Land development code amended

GAINESVILLE - An amendment to Gainesville Unified Land Development Code - attacked by opponents at a city council meeting earlier this month - passed second reading Tuesday with no one speaking for or against it. An "encroachment on property rights" was at the crux of the opposition at that December 1 meeting.

Under the amendment, you can still plant a garden, do landscaping or cut down a tree at your Gainesville home without telling the city or paying a fee, but for some minor land development, the city still wants you to call them first.

At the December 1 meeting, Mandy Harris, who lives in the county but has city property, explained that she did not want to have to call.

"So what I have to do is go down to the city and get permission," Harris said at the time. "Ya'll are encroaching tremendously on my property rights.â

http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/12/225516