The leaders of Alachua made the right decision, a brief moment of fresh air in the world of development. Although the denial will be appealed, for now the aquifer has a victory.
Thanks to OSFR member Cindy Noel for this link.
Read the original article here at Main St. Daily News.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
Alachua planning board shuts down Tara’s Mill Creek Sink development
Photo by Lillian Hamman
- The city of Alachua’s Planning and Zoning Board unanimously denied the special exception permit for the Tara April project after nearly four years of consideration.
- The permit would have allowed building two stormwater basins for over 1,000 homes and commercial use near the Mill Creek Sink and a larger basin for FDOT runoff.
- Public and expert concerns focused on the environmental impact on the sinkhole-sensitive karst area that feeds into the Floridan aquifer.
- Board member Danielle Judd led the motion to deny the permit due to inconsistent application materials and unresolved environmental testing demands.
The city of Alachua’s Planning and Zoning Board unanimously denied a special exception permit for the Tara April project Tuesday night, ending nearly four years of pending development next to Mill Creek Sink.
Cheers from the public erupted through City Hall just before midnight following the 4-0 vote against the permit.
If passed, the permit would have allowed applicant Sayed Moukhtara to use agriculturally zoned land to build two stormwater basins capable of supporting more than 1,000 homes and commercial components half a mile from Mill Creek Sink, plus a larger basin for the Florida Department of Transportation to collect runoff from I-75.
