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NEWBERRY ‒ The Newberry City Commission on Nov. 8 approved on first reading development agreements for Phases 1B and 3 of the Avalon Woods Mixed-Used Development.

Phase 1B of the development is located to the east of State Road 45 and on the south side of Northwest 24^th Avenue, which is identified as Alachua County Parcel Number 01874-200-000. The property consists of approximately 9.44 acres with a proposed population density of approximately 10 persons per acre, with a building density of four per acre. The maximum building height is 35 feet.

The Commission approved with a vote of 4-0. Commissioner Mark Clark was not in attendance at this meeting.

The second Development Agreement hit a few stumbling blocks on its way to approval. The 43.38 acres Phase 3 of the Avalon Woods Mixed-Use Development is located on the east side of State Road 45 and to the south of Northwest 16^th Avenue and is identified as a portion of Parcel Number 01897-000-000.

The proposed population density of the residential portion of Phase 3 is approximately 10 persons per acre with a building density of four per acre. The maximum building height is also 35 feet.

Commissioners expressed concern about differences between the original preliminary master plan, referred to as the bubble plan, and the current map showing the location of Phase 3.

An item not evident in the Phase 3 map was connectivity between the commercial portion of the development and the residential properties.

David McDaniel of M3 said there have been no changes to the commercial portion of the development and talked about locations for ingress and egress. He also said that some of the people living in the residential portion of the development may wish to work in the commercial areas and that there would be connectivity.

Questions about whether the developer would make improvements to the roadway were addressed by Planning and Economic Development Director Bryan Thomas who said that the traffic study did not call for changes to the roadway for this project.

The first Commission vote on this issue resulted in a tie with Commissioners Tim Marden and Rick Coleman voting aye and Commissioners Monty Farnsworth and Tony Mazon voting nay.

Mayor Jordan Marlowe explained that the first development agreement, which had been approved earlier in the meeting, described what the developers would do as part of their agreement, while the second developers agreement dealt with what the City agreed to do. “If I had realized this would not be approved,” said Marlowe, “I would have suggested the developers wait until we had a full five commissioners here so this would not end in a tie vote.”

City Attorney Scott Walker explained that one of the dissenting voters could make a motion to reconsider the issue or one of the dissenting voters could make a motion to table the item until all five commissioners were present.

Mazon made a motion to reconsider, which was seconded by Marden. City Manager Mike New explained that the construction plans meet the Land Development Regulations and he believed that if the City Commission didn’t approve this agreement, a judge would likely allow the developers to build anyway.

The agreement calls for the developers to provide ingress/egress to 16^th Avenue during construction and also stub out the utilities, which would benefit the City. The City would pay for an upsizing of the electrical circuit to make it more dependable, which would help bring more reliability and faster hook ups in case of an outage. City Manager Mike New said the developer would be reimbursing the City for the cost of doing so at an agreed upon time. The developers also agreed to build certain aspects of other improvements to the adjacent park.

Ultimately, the Development Agreement for Phase 3 was unanimously approved following a motion by Coleman, which was seconded by Marden.

Both Development Agreements will be heard again on second reading at the Nov. 22 meeting.

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FORT MYERS, FL ‒ The Santa Fe High School Lady Raider Volleyball team has won its first state championship in the history of the school. The Raiders claimed the title Wednesday afternoon defeating Calvary Christian Academy, Fort Lauderdale, (25-16, 25-17, 25-14) in three straight sets at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Florida. Santa Fe was ranked Number 4 in the nation heading into the championship game and didn’t drop a single set during the state playoff run.

The team was led by Co-Captains Jalyn Stout and Rylie Tam. Rounding out the championship team are Miya Thomas, Anisa Dorlouis, Sarah Falck, Faith Marquis, Joselynn Sanjurjo, Cameron Bendel, Riley Steen, Olivia Beavers, Gracie Hardacre, Alyssa Moneypenny, and Kimberly Daniels. The Lady Raiders coaching staff is led by Coach Eric Marshall with Assistant Coaches Nicole Stout and Kayla Hess.

The third time was a charm for Santa Fe as this was the third time in the last four years that the Raiders reached the state championship match.

