Here's a Stadium Club update. I remember two years ago when the owners approached the city asked for tax increment money, the local developers who sat on the College Park University Heights Redevelopment Advisory Board predicted that the owners' business plan was not feasible and this project would bankrupt them. It was that obvious from the very beginning.
From June 3rd's Gainesville Sun.
Stadium Club hits another roadblock
The luxury condominium project is in the process of foreclosure over missed mortgage payments.
By Megan Rolland
Published: Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 9:24 p.m.
The half-constructed luxury condominium project on West University Avenue, where virtually no work has been done for 18 months, is in the process of foreclosure because the Stadium Club developers have missed payments on a $12.8 million mortgage.
Philip and Sharon Stock, the North Redington Beach-based developers, could not be reached for comment about the attempted foreclosure, which was filed in March with the Alachua County Circuit Court.
The mortgage was issued by First Priority Bank in February 2007 to Stock Development #38 for the purchase of the Papa John's Restaurant at 1802 W. University Ave.
The property was purchased for $2.1 million, according to Alachua County Property Appraiser records, and a demolition permit for the existing building on the quarter-acre lot was issued in May 2007.
Construction on the proposed 24 units in an eight-story building began shortly thereafter and the outer shell of four stories had been completed when construction came to a halt around Christmas 2007.
Since that time, no substantial work has been done on the structure.
The first signs that Philip and Sharon Stock might have hit financial trouble came a year ago when a number of subcontractors for the project filed liens against the developer and general contractor for bills they said were unpaid.
Some of those liens have evolved into court cases against Stock Development seeking payment.
Chris Doering, a former University of Florida wide receiver, had reserved one of the upscale condos in Stadium Club but said he didn't put a down payment on the unit. "I wish we could have gotten it done. It would have been a great project," said Doering, who said he has not been in contact with the developer for several months.
"I didn't lose any money, though."
The question lingering now is what will become of the high-profile development, whether it's foreclosed upon or not. The company now holding the $12.8 million mortgage - which includes the land and the half-built Stadium Club - is no longer First Priority Bank. Rather, it's Vesta Equity LLC out of Sarasota that is foreclosing on the project. Vesta declined to comment because of the ongoing civil court case against Philip and Sharon Stock.
Gainesville City Manager Russ Blackburn said that two weeks ago Stock Development requested an extension on building permits that were set to expire. "We have not acted upon that request," said Blackburn. "However, Senate Bill 360, which was signed into law late (Monday) night, provides for an automatic extension of two years for permits that were open dating back to October 2008." That bill likely will mean an automatic extension of the building permit for Stadium Club, but Blackburn said that, given information about the foreclosure proceedings, that may be a "moot point."
"I think from a community perspective our goal is to have a safe, sound and complete building," Blackburn said. "There are certain safety issues in the neighborhood because it is not complete. We're hopeful that an owner will come in with the financial capacity to complete the Stadium Club building."
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Friday, February 15, 2008
A neighborhood on the chopping block
This Monday, at 6pm at City Hall, the City Commission will be holding a special meeting to decide on the location of a new vehicle service center to replace the downtown GRU garage that will be closing to further downtown redevelopment.
The city staff wants to relocate this 25,000 sf center next to the Stephen Foster neighborhood. This industrial facility will be extremely noisy, polluting, and will blight the neighborhood for the foreseeable future. It's a quick and dirty decision that is both fiscally unsound and disastrous for the neighborhood.
I have been working with the Stephen Foster neighborhood over the past year to help educate the City Commissioners on alternative locations for the industrial garage that are properly zoned industrial and that are away from any residential areas. On Monday night, a final decision will be made by the Commission that will ultimately determine whether or not Stephen Foster remains a viable neighborhood for families.
I am emailing to strongly encourage anyone who believes in the preservation of our city neighborhoods to attend Monday's special meeting and lend your voice in support of Stephen Foster. We all need every single family neighborhood if we expect to keep electing commissioners who truly support quality of life in neighborhoods. We can't sit by and watch one be ruined by our our city staff's shortsightedness.
Jimmy Harnsberger
University Park Neighborhood Association
The city staff wants to relocate this 25,000 sf center next to the Stephen Foster neighborhood. This industrial facility will be extremely noisy, polluting, and will blight the neighborhood for the foreseeable future. It's a quick and dirty decision that is both fiscally unsound and disastrous for the neighborhood.
