SAC Appeal: Save Paynes Prairie by Kathy Cantwell
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Association is counting on the sale of the condos and townhouses to fund the revamping and modernization of their outdated club house.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 on Tuesday night, February 12, 2008 at 6:00 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, February 12th at 6:00 PM at the County Administration building on the corner of University and Main Street, second floor and/or write a letter to bocc@alachuacounty.us, or P.O. Box 2877, Gainesville, FL 32602-2877.
