Gainesville and Alachua County residents be aware: Continuing development along Newberry Road between Interstate 75 and 143rd Street in Jonesville continues to increase traffic to dangerous levels, destroying homes of native wildlife that live in wooded areas that are being demolished to build more and more multi-story apartment complexes and businesses. 

This continuing development not only diminishes the quality of life for residents adjacent to areas being razed; it also impacts everyone who travels on Newberry Road. Traffic along Newberry Road has reached a critical point. Enough is enough! Please join us in urging the Alachua County Growth Management department and Alachua County commissioners to consider the following before any more development plans are approved on Newberry Road:  

How can Newberry Road possibly handle the addition of hundreds of more vehicles from apartment residents and business customers when it already is dangerously congested? It is almost impossible and increasingly dangerous during certain times of the day to exit neighborhoods. We urge you to conduct a traffic study of this section of Newberry Road before any additional development plans are considered.   

 

Consider how the quality of life of the residents adjacent to these development plans will be affected. Not only will it be more dangerous and difficult to exit our neighborhoods, but our quality of life will be greatly diminished due to sound and light pollution from four-story apartment buildings a mere 50 feet from existing homes in some instances.   

Consider the history of Alachua County and how you can make a difference in its future. Gainesville was once touted as a Tree City. Many of us moved here from other states because we believed that Alachua County valued natural habitats for animals and a good quality of life for its citizens. Please, we ask you to carefully consider these plans so that our history of retaining our natural beauty and thus, quality of life for our animal and human residents, may be maintained and continue into the future.   

I urge you to visit the sites of these additional development plans before you make your decisions which affect so many residents who rely on you to represent us. Please safeguard our neighborhoods, our quality of life and our native animals that live peacefully among us.  

 

I urge all Gainesville and Alachua County residents to get involved. If you are troubled by the destruction of woods, increasing traffic accidents along Newberry Road and diminished quality of life, write to our county commissioners and voice your opinions.

They are elected by us and are obligated to listen to our concerns and make decisions accordingly. Their address is: 10 SW 2nd Avenue; Gainesville, FL 32601. The Alachua County Growth Management department can also be reached by mail to the same address.

Mary Jo Banken lives west of Gainesville.