I have been working with the Stephen Foster neighborhood over the past year to help educate the City Commissioners on alternative locations for the industrial garage that are properly zoned industrial and that are away from any residential areas. On Monday night, a final decision will be made by the Commission that will ultimately determine whether or not Stephen Foster remains a viable neighborhood for families.
I am emailing to strongly encourage anyone who believes in the preservation of our city neighborhoods to attend Monday's special meeting and lend your voice in support of Stephen Foster. We all need every single family neighborhood if we expect to keep electing commissioners who truly support quality of life in neighborhoods. We can't sit by and watch one be ruined by our our city staff's shortsightedness.
Jimmy Harnsberger
University Park Neighborhood Association
Friday, February 8, 2008
Paynes Prairie threatened
The following was sent by Kathy Cantwell of the Sierra Club. It concerns a proposed, intense development overlooking Paynes Prairie. The County Commission will be voting on it this Tuesday. 2/12. Please read this carefully.
Jimmy Harnsberger
University Park Neighborhood Association
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20 years ago, I was paralyzed when hit by a car while riding my bicycle.
Prior to that I was an avid wilderness backpacker, canoer, and cyclist. I have canoed most of the rivers in Florida, hiked extensively through the Sierra Nevada mountains, the Rockies , hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, hiked the Appalachian Trail, Cumberland Island, biked through much of Florida, biked across Ireland and had unforgettable experiences. It is the reason I fight so hard and have devoted my life to protection of the environment.
One of my favorite and special hiking trips was hiking the trail along the rim of Paynes Prairie and camping overnight at Persimmon Point. This is a great experience, limited to 15 people and only offered once a month and only during the winter. Guided by a park ranger, it is a delightful true wilderness experience equivalent to all my other wilderness experiences and I did it repeatedly. Imagine, being in the wilderness, yet just minutes from downtown Gainesville!
Yes, you can see a couple of tall buildings on the UF campus but mostly the view is similar to what Bartram saw when he trekked the "Alachua Savannah" in 1774.
But that vista is in grave danger. The Gainesville Country Club Homeowners Association wants to change the land use on 25 acres adjacent to the Prairie from Recreation to Multifamily Residential. This is at one of the highest bluffs overlooking the prairie. The complex will be at least 3 stories (the original conceptual plan shows 4 stories) and accommodate 200 families, their cars, dogs and various other pets.
Rather than pay out of their own pockets, the Homeowners Association is counting on the sale of the condos's and townhouses to fund the revamping and modernization of their outdated club house.
This is like me asking the city to allow me to build a duplex in my front yard so I can pay to put in a pool in my backyard, rather than have to pay out of my own pocket.
The unbelievable part of all this is that the county is about to allow them to do this. This is despite the county planning staff and environmental staff recommending denial.
At their January meeting it was clear the commissioners had no objections (other than Byerly). Commissioner Pinkoson even made a comment they should be allowed to build the development because "Well, the rest stop on I-75 can be seen from the prairie so what difference will this make?" He said the precise reason why they should NOT allow this. It will set a precedent for future development along the rim of the Prairie.
Because of the protests of the biologist from the Prairie, Jim Weimer, and a few other citizens at the very late night meeting, the commission delayed the decision until their next meeting this Tuesday night, Feb 12 at 6 PM.
They need to hear from the citizens. Are we in such a dire shortage of luxury townhouses that we need to sacrifice one of the county's (and state's) historical and biological treasures?
Once the wilderness is gone, it is gone forever. Come to the meeting Tuesday night, Feb 12 at 6 PM at the county administration building on the corner of University and Main Street, second floor and/or write a letter to bocc@alachua.fl.us, or P.O. Box 2877, Gainesville, FL 32602-2877.
Kathy Cantwell
Public Lands Issue Chair
SSJ Sierra Club
400 NE 13 Ave.
Gainesville, Fl. 32601
352-395-7441
Jimmy Harnsberger
University Park Neighborhood Association
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20 years ago, I was paralyzed when hit by a car while riding my bicycle.
