Southside group moves closer to preserving character of neighborhood

GAINESVILLE - For people in the Boone Street/Chamblee Court/College Avenue part of Gainesville, a dream of preserving the single-family way of life in their neighborhood may be a bit closer to reality by the middle of the month.

The Gainesville Planning and Appeals Board October 13 is to consider a proposal to rezone 129 lots on 29 acres to Neighborhood Conservation (N-C).

The Fair Street Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU) says 96 percent of property owners in the affected area have signed a petition supporting the rezoning. The group notes that though many of the parcels are used for single-family homes, most lots are zoned R-Two... which allows multi-family units. Converting to a Neighborhood Conservation zoning would prohibit them.

In a July 31 letter to the planning and appeals board and the city council, the Fair Street NPU said "this (rezoning) would allow the neighborhood to remain stable, while allowing all current uses - whether they be single-family, or multi-family - thus allowing the neighborhood to be 'frozen' the way it is."

The N-C zoning would prevent new multi-family or business development in the area.

"Though the area chosen for rezoning at this time does not include the entire Fair Street Neighborhood , the Steering Committee decided that it would be prudent to begin with a small boundary and then seek to include other 'pockets' for possible rezoning/neighborhood improvements in the future," the letter goes on to say.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/10/223718