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ALACHUA ‒ A new development in the city of Alachua is poised to bring over a thousand households as well as science and technology research companies to the area.

Concept Companies and The Roberts Company broke ground on The Convergence, a 420-acre development. Anchored by Momentum Labs, the development will be located adjacent to Progress Park and is designed as a hub for major science and technology research companies. The development will feature a mixed-use sustainable community with residential housing adjacent to high tech businesses as well as miles of adjacent nature trails, sports facilities and adjacent community recreation amenities.

The Convergence is strategically located near Sid Martin Biotech incubator in Progress Park and will offer incubator employees, as well as employees of already established life sciences, biomedical research, medicine, and chemical sciences companies, an opportunity to live close to their work. The development will also attract additional high-tech industry by offering expanded research and development facilities and commercial space.

Officials from Gainesville and the City of Alachua as well as business leaders gathered on a chilly Friday, Jan. 7, to witness the groundbreaking ceremony and to hear about the development.

To emphasize the collaborative nature of The Convergence, in addition to the groundbreaking, San Felasco Research Ventures, a joint enterprise by Concept Companies and The Roberts Companies, organized a community concert headlining local favorite Sister Hazel and gave away 1,200 free tickets to the general public. Georgia songwriter Carly Burruss opened the show as the sun set and the temperature dropped. Despite the cold, the audience continued to build as Sister Hazel took the stage for an almost two-hour show.

“Our goal is to create a collaborative community where people can come together and work on their projects, live in the same place and really do extraordinary science without sacrificing lifestyle,” said Brian Crawford, CEO of Concept Companies. “We’re estimating approximately 1,000 households and as much as three thousand square feet of commercial space. That commercial space is mixed use so there’s predominately research type space but also community space for retail and fitness centers,” said Crawford.

“The addition of this project within Alachua will strengthen research and business activity in our biotechnology sector,” said City of Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper, “With the combination of this new project and existing assets, our region is poised to become the epicenter of science, research and technology in the State of Florida.”

“It’s been a pleasure and an honor working with the City of Alachua on several critical projects in the region, including Copeland Park and Foundation Park,” said Crawford.

According to Crawford, they expect to start building homes and tech companies later this year. “There are lots of moving parts to a project of this size.”

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GAINESVILLE ‒ The public is invited to the Sunshine State Book Festival, to be held Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 29-30, in Gainesville.

This annual event brings readers and writers together. No reservations or tickets required. Saturday’s festival takes place in the Oaks Mall on West Newberry Road near I-75. It runs from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet and engage with 100 authors, purchase books and have them signed. There will also be hourly drawings for free books. Bring the kids or grandkids. They will enjoy the children’s area with storytellers and activities.

Sunday’s program will take place at the Matheson History Museum, 513 E. University Avenue in downtown Gainesville from 1 – 5 p.m. Attendees will enjoy four presentations by well-known authors. The festival is sponsored by the Writers Alliance of Gainesville.

For full details, visit SunshineStateBookFestival.com. Since the festival is completely indoors, it will be held rain or shine.

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The High Springs Garden Club has selected its new Board of Directors for 2022 to 2024.  L to R: – Vice President Carole Tate, President Billie Jo Benedict, Secretary Ginger O’Loughlin, and Treasurer Vickie Cox.

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ALACHUA COUTY ‒ Join library staff for outdoor stories and songs as Story Time on the Green begins again on Jan. 11.

Librarians and library staff will read tales and lead activities perfect for infants through five-year-olds at library green spaces and parks throughout Alachua County. Join in songs, finger plays, and story boards to spark your child's imagination and communication and reading skills.

Parents and families can bring blankets and chairs to spread out. Story Time on the Green will be held at 10:30 a.m., weather permitting (at least 50°) at various library location.

On Tuesdays, activities will be held at Lois Forte Park, 120 N.W. 260^th Street, Newberry, with the Newberry Branch team.

On Wednesdays, activities will be held in Hawthorne, Archer and High Springs. The Hawthorne Branch is located at 6640 S.E. 221^St Street, Hawthorne, Wilson Robinson Park, 13975 S.W. 174^th Street, Archer, with the Archer Branch team and High Springs Farmers Market, 23517 N.W. 185^th Road, High Springs, with the High Springs Branch team.

On Thursdays, activities will be held in Waldo and Alachua. The Waldo Branch is located at 15150 N.E. US Highway 301, Waldo and Alachua’s location will be at the Legacy Park Multipurpose Center playground, 15400 Peggy Road, Alachua, with the Alachua Branch team.

On Saturdays, activities will be held in Micanopy. Park by the fire station, corner of Northeast Cholokka Blvd. and Northeast 7^th Ave., Micanopy, with the Micanopy Branch team.

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NEWBERRY – An item that garnered the most attention at the City of Newberry Jan. 3 Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board meeting was a proposed amendment to the Land Development Regulations (LDR) to allow small-scale rural event centers by special exception in the City’s Agricultural Zoning District.

Triggering this LDR amendment was a request by Shabnam Rumpf-Monadizadeh to allow her to run a small-scale (300 participants or less) event center which may include a petting zoo, a beer garden, an urban vegetable garden, a small wedding venue, a yoga studio or a number of other educational or entertainment-related events.

