Development plan calls for apartment complex, hotel off NW 39th Avenue near I-75

Alan Festo, Gainesville Sun
·2 min read
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A final development plan for the first phase of a project that would transform northwest Gainesville near Interstate 75 has been submitted to the county.

The project is located off Northwest 39th Avenue, just east of Interstate 75, behind the Burger King, Wendy’s and Sonny’s BBQ.

The site can be accessed from Northwest 39th Avenue via Northwest 92nd Court, and from Northwest 91st Street via Northwest 36th Place. The south end of the property borders Santa Fe Trace Apartments.

What is the project?

The current development plan is for the smallest of three quadrants that together make up the Springhills Transit Oriented Development.

Plans for the Southeast Quadrant, which is just under 25 acres, include a 352-unit apartment complex with 11 buildings, a clubhouse and pool, as well as a 100-room hotel. The site plan shows 10 stormwater basins around the development and a retaining wall on the south end of the property.

EDA Consultants Inc., a Gainesville-based engineering, planning and surveying firm, is handling the design for the project. EDA Consultants’ work can be seen throughout the county, including at the Haile Plantation Village Center, San Felasco Tech City and at local hotels and shopping centers.

The proposed site of an apartment complex and hotel at the corner of Northwest 92nd Court and Northwest 36th Place in Gainesville.
The proposed site of an apartment complex and hotel at the corner of Northwest 92nd Court and Northwest 36th Place in Gainesville.

More on the Springhills TOD

Initially approved in 2014, the Springshills TOD could bring more than 3,000 residential units and over 1.3 million square feet of business space across 390 acres.

While the entire project could be built as approved in 2014, a revised development plan has put the project back on the County Commission's plate.

About two-thirds of the development would be located in its Northeast Quadrant, on the east side of I-75, behind the Publix at Springhill Commons. That area would connect to the Northwest Quadrant via a new bridge over I-75 and surround the Best Western Gateway Grand Hotel. The majority of the project's Northwest Quadrant is slated for non-residential uses and a stormwater runoff area.

The County Commission discussed both tree retention and flooding concerns in December 2022.

Commissioners asked county staff to work with engineers to mitigate the loss of the mature trees — something not needed under the 2014 plan — before a final development plan is approved. As for the flooding concerns, the revised development plan increases areas for water retention from 30 to 70 acres.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Final plans call for apartment complex, hotel near I-75 in Gainesville