GNV residents, UF talk plans for growth

Gainesville residents expressed their concerns of future gentrification and lack of affordable housing in the city at a public meeting with UF’s Strategic Development team.

Annette Gilley said she heard UF wanted to be a better partner to the community.

“I want them to pay their employees a living wage, because that money all stays right here in the Gainesville community,” Gilley, a Gainesville resident of 18 years, said.

About 60 people listened to members of the development team, who illustrated possible areas of growth with a map and gave ideas for the future.

The public meeting invited residents to share concerns about UF’s expansion within the city.

This “provides a framework of moving forward,” said project executive John Martin.

The development team discussed the possibilities of creating buildings near Newell Drive and requiring freshman and sophomore students to live on-campus to reduce off-campus student living.

Former City Commissioner Randy Wells said UF and Gainesville will need to collaborate to come up with successful plans for the community.

“The university, I think, has identified some very critical areas of opportunity, and what they want to do is to discover to what extent to have additional input for that,” Wells said.