title
AMENDING PERMITTED USES ON NORTHSIDE PARK PROPERTY (B)
Ordinance No.0-09-17, Petition No. PZ-09-00022
An ordinance of the City of Gainesville, Florida, amending the Zoning Map Atlas by specifying the permitted uses on certain City property known as "Northside Park" with the zoning category of "PS, Public Services and Operations District", as more specifically described in this Ordinance, located in the vicinity of 5701 N.W. 34th Street; providing a severability clause; providing a repealing clause; and providing an immediate effective date.
recommendation
The City Commission adopt the proposed ordinance.
explanation
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF MEMORANDUM
The purpose of this petition is to establish the permitted uses for Northside Park. The property currently has a zoning designation of PS (Public services and operations district) with the Recreation land use. The PS zoning district requires that the specific uses that will be permitted on the property be specified as part of the ordinance which places this PS zoning designation on the property. In 1992 when the property was annexed into the City, the PS zoning did not specify the use. The City has indicated that the park will be the location of the Alachua County Senior Recreation Center. This proposed use as well as the existing uses in the park will be enumerated with this petition. The proposed list of uses for Northside Park includes:
Picnic area;
Playground;
Racquetball and tennis courts;
Disc golf;
Park game area (such as horseshoes, volleyball, shuffleboard, etc...);
Ball fields (such as soccer, baseball/softball);
Skateboarding;
Basketball;
Community center (senior/recreation center);
Nature/exercise trails; and
Accessory uses customarily and clearly incidental to any permitted principal use.
The request also states that the setbacks will comply with the dimensional requirements of the PS zoning district. During the hearing two board members voted against the petition because of the lack of a neighborhood meeting. Staff made an administrative decision that a neighborhood meeting was not needed because the Senior Center was advertised and debated during the Wild Places and Wild things tax initiative, the existing uses were legally established on the site, and the Recreation land use allows public and private recreation. The City will have to have a neighborhood meeting prior to any development plan for construction on the site.
Subsequent to the City Plan Board meeting, City staff determined that "nature/exercise trails" already exist on the property and was inadvertently omitted. Therefore, this use was added to the list of permitted uses in the ordinance.
In addition, The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is requesting that a new use - "swimming pool" - be added to the list of permitted uses on the property. City Planning staff has no objection to the request. If the City Commission agrees with this recommendation, then the ordinance should be amended to add "swimming pool" to the list of permitted uses.
Planning Division staff recommended approval of Petition PZ-09-00022.
The City Plan Board reviewed the petition and recommended approval, Plan Board vote 4-2.
Public notice was published in the Gainesville Sun on March 10, 2009. The Plan Board held a public hearing on March 26, 2009.