A property zoned for a high-rise condominium building off of Thompson Bridge Road will have to stay that way after the Gainesville City Council denied a request from the developer to instead build townhomes on the site at their meeting Tuesday.
The just-under five-acre property on the south side of High Vista Pointe was approved for the condominium development in 1995, but representatives of Eastco Construction told council members Tuesday that they believed a townhome development would be better suited for the site.
"We heard that nobody likes that condominium complex, we'd like you to do something else," Tyler Smith said. "We proposed something else and that was the townhome development."
The request was tabled several times by the council and the most recent application reduced the proposed number of townhome units from 44 to 34. Several residents spoke against the proposal, saying they felt the land wasn't fit for a townhome development.
Scotty Ball said the site is too hilly and has too many utilities to fit the project.
"It looks fabulous on a flat sheet of paper, but when you see what's out there and what would have to be done, the project becomes unfeasible," Ball said. "This is just not going to fit."
Smith said the developers were aware of the issues and were prepared to work around them.
"The physical characteristics of the property and the easements, they are what they are. We recognize that."
Smith said that while there was a site plan in place, there had not been any engineering work done on the project prior to the meeting. Gainesville City Councilman Danny Dunagan, who made the motion to deny the request, said that was a main factor in his decision. The vote by the rest of the council on Dunagan's motion was unanimous.
Ward 5 Councilwoman Juli Clay also said she was uncomfortable with a comment made by another Eastco representative during the public hearing that the units would most likely not be owned by permanent residents, but instead rented. The city council is set to hear a proposed code change that would restrict what zonings short-term rentals in the city could be held in on March 1.
The condominium plan that was approved in 1995 had originally called for two buildings totaling over 100 units. It was revised in 2000 to just one 34-unit building.
Smith said Eastco is prepared to build the condominium complex.
"We're willing to do either one," Smith told the council. "(Eastco) wants to be good neighbors and they want the project to fit the aesthetic of the Gainesville community. They'll be in there this week or next to talk about specifications for a condominium if that's what the preference is."