Prior to that I was an avid wilderness backpacker, canoer, and cyclist. I have canoed most of the rivers in Florida, hiked extensively through the Sierra Nevada mountains, the Rockies , hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, hiked the Appalachian Trail, Cumberland Island, biked through much of Florida, biked across Ireland and had unforgettable experiences. It is the reason I fight so hard and have devoted my life to protection of the environment.
One of my favorite and special hiking trips was hiking the trail along the rim of Paynes Prairie and camping overnight at Persimmon Point. This is a great experience, limited to 15 people and only offered once a month and only during the winter. Guided by a park ranger, it is a delightful true wilderness experience equivalent to all my other wilderness experiences and I did it repeatedly. Imagine, being in the wilderness, yet just minutes from downtown Gainesville!
Yes, you can see a couple of tall buildings on the UF campus but mostly the view is similar to what Bartram saw when he trekked the "Alachua Savannah" in 1774.
But that vista is in grave danger. The Gainesville Country Club Homeowners Association wants to change the land use on 25 acres adjacent to the Prairie from Recreation to Multifamily Residential. This is at one of the highest bluffs overlooking the prairie. The complex will be at least 3 stories (the original conceptual plan shows 4 stories) and accommodate 200 families, their cars, dogs and various other pets.Rather than pay out of their own pockets, the Homeowners Association is counting on the sale of the condos's and townhouses to fund the revamping and modernization of their outdated club house.
This is like me asking the city to allow me to build a duplex in my front yard so I can pay to put in a pool in my backyard, rather than have to pay out of my own pocket.
The unbelievable part of all this is that the county is about to allow them to do this. This is despite the county planning staff and environmental staff recommending denial.
At their January meeting it was clear the commissioners had no objections (other than Byerly). Commissioner Pinkoson even made a comment they should be allowed to build the development because "Well, the rest stop on I-75 can be seen from the prairie so what difference will this make?" He said the precise reason why they should NOT allow this. It will set a precedent for future development along the rim of the Prairie.
Because of the protests of the biologist from the Prairie, Jim Weimer, and a few other citizens at the very late night meeting, the commission delayed the decision until their next meeting this Tuesday night, Feb 12 at 6 PM.
They need to hear from the citizens. Are we in such a dire shortage of luxury townhouses that we need to sacrifice one of the county's (and state's) historical and biological treasures?
Once the wilderness is gone, it is gone forever. Come to the meeting Tuesday night, Feb 12 at 6 PM at the county administration building on the corner of University and Main Street, second floor and/or write a letter to bocc@alachua.fl.us, or P.O. Box 2877, Gainesville, FL 32602-2877.
Kathy Cantwell
Public Lands Issue Chair
SSJ Sierra Club
400 NE 13 Ave.
Gainesville, Fl. 32601
352-395-7441
Monday, January 14, 2008
Neighborhood Forum Draws Crowd
(From Left to Right: Tom Hawkins, Jr.; Robert Agrusa; Jack Donovan; Bryan Harman; Lauren Poe; Bonnie Mott)Last night, three neighborhoods sponsored a City Commission candidate forum that was well
attended by citizens and which featured six candidates: Jack Donovan, Tom Hawkins, Robert Agrusa, Bonnie Mott, Lauren Poe, and Bryan Harman.The neighborhood organizations included the University Park Neighborhood Association, who sponsors these yearly, the Forest Ridge / Henderson Heights neighborhood association (who provided food), and the Stephen Foster Neighborhood Protection Group. I would say that all three neighborhoods were equally represented in the audience.
The moderator for the event (that was me) posed six questions to the candidates, and then the floor was opened to questions from the audience. The questions from the moderator included the following. I won't try to summarize each candidate's answers - I'll try and post some YouTube clips soon from video we recorded at the forum. I will make a few comments in bold after each question when an easy summary is possible:
1. Do you support the landlord license system? What would you do as a Commissioner to ensure that the landlord license system is actually enforced by staff? All the candidates supported the current landlord license system.2. Would you support any plans to widen roads in the city? If so, which ones? Followup: Our neighborhood increasingly functions as a cut-thru for commuters. Would you support lifting the moratorium on traffic calming devices to address this problem? All the candidates generally agreed that no roads in the city should be widened, and all supported lifting the moratorium on traffic calming devices
3.
