The Gainesville Planning and Appeals board voted to deny a proposed collector car garage and loft apartment development in the city's midtown area Tuesday.
The applicant, Greg Loyd, was looking for a front yard setback from the required 15 feet to zero on the 0.12-acre site on Banks Street between Main Street and Maple Street to allow the building to be built up to the edge of the road's sidewalk. The proposed building would have had a garage on the lower floor with two loft apartment units on the upper floor.
Several residents spoke against the request at Tuesday's meeting, citing the impact on the walkability of the midtown area. Planning board member Ryan Thompson said he agreed with those concerns, and he added concerns about the construction hurdles the project might face.
"There are construction challenges, and the fact that it encroached so close on a sidewalk, I didn't agree with it," Thompson said.
Thompson made the motion to deny the request and the motion passed the board unanimously.
Because Loyd's request was for a variance, the planning and appeals board's decision will be the final action unless it is appealed in court.
