The 4,000-acre Hickory Sink, or Lee, property could follow two different development paths after a Nov. 7 special meeting with the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC).
One option would preserve 85% of the land for conservation. Another option would develop more than 50% of the land with housing and some commercial properties. Both options include a 580-acre golf course for the University of Florida.
The Tuesday meeting will continue the conversation from last year when the BOCC last took up the issue.
A contract between UF and the property owners hasn’t been signed, according to Steve Orlando, UF’s associate vice president for communications. That would come after the development plans run through the BOCC process.
He said the UF parcel would also include a practice area, clubhouse facilities for men’s and women’s golf teams, possible facilities for a youth development program, maintenance facilities and about 30 guest cottages.
UF’s current golf course, Mark Bostic Golf Course at the corner of SW 34th Street and SW 2nd Avenue, was built 102 years ago and now lags behind current criteria for NCAA courses, Orlando said.
“It was renovated about 20 years ago, which has been great, and it served us very well,” Orlando said in an interview. “But by today’s championship standards, it’s short. It doesn’t have the same kind of challenges that championship play requires today.”
The course, Orlando said, would be funded by private donations, and he said the university doesn’t yet know how much it would cost. Besides new facilities for the golf teams, Orlando said other benefits will also come through internships for students pursuing fields like course management and potential youth golf programs.
“Our goal here isn’t to take away business from any other local, public courses,” Orlando said.
The university hopes to finish development of the course and adjacent facilities in the next two or three years, but the county’s special area plan remains the next step.
The special area study and plan aren’t required for all development, but a large portion of the Hickory Sink property contains a strategic ecosystem—one of 47 in Alachua County—that requires extra development steps.
The BOCC approved a special area study for the property last year. On Nov. 7, that study will return to the board for consideration of the next steps for the special area plan.
Backup documents show two separate plans that the development could follow.
One plan would allow UF to develop its 580-acre golf course while keeping the rest of the property under conservation easements paid for through a combination of local, state and possible private dollars.
The other shows a realistic scenario of how the landowners could develop the land, including the UF golf course set aside. The zoning map shows 50 acres of affordable housing, a 90-acre town center and more than 1,000 acres of residential.
Both plans will need to conform to county environmental standards and any special conditions imposed to protect the strategic ecosystem.
The county and planners have held three community meetings on the potential development, with the latest on Oct. 2.
Jim Sheets, a resident of Haile Plantation, lives just east of the Hickory Sink property and went to the community meeting. He said residents in Haile Plantation are worried about intrusion into their neighborhood.
Both special area plans contain marks where the development might add entrance and egress points. One of those marks shows an entrance into Haile Plantation through SW 46th Boulevard. Sheets said the residents are worried about increased traffic.
Sheets said no one that he’s spoken to is against the development, though he prefers the conservation route, but residents are firmly against the road extension—turning their dead end into a through street.
“The time to get vocal is now and not after decisions are made,” Sheets said in an email to other residents. “Haile should be represented every step of the way by a local lawyer experienced in zoning and planning matters.”
Residents will have another opportunity to talk about their concerns at the Nov. 7 meeting. After that meeting, any development would enter the normal flow for county projects that involves more community input.
Other communities in the area include Oakmont directly to the north.
At last year’s meeting, many residents expressed concern about the environmental impact, especially for a development plan that includes housing instead of just conservation.
The county designated the property a strategic ecosystem because of the several sinkholes on the site and rare or endangered species. One of the sinkholes even hosted a bat colony when the report was filed in the last 1990s.
Overall, the land was listed as the 36th most important, below average, of the 47 strategic ecosystems.
What would happen to the current UF golf course?
Pave paradise and put up a parking lot.
How fortuitous for Mori.
What are the tax implications? Will this change? Or will the new costs, infrastructure expense and other – be borne by other residents?
Will the university golf course be taxed at Alachua County rates? Or get a free ride on the loss of tax base and destruction of habitat.
Also. The amount of affordable housing is literally exponentially lower than regular residential properties. It sounds like all the OTHER gated homes in the area..
Of course UF won’t pay a penny in property taxes. That’s why Alachua County has such high property taxes. A huge portion of our land is non-taxable because it’s owned by UF, including all the UF Health/Shands properties. Now throw in all the schools and churches that also don’t pay taxes and it’s easy to see why the residents and businesses have to shoulder the burden.
Golf is a declining sport/past time/hobby. I don’t see why UF has to invest so much into this dying leisure activity.
More stuff for the wealthier while the homeless population on Archer Rd & 75 especially, continue to grow. Our country sux sometimes.
I offered to buy the Gainesville Country Club Club last year and give the golf course to the University. They were not interested period. Follow the money and ownership of the property to see why UF is going to this property.
That makes much more sense than destroying more land for another golf course.
Now I am very curious
Conservation and wildlife management is what I expect in our community. I also want homes for our growing population. let’s do this sustainably and responsibly.
There is no where near the infrastructure to support this. Archer road is at capacity as you can see on any morning or evening commute. The senseless slaughter of wildlife is ongoing every day on Parker Rd. aka SW 122 St. as well as the deaths of drivers and their passengers at 122nd and 24th. How many gopher tortoises will be buried alive and their burrows that provide shelter for countless other animals destroyed?
Realistic? What is realistic about paving over every acre of agricultural land? Where are we planning to grow the food needed to feed everyone?
And look around, golf is a dying sport, using huge amounts of water, in a highly sinkholed area, and fertilizers that will flow directly into the aquifer and our water source.
Stop this madness.
Not Jonesville.
We have been living in Haile for just under two years and truly enjoy the area. We. would not like to see 46th opened as a through road for so many reasons, many of which have already been outlined in other comments. We appreciate the uncommon beauty of the tree tunnel canopy on 46th Blvd and the serenity of Haile in general. Does a petition exist strongly suggesting NOT to open 46th? We will sign it. Thank you