4.
Foster neighborhood: Do you consider a 24,000 sf industrial site to be compatible with quiet residences? What will you do to protect this venerable and stable inner city neighborhood? The responses were summarized reasonably well by the Gainesville Sun article. The best summary would be that all candidates, except Jack Donovan, opposed the expansion. Mr. Donovan tied any support for blocking the expansion to the viabilty of an alternative parcel and to budget considerations.5.
6. Planning staff has recently approved a small boarding house / mini-apartment building on NW 20th St and 3rd Ave as a single family home.
The questions from the floor focused on the Stephen Foster situation, solar power, and the problems of yard parking on event days at UF, among others. Audience members asked question about an hour. Candidates and neighbors lingered for another 45 minutes or so after the event for spirited conversations.If you weren't there, you missed a good one.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Neighborhood leader passes away
Yesterday, the Gainesville Sun reported the death of longtime neighborhood activist Susan Wright.
I only met Susan two years ago when I had just begun fighting the City on an nonconforming use that was illegally granted to a rental house on my street. I was extremely impressed by her dedication to public service even as she was fighting cancer. She was instrumental in putting together the coalition that resulted in more resources for code enforcement as well as major improvements to the landlord license system.
We will miss Susan. I know that her example has inspired many others, including myself. That is part of her legacy and it is one she should be very proud of.
Jimmy Harnsberger
University Park Neighborhood Association
I only met Susan two years ago when I had just begun fighting the City on an nonconforming use that was illegally granted to a rental house on my street. I was extremely impressed by her dedication to public service even as she was fighting cancer. She was instrumental in putting together the coalition that resulted in more resources for code enforcement as well as major improvements to the landlord license system.
We will miss Susan. I know that her example has inspired many others, including myself. That is part of her legacy and it is one she should be very proud of.
Jimmy Harnsberger
University Park Neighborhood Association
Thursday, July 5, 2007
We got trouble. Right here in Tree City.
By Barbara Ruth
Stephen Foster Neighborhood
The Stephen Foster neighborhood won a huge victory over the City Planning Department on May 24, 2007. That was when the Development Review Board (DRB) in a unanimous decision voted to deny the City of Gainesville’s petition to expand the City's Fleet Maintenance Facility at the city compound site adjacent to the Stephen Foster neighborhood. Substantial, competent evidence was presented by the neighborhood and its outside resources, demonstrating that the expansion was not compatible with their Residential Single Family (RSF-1) zoning.
It appears that the City has not accepted the findings of fact and conclusions of law by the DRB. The City cannot resubmit its petition for one year, but the powers-that-be have invited the neighborhood to a "public workshop," apparently to further pressure the neighborhood into allowing the expansion. The City staff, in effect, now wants to meet us at a peace treaty signing and ask us, the victors, to fall upon our swords. After all, they have already spent a quarter of a million dollars on plans. A pity they didn’t ask for our opinion before committing these tax dollars.
This is no small nor insignificant drama. It is part of a major issue between citizens and city planners, crucial in the protection of our neighborhoods and in all of our citizens' pursuit of happiness. The current political culture apparently puts the future plans/dreams/schemes of the City before those of the citizens who vote them in and pay their salaries. Time and again, numerous neighborhoods have voiced their opposition when City planners change zoning on properties at the request of private interests, and then help them pass their petitions to build what often are incompatible projects in our neighborhoods. Many neighborhoods in Gainesville have objected to development plans, but the City--its Commission, advisory boards, and planning staff--signed off on the projects just the same. Usually, the deck is stacked against the neighborhood.
Let me point out the uniqueness of the Stephen Foster Neighborhood win. In this case, the City was the developer, the petitioner, the overseer of the DRB, and the writer of the findings of fact and conclusions of law by the DRB. The cards were stacked even more than usual against a neighborhood, and I think they were quite surprised when their petition was unanimously denied by the DRB, which is a voluntary citizen group. We too were surprised that the win was as strong as it was. Over a period of nearly 7 months, the City planning staff had rescheduled the DRB hearing for this petition 4 times. The neighborhood had to regroup and rally its residents repeatedly. And now, even after we have won, our problem will not go away.
