The Alachua City Commission unanimously approved the second reading of an ordinance introducing multiple new definitions, and some clarifications, to the city’s land development regulations (LDRs) on Monday. Another new ordinance also allows dumpsters to stand free of buildings in a city entrance.
The first ordinance to amend Alachua’s LDRs touches on several areas where staff saw need for clarification and improvement, including minor clarifications to how applications, plats and plans are processed, and the following new use types:
- Cigar/hookah bar
- Mobile food dispensing vehicle
- Smoke shop
The ordinance also defines those new uses, as well as “retail nicotine products dealer,” “retail tobacco products dealer,” “retail vape products dealer” and “smoking devices,” and changes business district wall sign regulations to address size requirements for different sides of a building.
The commission also unanimously approved the second reading of another amendment to the LDRs, proposed by Silvio Cavaceppi and Sharleen Cavacepp, of Sarcav, LLC, amending the requirements for trash collection areas in the US Highway 441/ Interstate 75 Gateway Overlay District.
Up until now, new developments were required to create trash collection areas that were “incorporated,” or built into the primary building.
The new ordinance still requires dumpsters to be fully enclosed by a solid, gated wall “of comparable architectural design to principal structure,” but it will no longer need to be physically connected to the building.
The Cavaceppis argued that the change would allow greater flexibility in site design, allow for locating dumpsters away from ordering areas for drive-through restaurants and attract more businesses to Alachua.
The change only applies to trash collection areas for developments within the city’s US Hwy 441/ Interstate 75 Gateway Overlay District, comprised of parcels that lie within a 2,000-foot radius of the center point of the interchange of US Highway 441 and I-75.