A standing
room crowd of 285 citizens met Thursday night, February 15 at
Talbot Elementary School to voice their opposition to the
proposed SpringHills development.
The meeting featured visual presentations by Alachua County
planning staff and the Coalition for Responsible Growth, a
citizen’s non-profit organization opposed to SpringHills, which
detailed the effects of SpringHills upon traffic and the
regional economy.
“The large number of people who contributed to and joined the
Coalition at the meeting is the best indicator we have that
residents of Alachua County want responsible smart growth, not
irresponsible bad growth,” said Kim Davidson, M.D., vice
president of the coalition. The coalition Web site is
www.savemillhopperroad.org.
The presentation showed that the traffic from SpringHills,
estimated to generate 60,000-95,000 car trips a day, would be
compounded by an estimated 26,000 additional trips from the
proposed Santa Fe Health Park that abuts SpringHills. By
comparison, Archer Road at Butler Plaza has 48,000 trips daily.
Both SpringHills and the Santa Fe Health Park are much
larger than the original proposals for the developments that
were sent to the county. They are of the size and scope to
require analysis as a “Development of Regional Impact.” Although
the two developments share a common border and their traffic
will be commingled, they seek separate reviews by the county and
state governments.
“With these two developments together, we are looking at
traffic gridlock on roads that already are at the failing
level,” Davidson said.
Documents submitted to the county by the Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
developer show that SpringHills would extend from NW 39th Avenue
northward nearly to San Felasco State Preserve. The development
would have 1.5 million square feet of large retail, or big box,
stores plus more than 2,000 dwellings, hotels, distribution
warehouses and other commercial and industrial buildings.
SpringHills is bigger than a combination of Butler Plaza and
Haile Plantation along with hotels and warehouses. It will
fill 600 acres.
Documents in the county planning office show new roads and road
improvements to service SpringHills would cost $120 million,
with county residents having to pay more than $60 million. The
roads and traffic bill includes a bridge across the interstate
to connect to NW 98th Street near the Meadowbrook neighborhood,
and a new road from NW 39th Avenue to Millhopper Road. Also,
intersections on NW 39th Avenue at NW 34th, 43rd, 83rd and 98th
streets would be widened.
The Alachua County Commission will hold a hearing, which could
be as early as May 1, in which it will decide whether to approve
SpringHills.