The City planners do have difficult problems in keeping the neighborhoods happy and making the city solvent by adding to taxable property. As a result, three distinct troubles have become apparent to me: the Three T's.
The first T is Tyranny. As we celebrate our nation’s independence from tyranny, the citizens of Gainesville face the smaller-scale tyranny of our own City government. It is our experience that the Gainesville City government is frequently oblivious to our pleas for justice and fair treatment. The Commission members respond to their constituents by saying that they can’t please everyone, and that some will have to suffer for the good of the collective citizenry. They also reason of late that they don’t have the resources, with tax revenues being cut, to do things the right way, so that no one will have to suffer. This is ridiculous. The Commission could stop the assault on the neighborhoods. They seem to find the funding for their own pet projects, and they help each other get them approved. They set the agenda and tell the City planning staff to make it happen. Then they turn their backs as the planning staff pushes forward the agenda by abusing their power whenever there is opposition from someone or some group that does not agree with their agenda. I personally have found that the planning staff is slow at providing requests for public records; often they give you other documents and don’t supply reasons why the specific document is not available. They stonewall, they double-talk, they misinterpret codes and ordinances. They propose changes to codes and ordinances when it suits or strengthens their hand. It is very difficult to win a fight with the City, as many people who have tried to do it will tell you.
The second T is Trust. Mayor Hanrahan recently lamented at a Commission meeting that she didn’t understand the lack of trust. I understood that to mean trust in the Commission and the City planning staff to wisely steer the City’s course. She also said, as I understood her, that she didn’t know how to correct that. Trust is earned and lost by us all; and it is shaped individually as we align our thoughts, words, and deeds. It is difficult to regain trust, if it is allowed to slip away. It is nearly impossible to call oneself a politician these days and have a good chance to be considered trustworthy, and that seems to be true locally as well as nationally.
The third T is Truancy. Perhaps the most glaring sign of trouble in Tree City is the fact that its citizens are complacent (like most cities'). If we do not incorporate our responsibilities to preserve our freedoms and protections into our everyday duties, we are surely going to forfeit them. Early in our neighborhood's fight with the City; I realized my lack of vigilance for the greater good. I had my head in the sand, not knowing or caring what was going on in other neighborhoods. I believe it was Hamilton who warned that we would self-destruct because the common man is too easily swayed and cannot intelligently participate in such a system and help keep it viable. In this wonderful city, it is easy to see how the ordinary citizen can be distracted. We have many things to fill our heads with--the circus of the Gator sports programs, the arts and museums, the parks, springs, and beaches close at hand. One thing the majority of us have in common is that we don’t cherish and honor our true gift of democracy. We are lazy truants and deserve such as we give and get. I have been in that absentee mindset for far too long and now have new hope that henceforth I will do a better job as an advocate for and participant in good citizenship. I have the City’s challenge to my rights and my protections to thank for my awakening.
We are as a nation and town aiding in expanding the distance between poor and wealthy. We are polarizing at the extreme edges of political ideals and losing sight of true civil debate and how to change our ideals by exchanging ideas and arriving at thoughtful consensus, tempered by logic and compassion. Certainly, democracy is an evolving system and much has changed. Our rights are always in flux, but whom do we trust to hold them for us? When we who do go to cast our votes on election day are voting for the lesser of two evils, as I often hear, and don’t demand exceptional service of our elected officials, then we will reap what we have sowed (or left for others to sow if we don't show up to vote).
Tyranny will not be overcome by our own Truancy or by electing officials who do not earn our Trust. Time will tell if the problem of the three T's is curable or fatal. Tick tock, tick tock
Stephen Foster Neighborhood
The Stephen Foster neighborhood won a huge victory over the City Planning Department on May 24, 2007. That was when the Development Review Board (DRB) in a unanimous decision voted to deny the City of Gainesville’s petition to expand the City's Fleet Maintenance Facility at the city compound site adjacent to the Stephen Foster neighborhood. Substantial, competent evidence was presented by the neighborhood and its outside resources, demonstrating that the expansion was not compatible with their Residential Single Family (RSF-1) zoning.