“This is so huge not only the girls, but for the school and the entire community,” said Santa Fe High School Athletic Director Michele Faulk. “This team works so hard and they are great girls. I’m so proud as the athletic director, but being the former volleyball coach and watching Eric Marshall, a raider alumnus, get these girls here and to win it all, is just so special.”

Reflecting on the win, Marshall said, “First one in Santa Fe history—that’s hard to say out loud. That’s hard to say with all the great teams Santa Fe has had over the years.” Marshall should know, as a high school student at Santa Fe High School, he was a ball boy for the Santa Fe Lady Raider Volleyball team.

“We have incredible support from the administration, Dr. Tim Wright and Athletic Director Michele Faulk,” added Marshall.

Over 50 “Rowdy Raiders” witnessed the historic win as they rode the spirit bus, coordinated by Kelly Hodsdon, to the championship game.

Plans are underway for a celebration of the championship win with details to be announced later.

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NEWBERRY – Residents of a Newberry neighborhood have complained that a City-owned stormwater system isn’t doing its job, leading to water encroaching near homes, yard erosion and more.

Newberry’s Utilities and Public Works Director Jamie Jones used a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate the initial issues, reasons for, remediation of and costs to rectify two areas of stormwater runoff issues within the Country Way subdivision.

The Country Way residential development is located south of Southwest 15^th Avenue and west of U.S. 27/41. It was constructed in phases over a 30-year period.

A portion of the stormwater-management system was constructed in rear yard easements, outside of public rights of way. Jones said, “These ‘back lot’ stormwater swales interconnected with stormwater piping and collection inlets both on the streets and behind the lots, which eventually convey stormwater to basins throughout the development.”

Residents of the subdivision complained that the stormwater system did not adequately handle large rainfall events. They said stormwater was encroaching near homes, causing yard erosion and sinkhole activity potentially related to the conveyance of stormwater.

The City retained CHW Engineers to evaluate the drainage facilities in the main areas of concern.

A brief summary of the engineering findings revealed that generally the stormwater piping system was installed in substantial conformance with the permitted drawings, although while the structures were present, the elevations may be off slightly from the design. The engineers reported that this should not affect the surface water flows. The study could not confirm that all the swales and mini retention basins were constructed in accordance with the permitted plans as they may have been constructed and then altered over the years.

Engineers found that many properties in the areas of concern now have sheds, gardens, decks, planters, hot tubs, concrete slabs, etc. in the 15-foot public utility easement along the rear lot lines, thus diverting the water flow. According to Jones, many homeowners didn’t realize there was a utility easement for stormwater drainage on their properties and built right over them.

The City has remediated the areas of concern, which Jones referred to as Phases 1 and 2. Engineering/surveying costs of both areas amount to $30,000. Construction costs for Phase 1 were $34,556. In an effort to save money, the City remediated Phase 2 with City staff. Phase 2 construction costs were $11,622. “The total project costs totaled up to $76,178,” Jones said, adding that everything had been completed.

Because the regulations at the time the project was approved and constructed were different than they are now and because the builder constructed the project in conformance with the permitted drawings, the City had no recourse to require the builder to remediate the stormwater runoff issues. The City of Newberry states that the issues are now resolved and the City is no longer receiving complaints from property owners in the subdivision.

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NEWBERRY ‒ The City of Newberry has negotiated acquisition of property rights-of-way to make the long-awaited extension of Southwest 15^th Avenue from Southwest 260^th Street to County Road 337 a reality.

“The City has identified the best route for the extension, which contacts six parcels and four property owners,” said City Manager Mike New. One of the property owners is the City and the remaining three property owners are Paul K. and Tammy B. Coleman, James F. and Connie F. Coleman, Jason D. and Mary E. Coleman.

New received Commission authorization to enter into agreements to acquire the rights-of-way and land rights necessary to extend the roadway. The roadway extension is intended to reduce traffic congestion in the downtown area during school start and end times. “The roadway is envisioned to feature two paved travel lanes, sidewalks, streetlights, open swales and associated utilities,” said New. He estimates that the project would commence within 36 months.

The City has agreed to install a farm fence along the roadway to keep the property owners’ cattle on their property. Commissioner Rick Coleman recused himself from voting on this issue and the motion to approve received a 3-0 vote. Commissioner Mark Clark was not in attendance.