Planning and Economic Development Director Bryan Thomas pointed out that allowing this type of use by special exception rather than by right allows the City’s Board of Adjustment (BOA) control over whether they choose to approve applications. He pointed out that a list of examples of allowable uses did not mean that the BOA had to allow all of those uses in all cases. The ordinance allowing for this amendment could be written to sunset at a certain time, could follow the land or could follow with the applicant.

P&Z Vice Chair Gavin Johnson expressed strong concern that allowing this use in an Agricultural Zoned District may constitute a burden for neighbors. He also voiced concern that allowing one person to obtain the special exception might mean the City couldn’t deny someone else under the same circumstances.

According to Thomas, under a special exception process, the City would be able to deny a different application for the same type of business if there was a compelling reason not to approve a second business. He also explained that the approval of one special exception application does not set a precedent for the approval of a similar subsequent application. A special exception application allows the City to review each application on the merits of the intended use.

“If we’re not willing to allow any commercial use in an Agricultural Zoned District, then we need to say we’re not going to allow anything,” said City Manager Mike New. “However, I think our citizens want to allow us to make opportunities for people to do things, but they expect us to control it enough so they aren’t a burden on their neighbor.”

Board Member Linda Woodcock said, “We can’t put everything in an ordinance. We can’t possibly address everything.” She added that approving the ordinance and seeing how it works would also allow time for the citizens to provide input on how it’s working.

By a 4-1 vote, the P&Z Board recommended approval of Ordinance 2022-18/LDR 22-01 to the City Commission. Johnson casting the dissenting vote.

In other business, a quasi-judicial hearing on Ordinance 2021-74/LDR 21-27 was conducted for property owned by Shabnam Rumpf-Monadizadeh.

The City Commission originally adopted Ordinance 2017-18 on Nov. 13, 2017, approving the voluntary annexation of several contiguous parcels including an approximately 4.27-acre parcel identified as Tax Parcel 04370-001-000. The annexations were in dispute, but have since been resolved, which is why they were addressed by the Planning and Zoning Board on Jan. 3.

The Board gave unanimous approval to recommend approval to the City Commission on this property, located on the south side of State Road 26/West Newberry Road along both sides of a portion of Southwest 174^th Street, as well as several others.

To bring the property into conformance with the City’s Future Land Use Map and with the City’s Official Zoning Atlas, LDR 21-27 was addressed by the Board to amend the City’s Official Zoning Atlas by changing the zoning from Alachua County Agriculture (A) to City of Newberry Agricultural (A).

The proposed rezoning is contingent upon approval of the associated Application CPA 21-29 by the City Commission, which proposes to change this property’s Future Land Use category from County to City.

Thomas introduced Resolution 2022-01/SE 22-01, which was brought by Jayne Tate, Agent for GPS Newberry East LLC, owner. In a quasi-judicial public hearing, Thomas said the request was for a special exception to allow Greenfield East Pre-school to expand on its 1.03 acres at 21805 W. Newberry Road, which is located at Newberry Road and 218^th Street.

The expansion will allow the facility to increase student levels from 58 to 101 children. Thomas said that staff will likely double as well.

Concern about increased trips, which may possibly require a turn lane or traffic study, was discussed. A motion to approve recommending approval to the BOA at their Jan. 11 meeting was made with the caveat that the applicant make contact with the Florida Department of Transportation to discuss whether further traffic studies would be required. The motion received unanimous approval.

The Board also voted to recommend the following items to the City Commission:

Ordinance 2022-04/CPA 21-30, a large-scale amendment consisting of approximately 133.12 acres, Ordinance 2022-05/CPA 21-31, a small-scale amendment consisting of approximately 38.2 acres, Ordinance 2022-06/CPA 21-32, a small-scale amendment consisting of approximately 7.38 acres, Ordinance 2022-07/CPA 21-3301-06-22, a large-scale amendment consisting of approximately 194.44 acres, Ordinance 2022-08/CPA 21-34, consisting of approximately 4.27 acres, Ordinance 2022-14/LDR 21-41, consisting of several contiguous parcels totaling approximately 133.12 acres and Ordinance 2022-15/LDR 21-42, consisting of 4.27 acres.

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ALACHUA COUNTY ‒ The Alachua County Criminal Courthouse will be renamed in honor of the late Judge Stephan P. Mickle. On Jan. 14, at 12 p.m. an event will be held to honor the life and legacy of the late judge. The event is at the main entrance of the Criminal Courthouse located at 220 S. Main Street, downtown Gainesville. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

The event will feature speakers from Alachua County, the City of Gainesville and the Judiciary, as well as music, a color guard and words of inspiration. Alachua County middle and high school students participated in an essay/poetry contest based on a theme pertaining to Judge Mickle’s impact on history, society and the future. The winner of this year’s contest will share their essay during the ceremony. The contest, promoted through the Alachua County school system, will be an annual event.

A prolific barrier breaker, Judge Mickle’s legacy includes:

• The first African-American to practice law in Alachua County since Reconstruction,
• The first African-American County Court judge in Alachua County,
• The first African-American judge in the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida,
• The first African-American and only lawyer from the Eighth Judicial to serve on the First District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee,
• The First African-American federal judge in the Northern District of Florida and
• The First African-American Chief Judge of the Northern District of Florida.

“It is a tremendous honor to see the courthouse named after my father,” said his daughter, Stephanie Mickle. “It's important for others to be able to see themselves in his life. His sacrifices and triumphs will inspire others for generations to come and impact our youth early in their lives and education.”

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