- Melrose residents plan to protest Wildflowers Music Park's requested temporary-use permit at Melrose Community Park on Thursday at 4 p.m.
- Wildflowers Music Park organizers purchased 270 acres in 2024 to build a music venue with $1 million backing, but locals oppose potential rural impacts.
Melrose residents plan to protest the proposed Wildflowers Music Park and its requested temporary-use permit at 4 p.m. on Thursday in Melrose Community Park (201 State Road 26).
Wildflowers Music Park is a plan started in 2024 to create a music venue near Melrose, and the organizers purchased 270 acres to start the process. The project, started by a festival organizer, Jordan Puryear, gathered steam with local backers, including $1 million from a local donor.
But Melrose residents worry about the impact of a music venue and festivals that could draw thousands to the rural area. Residents formed Connecting Melrose and started a petition opposing the project that has nearly 1,000 signatures.
“This isn’t anti-growth — it’s about protecting a rural community and keeping development consistent with zoning and the Comprehensive Plan,” Pegi Bonner, organizer with Connecting Melrose, said in a press release.
Another organizer, Sandra Gottschalk, said the group supports smart development but not “loopholes” that turn agricultural land into commercial venues through a temporary permit.
The temporary use permit is scheduled to be heard by Alachua County’s Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 10.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the Alachua County Board of County Commissioner meeting date following a postponement.
There is another side to this story.
How many of the supposed signatures they have collected are verified Melrose residents?
Many people in Melrose support the Wildflowers Music Park. Music and the arts are at the heart of Melrose and the Wildflowers Music Park fits very well with our local culture. It is also a wonderful opportunity for our village economy to expand. The pandemic wiped out half of the businesses in the village and only a few new businesses have moved in since then.
Both of the supporters quoted in the article are large property owners near the Wildfowers Music Park so they both had knowledge of the property being placed on the market and the time to secure the funding to buy the property.
Perusing the social media sites for Melrose you will get a taste of the No Wildflowers Music Park group social attitudes towards others. Calling a local reverend a pedophile because he thinks the music park is a good idea for Melrose is just the tip of the iceberg….
Here is the link to the Wildflowers Music Park https://www.wildflowersmusicpark.org/
The focus of this 270-acre nature park is the arts, education, dance, and a deeper connection with nature.
The Festivals will occur on 4 times a year with each one spanning 3 days. Local vendors will be there selling food and local arts and crafts. Local musicians are also on the venue. If you are a local vendor or musician you can apply to be a part of the festivities on the website.
As a supporter of the small businesses of Melrose, I am looking forward to the first festival.
See you there!
David Metheny
Melrose FL
Its the town/city of Melrose not a village bruh.
Melrose is not a city or town under current Florida Statutes. It is currently an unincorporated area. It does not have any elected officials like a mayor/council or a concurrent administrative unit. It does not collect any taxes.
Melrose was breifly incorporated as a city from 1902-1917 but that incorporation was dissolved by the State of Florida around 1918.
There was some thought a while back of becoming an official town, once again, under Florida law. But that dream hit the political dunes of the Florida Ridge and quickly evaporated back into our sandy soil.
We do have a delightful ceremonial mayor who welcomes everyone to our village.
David Metheny
Melrose FL