It appears that the City has not accepted the findings of fact and conclusions of law by the DRB. The City cannot resubmit its petition for one year, but the powers-that-be have invited the neighborhood to a "public workshop," apparently to further pressure the neighborhood into allowing the expansion. The City staff, in effect, now wants to meet us at a peace treaty signing and ask us, the victors, to fall upon our swords. After all, they have already spent a quarter of a million dollars on plans. A pity they didn’t ask for our opinion before committing these tax dollars.
This is no small nor insignificant drama. It is part of a major issue between citizens and city planners, crucial in the protection of our neighborhoods and in all of our citizens' pursuit of happiness. The current political culture apparently puts the future plans/dreams/schemes of the City before those of the citizens who vote them in and pay their salaries. Time and again, numerous neighborhoods have voiced their opposition when City planners change zoning on properties at the request of private interests, and then help them pass their petitions to build what often are incompatible projects in our neighborhoods. Many neighborhoods in Gainesville have objected to development plans, but the City--its Commission, advisory boards, and planning staff--signed off on the projects just the same. Usually, the deck is stacked against the neighborhood.
Let me point out the uniqueness of the Stephen Foster Neighborhood win. In this case, the City was the developer, the petitioner, the overseer of the DRB, and the writer of the findings of fact and conclusions of law by the DRB. The cards were stacked even more than usual against a neighborhood, and I think they were quite surprised when their petition was unanimously denied by the DRB, which is a voluntary citizen group. We too were surprised that the win was as strong as it was. Over a period of nearly 7 months, the City planning staff had rescheduled the DRB hearing for this petition 4 times. The neighborhood had to regroup and rally its residents repeatedly. And now, even after we have won, our problem will not go away.
The City planners do have difficult problems in keeping the neighborhoods happy and making the city solvent by adding to taxable property. As a result, three distinct troubles have become apparent to me: the Three T's.
The first T is Tyranny. As we celebrate our nation’s independence from tyranny, the citizens of Gainesville face the smaller-scale tyranny of our own City government. It is our experience that the Gainesville City government is frequently oblivious to our pleas for justice and fair treatment. The Commission members respond to their constituents by saying that they can’t please everyone, and that some will have to suffer for the good of the collective citizenry. They also reason of late that they don’t have the resources, with tax revenues being cut, to do things the right way, so that no one will have to suffer. This is ridiculous. The Commission could stop the assault on the neighborhoods. They seem to find the funding for their own pet projects, and they help each other get them approved. They set the agenda and tell the City planning staff to make it happen. Then they turn their backs as the planning staff pushes forward the agenda by abusing their power whenever there is opposition from someone or some group that does not agree with their agenda. I personally have found that the planning staff is slow at providing requests for public records; often they give you other documents and don’t supply reasons why the specific document is not available. They stonewall, they double-talk, they misinterpret codes and ordinances. They propose changes to codes and ordinances when it suits or strengthens their hand. It is very difficult to win a fight with the City, as many people who have tried to do it will tell you.
The second T is Trust. Mayor Hanrahan recently lamented at a Commission meeting that she didn’t understand the lack of trust. I understood that to mean trust in the Commission and the City planning staff to wisely steer the City’s course. She also said, as I understood her, that she didn’t know how to correct that. Trust is earned and lost by us all; and it is shaped individually as we align our thoughts, words, and deeds. It is difficult to regain trust, if it is allowed to slip away. It is nearly impossible to call oneself a politician these days and have a good chance to be considered trustworthy, and that seems to be true locally as well as nationally.
The third T is Truancy. Perhaps the most glaring sign of trouble in Tree City is the fact that its citizens are complacent (like most cities'). If we do not incorporate our responsibilities to preserve our freedoms and protections into our everyday duties, we are surely going to forfeit them. Early in our neighborhood's fight with the City; I realized my lack of vigilance for the greater good. I had my head in the sand, not knowing or caring what was going on in other neighborhoods. I believe it was Hamilton who warned that we would self-destruct because the common man is too easily swayed and cannot intelligently participate in such a system and help keep it viable. In this wonderful city, it is easy to see how the ordinary citizen can be distracted. We have many things to fill our heads with--the circus of the Gator sports programs, the arts and museums, the parks, springs, and beaches close at hand. One thing the majority of us have in common is that we don’t cherish and honor our true gift of democracy. We are lazy truants and deserve such as we give and get. I have been in that absentee mindset for far too long and now have new hope that henceforth I will do a better job as an advocate for and participant in good citizenship. I have the City’s challenge to my rights and my protections to thank for my awakening.
