Rather than ending single-family zoning, Gainesville should really plan its next 10 years

We need more housing — no one can argue with that! So, I have been imagining … what will Gainesville look like in 10 years?

If the City Commission amends the comprehensive plan to eliminate single-family residential neighborhoods, and if growth is left up to “market-driven forces” as some of the city commissioners have suggested, then I imagine we’ll have out-of-state developers putting the maximum number of units per square inch everywhere they can.

Of course, they will begin with great locations in less expensive neighborhoods, such as our historically Black neighborhoods like Spring Hill and Porters (speculators are already buying properties there). I imagine with “market-driven forces” at work, we’ll soon have traffic to rival Tampa and Orlando.

But what if we did growth in a planned way? I’m not suggesting yet another out-of-town consultant. We should look at what already works well here. And let’s keep our money in our community by supporting local developers and workers.

What if the “Power District” between Gainesville Regional Utilities and Depot Park was developed like Town of Tioga or Haile Plantation, with a planned town center, townhouses and homes?

Local developers such as the Larsen brothers, who transformed an empty strip mall into the thriving 4th Ave. Food Park, have proposed creating a town center in there. Luis Diaz, the local developer who designed Town of Tioga, could create the townhomes. Andy Coffey could put a few more historically appropriate new houses there too.

The city could be creative and keep the property as a land trust, while selling the townhouses and homes, and in this way create truly affordable housing. What if the city hired a local project manager to make this happen, such as Svein Dyrkolbotn of Viking Construction, who was county’s project manager for the county for Celebration Pointe? We have the local talent here, who would do this in a way that would not be as disruptive to current residents.

And what if the city helped incentivize the move of the downtown cement plant to out of town? That area could be developed into attractive townhomes to appeal to medical staff and university staff who want to live close to work. It could also have a town center with shops and restaurants. The city could require “inclusionary” housing, creating a mixed-income neighborhood.

What if the city, Shands and the University of Florida collaborated to have shuttles that went from these new dense population centers to Shands and UF every 10 minutes? What if our bike lanes didn’t disappear at the most dangerous areas, the intersections where folks are turning? What if they also had concrete curb dividers protecting bikers from cars? And like other urban centers, we could also have designated bike streets.

And what if the city protected places like the area around the Cotton Club, and other historic Black neighborhoods, giving them historic status, and creating incentives and assistance for current residents to stay? And what if the city had impact fees for developers to discourage building in historically sensitive neighborhoods?

What if the city did eliminate single-family zoning, but only in areas within a half-mile radius around grocery stores (studies show people don’t often walk more than a half mile to shop)? Then we might finally get a grocery store in east Gainesville!

While we’re imagining, let’s have a city arborist consultation for every proposed project to keep Gainesville green!

Our city commissioners will be voting on the amendment that will eliminate single-family zoning on July 13 at a special committee meeting. Let’s all go and watch carefully how they vote!

Jackie Davis is a resident of Gainesville’s Southeast Historic District.

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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Jackie Davis: Gainesville should really plan next decade of development