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MONDAY, JULY 14, 2025

VOLUME 119 - ISSUE 38 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Newnans Lake neighbors fear proposed development could muddy its future The proposed development is under review from state officials By Logan McBride Alligator Staff Writer

Paul Pritchard has been involved with wildlife conservation for decades. He served as deputy director for the U.S. Department of the Interior under former President Jimmy Carter and founded the National Park Trust. Pritchard lives on Lakeshore Drive overlooking Newnans Lake. When he heard of a proposal to add 149 single-family homes to the area, he and other neighbors formed a group of about 60 members to defend the property. The Local Planning Agency and Planning Commission voted 3-2 against the 82-acre rezoning in April. The development is being led by Adams Homes and Garden Street Communities. When the issue reached the Alachua County Commission, the planning commission’s recommendation was overruled when the commission unanimously approved the development near Newnans Lake in late May. Two months later, community members close to the property are still fighting the proposal. “There was a pretty strong presence of Chamber of Commerce and other representatives who want more roofs on the ground, more houses, more construction,” Pritchard said. “They brought quite a few people who were not a part of the community, which was disappointing.” The group, which Pritchard called “the East Side Greenway,”

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

GROW HUB Story description finish with comma, pg# Nursery offers opportunities to people with disabilities. Read more on pg. 4.

refers to a 2003 county report protecting the land from development, which consisted of wildlife photographers, a hydrologist and neighbors. Pritchard acts as the group's chairman. Pritchard’s worried about drainage near the property, which could impact more than just Newnans Lake, he said. “There are several drainage areas in this property that drain into Paynes Prairie,” Pritchard said. “This is not just a Newnans Lake issue. It’s a regional issue.” Pritchard felt the county commission was “intentionally deleting” any attention to Newnans Lake, he said. Community members near the property weren’t given advance notice about the development, he said, and the lack of involvement for Newnans Lake in the Forward Focus initiative seemed minimal compared to the attention given to the Hawthorne, Micanopy and Waldo areas. Forward Focus is a three-year initiative aimed at boosting economic opportunities and infrastructure in Eastern Alachua County. East Gainesville needs more development, Pritchard said, but he and the group “felt strongly” there are better landscapes to use. Lesa Holder, a 64-year-old Gainesville resident, lives in Magnolia Estates, a neighborhood on the southwestern side of Newnans Lake. She is also a member of the Alachua Conservation Trust and the East Side Greenway group.

SEE NEWNANS LAKE, PAGE 4

Jordan Klucharich // Alligator Staff

Kate Yeung, a co-owner of Coterie Market, helps customers on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Read more in The Avenue on pg. 5.

UF graduate campus set to transform downtown Jacksonville $300 million investment expected to drive development and expand higher education in Northeast Florida By Swasthi Maharaj Alligator Staff Writer

A new University of Florida graduate campus set to open in downtown Jacksonville could bring massive changes to the city’s economy, workforce and infrastructure.

The Avenue: Frenchmen Street Food

Gainesville po’boy shop offers a plant-based twist, pg. 5

The development follows the Jacksonville City Council’s unanimous vote in June approving the transfer of over 20 acres of cityowned land in the historic LaVilla neighborhood to UF alongside an additional $50 million in public funding. Jacksonville City Council

member Jimmy Peluso, who represents much of the downtown area, said the city seized the opportunity after plans for a similar UF campus in Palm Beach County fell through. “Jacksonville had an abundance of land right in our down-

SEE CAMPUS, PAGE 3

Hall of fame

UF/IFAS assistant director receives high honor, pg. 7

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