Wastewater Treatment Facility Expansion

Commissioners also authorized the acquisition of six parcels of vacant land totaling approximately 93.4 acres for the expansion of the City’s wastewater treatment facility. The negotiated price is $12,500 per acre for a total of $1,167,500. The property, which is currently owned by Barbara McElroy, is located south and west of the City’s current wastewater treatment facility site. The McElroy property is primarily used for hay production and cattle grazing.

The City is more than 75 percent complete with development of a Wastewater Facilities Plan, a document that identifies and recommends the facilities necessary to treat the City’s wastewater for 30 years. The Wastewater Facilities Plan identifies a need for 63 acres of additional land for effluent disposal of wastewater, plus an additional 15 acres for a biosolids processing site, for a total need of 78 acres. As the McElroy property totals 93 acres, it is larger than the City needs for the plant, but the property owner is not interested in selling a portion of the property.

Other potential uses for the 15-acre difference could include relocation of the City’s Public Works and Utilities Operations Center, development of a rural collection center, a meat processing facility or a firefighting training facility; the last three possible uses of which would be in partnership with Alachua County.

The proposed closing date is Dec. 31, 2021, or sooner. The City will provide the seller with a deposit of $50,000, which is contingent on approval by the City Commission. The City has agreed to continue to allow the seller to retain the right to cut from the property for a period and graze cattle up to one year. Other contingencies include acceptance of the results of a feasibility study/geotechnical exploration and funding approval by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD).

Two Florida Statute-required real estate appraisals were conducted on the property, which came in at $4,000 and $6,400 per acre. Based on those figures, Commissioners questioned the amount the City is paying per acre.

“Staff conducted independent comparisons of recent purchases of similar land tracts in Newberry and found unit costs of $12,088 and $16,064 per acre,” New said. He also said the City paid $10,000 per acre in 2009 to acquire property for its most recent wastewater plant expansion.

Expansion of the wastewater treatment facility is anticipated to be funded by Newberry development fees, the Florida State Revolving Fund loan program and the SRWMD. New said the City applied for a SPRINGS grant through the SRWMD in 2020 and is recommended for award of $750,000 for land acquisition. The agreement associated with the award is forthcoming he said.

Currently, the City is spraying wastewater effluent, which New said is not efficient. The City is considering constructing wetlands, which can use growing plants to help clean the wastewater and result in a park-like setting open to the public.

New said the City will hire a consultant to help determine the best use of the extra 15 acres of land not needed for the wastewater treatment facility.

State Road 26 One-Way Pairs Project

In other business, the Commission unanimously approved a resolution to send a letter to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)about the State Road 26 One-Way Pairs Project. FDOT has advised the City that they are about 60 percent of the way to completion of the design of the project, with a design completion date in April.

The letter requests local side street improvements to six north-south side streets to include asphalt, curbs and gutters, sidewalks and street lighting similar to the improvements scheduled on Northwest 255^th Street.

The City would pay for additional design services to accommodate the City’s requests.

In addition, the letter requests pedestrian crosswalks at five intersections and one round about, golf cart crossings at Seaboard Drive and near Lois Forte Park and that FDOT amend its design for two street segments to accommodate changes to Seaboard Drive.

Relocation of the proposed parking area at the Newberry Cold Storage location to include Northwest 254^th Street, the Municipal Building parking lot and a portion of Barry Park was also requested. The City also asks that FDOT convey from the City Hall campus and from First Baptist Church to the stormwater retention facility planned west of the railroad tracks near Northwest 3^rd Avenue, amend the design of the stormwater retention facilities at Lois Forte Park to improve efficiency of land use and adjust the cul-de-sac terminus of Northwest 1^st Avenue east of Northwest 264^th Street.

Charter Officer Salary Increases

In other City business, charter officer annual evaluations were conducted and the results were reported during the meeting. Evaluation results are ranked to a possible five-point top ranking. Results were as follows: city attorney 4.94, city clerk 4.98 and city manager ranked 4.92.

As the city attorney is reimbursed via contract each year, his rate will be considered when negotiating a new contract. All employees achieving these high rates are awarded a four percent salary increase, which the city clerk and city manager will receive.

