Tom Thumb working with neighbors on expansion plans; city ditches youth curfew
Jul. 19—Plans for the new Tom Thumb on Gainesville's Eastside are being finalized.
The Gainesville City Council agreed to a development plan with the supermarket Tuesday night to rebuild and expand on its current site on North Grand Avenue.
"When you have a planned development, everybody has to be in agreement. They're not just bound by our general rules; it's very site specific," said City Manager Barry Sullivan.
Two options were presented to the council. The primary difference is whether or not a neighboring plot of land will remain residential or will be bulldozed and made part of the new Tom Thumb parking lot. The decision depends on if the extra cost to Tom Thumb is deemed to be worth the extra parking.
Discussions have been ongoing between residents of the neighborhood and the Tom Thumb representatives and architect.
"Our group, with the help of Barry Sullivan, have met with representatives from Tom Thumb, David Hardin and Tiffany Newman," said Michael Blank, who lives on East California Street and spoke at the city council meeting representing a group of residents of the neighborhood. "We discussed our concerns and our suggestions for this property, and Tom Thumb responded favorably to us."
One of these suggestions included an enclosed loading dock to dampen the noise from refrigerator trucks. Other considerations for the community include parapets on the roof to dampen the noise of the air conditioner units, walls around the parking area and park-style landscaping to keep the small-town neighborhood feel.
"We appreciate the input [from the community]," said David Hardin, the Real Estate Manager for Tom Thumb. "They've had some great ideas."
The meeting also allowed for some clarification involving layout of lot. As it stands, the lot ends at the property line of Starnes Orthodontics at 1219 E. California St. around the turn onto Gribble Street.
North Clements Street will still be there, but it will merge into the Tom Thumb parking lot and curbside pickup. Sullivan compared it to how Lawrence Street currently connects with the Walmart parking lot, with a lighthearted apology to Hardin about bringing up the competition.
Juvenile curfew repealed