We are as a nation and town aiding in expanding the distance between poor and wealthy. We are polarizing at the extreme edges of political ideals and losing sight of true civil debate and how to change our ideals by exchanging ideas and arriving at thoughtful consensus, tempered by logic and compassion. Certainly, democracy is an evolving system and much has changed. Our rights are always in flux, but whom do we trust to hold them for us? When we who do go to cast our votes on election day are voting for the lesser of two evils, as I often hear, and don’t demand exceptional service of our elected officials, then we will reap what we have sowed (or left for others to sow if we don't show up to vote).
Tyranny will not be overcome by our own Truancy or by electing officials who do not earn our Trust. Time will tell if the problem of the three T's is curable or fatal. Tick tock, tick tock
Monday, May 28, 2007
Stephen Foster Neighborhood Wins a Critical Battle
The Stephen Foster neighborhood won a crucial victory last Thursday - they convinced the Development Review Board (DRB) to reject the city's planned expansion of a vehicle service center in their neighborhood. I've pasted the Gainesville Sun article on this below.
This was critical because if the DRB had passed it, the only appeal option was to sue the city, which is time-consuming, expensive, and difficult to win regardless of the facts of the case.
With this victory, the neighborhood is in a very strong position to discuss with the city the proper location of an expanded vehicle service center, which most of us would agree is not adjacent to a old, viable single family neighborhood. This victory also shows that when neighborhoods organize, they can change city policy.
Jimmy Harnsberger
University Park Neighborhood Association
ARTICLE FROM SUN:
Board rejects expansion of maintenance garage
ALICE WALLACE
Sun staff writer
May 25. 2007
The city of Gainesville Development Review Board voted unanimously Thursday night to deny a petition that would have expanded a city vehicle fleet maintenance garage on NW 39th Avenue.
The decision was made after nearly 100 residents, most of whom live in the Stephen Foster neighborhood next to the fleet maintenance yard, showed up to voice their objection to the expansion. They objected to added noise the larger garage would bring, among other problems.
The meeting Thursday evening at City Hall lasted almost five hours as resident after resident took the podium to oppose the planned expansion, which would have also included the relocation of a refueling station.
Residents who attended the meeting from the Stephen Foster neighborhood, which sits just to the west of the maintenance site at 405 NW 39th Ave., were adamant about the fact that the facility's expansion would exacerbate a problem with noise in the neighborhood that was already just barely tolerable.
The review board chose to deny the petition based on the facts the five attending members heard Thursday night, and also went on to request that the city address issues with stormwater drainage and construction debris already present on the site.
This was critical because if the DRB had passed it, the only appeal option was to sue the city, which is time-consuming, expensive, and difficult to win regardless of the facts of the case.
With this victory, the neighborhood is in a very strong position to discuss with the city the proper location of an expanded vehicle service center, which most of us would agree is not adjacent to a old, viable single family neighborhood. This victory also shows that when neighborhoods organize, they can change city policy.
Jimmy Harnsberger
University Park Neighborhood Association
ARTICLE FROM SUN:
Board rejects expansion of maintenance garage
ALICE WALLACE
Sun staff writer
May 25. 2007
The city of Gainesville Development Review Board voted unanimously Thursday night to deny a petition that would have expanded a city vehicle fleet maintenance garage on NW 39th Avenue.
The decision was made after nearly 100 residents, most of whom live in the Stephen Foster neighborhood next to the fleet maintenance yard, showed up to voice their objection to the expansion. They objected to added noise the larger garage would bring, among other problems.
The meeting Thursday evening at City Hall lasted almost five hours as resident after resident took the podium to oppose the planned expansion, which would have also included the relocation of a refueling station.
Residents who attended the meeting from the Stephen Foster neighborhood, which sits just to the west of the maintenance site at 405 NW 39th Ave., were adamant about the fact that the facility's expansion would exacerbate a problem with noise in the neighborhood that was already just barely tolerable.
The review board chose to deny the petition based on the facts the five attending members heard Thursday night, and also went on to request that the city address issues with stormwater drainage and construction debris already present on the site.
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