However, in the case of the city manager, he was awarded an additional 2.5 percent increase for two reasons. When he joined the City, New was given several items to complete. The last of them was recently accomplished with the finalization of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) for Newberry.

“The City has worked tirelessly through the years to establish a CRA and that goal was finally accomplished,” said Mayor Jordan Marlowe.

Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution establishing the salary increases for the city manager and clerk.

Newberry City Hall will be closed Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day. The Commission will next meet on Nov. 22 and again on Dec. 13. City Hall will be open Dec. 20 – 22 and will be closed on Dec. 23. City Hall will also be open Dec. 27 – 29 and will be closed on Dec. 30.

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ALACHUA ‒ Nov. 14 was the perfect day for a festival. After several cloudy, damp and cold days, Sunday brought clear blue skies with mild temperatures in the 60s. Main Street in Alachua was closed down at both ends as over 200 vendors set up along the street promoting their products, services or expertise. The Alachua Main Street Harvest Festival has been one of the city’s signature events since 2003, bringing thousands of visitors to Main Street in Alachua to enjoy vendors, a variety of food, music and activities for adults and children. And this year, they came out for the weather as well.

The Alachua Business League (ABL) has been hosting two festivals a year, one in the spring and one in the fall, with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic. The festivals promote local businesses directly to the public and show off Alachua's historic downtown district.

The ABL’s mission is to promote business-to-business support, organize events and activities to promote local business, maintain a business network among local businesses, and welcome all new businesses into the area.

The lively festival also brings the community together with entertainment, activities, and vendors selling a diverse selection of items including clothes, jewelry, art, plants and services. The festival is especially family-friendly, with lots for kids to do, and true to its name as a fall harvest festival, there was a wide range of available food options.

This year for many locals it was a chance to get out and mingle with others after months of limited contact, bringing back a sense of familiarity on a sunny fall day. The ABL has expanded the festival over the years, diversifying the type of businesses and vendors participating, bringing in more charitable organizations and general entertainment for both adults and kids.

Fun, food and entertainment are important features of the festival, but the event has a serious purpose as well. The Alachua Business League is a nonprofit organization that also sponsors two $2,500 scholarships for local high school students from Santa Fe High School. The scholarships are awarded to students who show a strong entrepreneur ability and are interested in starting or promoting a business locally after college. The scholarships are awarded for tuition and books to help the selected students with college expenses

The ABL membership consists of over 75 businesses in the Alachua area. The cost of joining is kept low to help encourage membership. Each business pays $75 a year, which provides a number of services including social media exposure, networking and workshops, as well as a booth at both festivals. For nonmembers, booth fees at the festival are also kept low to encourage participation. Vendor booth fees are $75 for general vendors, $125 for ride areas and $150 for food vendors. All fees go toward festival expenses to help keep the event free to the public as well as fund the two scholarships.

By all accounts, this year’s festival was a great success that surely left both ABL members and the public looking forward to next year’s celebration.

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NEWBERRY – Newberry’s Planning and Zoning Board voted to recommend approval to the City Commission requests for a number of large- and small-scale amendments to the City’s Future Land Use Plan and related rezoning requests. The Commission is expected to consider the applications at the regular City Commission meeting of Nov. 22.

Ordinance 2021-71/CPA 21-12, a request by CHW Professional Consultants, agent for Tanglewood Properties of Gainesville LLC, owner, amends the City’s Future Land Use Plan Map by changing the future Land Use Classification on approximately 220 acres from Agriculture to Planned Development. The property is located south of West Newberry Road and west of Southwest 202^nd Street. The request to recommend this item to the commission was approved in a 3-1 vote with Jessica Baker casting the dissenting vote. Board member Donald Long was not in attendance.

A related request, Ordinance 2021-72/LDR 21-19, is for the same 220 acres to amend the Official Zoning Atlas of the City’s Land Development Regulations by changing the zoning from Agricultural (A) to Planned Development (PD). This application to recommend approval to the commission received the same 3-1 vote, with Baker casting the dissenting vote a second time.

Ordinance 2021-57/CPA 21-23 represents another large-scale amendment to the City’s Future Land Use Plan Map to change approximately 254.18 acres from Alachua County Rural/Agriculture to City of Newberry Agriculture on property previously annexed into the City.

