I’m not against them, but you know, I live in Newberry, so I want it to look good… we want it to be clean, we want it to be safe, and want it to be something we’ll really be proud of.”
Norfleet also emphasized that the large development would bring businesses to Newberry, creating jobs so that people who grew up in the town would not have to leave for work.
After an overflow of citizens attended the Planning & Zoning Board meeting on the planned development, the city had prepared overflow seating with a meeting livestream in the municipal building.
Though seating in the commission chambers was full again on Tuesday, all citizens in attendance were able to fit in the seats available, so the overflow seating was closed 10 minutes into the meeting.
Most of the citizens who spoke during public comment were employees or business partners of Norfleet, telling the commission that Newberry is growing and will continue to grow, and that they would rather have Norfleet homes than those built by national companies.
Andy Cook, as well as others, told the commission that the Norfleets hire local workers and spend their money locally, supporting Newberry’s economy.
“I can’t think of a better family to represent our community than a family that lives and loves it here,” Cook said.
Two citizens also showed up with concerns about already overcrowded schools, roads that still need improvement and a fear of property taxes rising for the development’s neighbors.
Mayor Jordan Marlowe said Newberry’s growth varies from 3.5% to 7% yearly, and that the city has done its part to help with deteriorating roads and overcrowded schools, but those issues largely belong to Alachua County and the school district.
Commissioner Rick Coleman pointed out that Florida has a 3% Save Our Homes (SOH) assessment limit on residential properties that receive a homestead exemption. He said this protects the homes around the development from hiked-up property taxes.
Where are all these people going to work? All the jobs are east of the Interstate, except for retail and restaurants. It also appears that’s the plan for this development, too. The traffic, today is a mess during drive time, over the few roads the cross the Interstate. Without planning and action on that issue, efforts like this will only make things worse. The County and the State need too address this now, rather than later.
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