A second request on the same 254.18 acres, referred to as Ordinance 2021-58/LDR 21-32, is a rezoning application to change the zoning from Alachua County Agriculture (A) to City of Newberry Agricultural (A) to bring the property into compliance with the City’s regulations. Final approval of this rezoning request is contingent upon approval of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and approval on second reading by the city commission.

Planning and Economic Development Director Bryan Thomas explained that the property’s distance from the City’s water and sewer lines would make it unlikely that the property would be used for large-scale development any time in the near future.

Ordinance 2021-59/CPA 21-22 is a small-scale amendment to the Future Land Use Plan Map by changing the Future Land Use classification from Alachua County Rural/Agriculture to City of Newberry Agriculture on two parcels of land consisting of approximately 40 acres.

A related rezoning application represented by Ordinance 2021-60/LDR 21-31 is to change the zoning from Alachua County Agriculture (A) to City of Newberry Agricultural (A) on the same 40 acres. These parcels of land are located on the east side of Northwest 298^th Street (county line) and along Northwest 32^nd Avenue.

Ordinance 2021-61/CPA 21-24 is a request for a large-scale amendment to the Future Land Use Plan Map by changing the Future Land Use classification from Alachua County Rural/Agriculture to City of Newberry Agriculture on approximately 256.253 acres of land on five tax parcels known as Dudley Farm Historic State Park. The property is located approximately one-half mile east of Northwest 202^nd Street on the north side of West Newberry Road.

If CPA 21-24 is approved by Commissioners upon first reading, the application will then be forwarded to the DEO for their approval prior to any further action by the City Commission.

An application to rezone the same 256.253 acres of land, referred to as Ordinance 2021-62/LDR 21-33, from Alachua County Agriculture (A) to City of Newberry Agricultural (A) received approval by the Planning and Zoning Board. However, final approval of the rezoning request is contingent upon approval of the previous Comprehensive Plan Amendment by DEO and approval on second reading by the city commission.

Ordinance 2021-63/CPA 21-20 is an application for a small-scale amendment to the Future Land Use Plan Map by changing the Future Land Use classification from Alachua County Rural/Agriculture to City of Newberry Agriculture on approximately 40 acres. The property is located approximately .72 mile north of West Newberry Road and approximately .75 mile west of Northwest 170^th Street.

Contingent upon approval of 2021-63/CPA 21-20 was Ordinance 2021-64/LDR 21-29, an application to amend the zoning from Alachua County Agriculture (A) to City of Newberry Agricultural (A).

Ordinance 2021-67/CPA 21-19 is an application for a small-scale amendment to the Future Land Use Plan Map by changing the Future Land Use classification from Alachua County Rural/Agriculture to City of Newberry Agriculture on approximately 5.06 acres. The property is located on the west side of Southwest 282^nd Street, approximately one-half mile south of Southwest 95^th Road.

Also approved was Ordinance 2021-68/LDR 21-28, an application to amend the zoning from Alachua County Agriculture (A) to City of Newberry Agricultural (A). This application is contingent upon approval of Application CPA 21-19.

Ordinance 2021-69/CPA 21-21 is an application for a small-scale amendment to the Future Land Use Plan Map by changing the Future Land Use classification from Alachua County Rural/Agriculture to City of Newberry Agriculture on approximately 12.26 acres. The property is located on Southwest 226^th Street and eight-tenths of a mile south of Newberry Road.

Also approved was Ordinance 2021-70/LDR 21-30, an application to amend the zoning from Alachua County Agriculture (A) to City of Newberry Agricultural (A). This application is contingent upon approval of Application CPA 21-21.

In other City news, Newberry native Alayna Jackson will be joining the Planning Department on Monday, Nov. 8. Jackson has a degree in historic preservation.

In other news, Mayor Jordan Marlowe recommended a play of historical significance at the Hippodrome Theater in Gainesville. “New Berry,” written by Ryan Hope Travis, is based on the moments leading up to the lynchings of six African Americans, allegedly over a hog. Community conversations will be led after each show. The play will run Nov. 5 – 10 with showings at 7:30 p.m. every day except Sunday, which will have a 3 p.m. matinee showing.

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