County staff will have to deal with concerns about security, funding and maintenance before following through with plans for a bicycle trail that would connect UF with Haile Plantation.
More than 50 Haile Plantation residents, developers and cyclists came to weigh in on the benefits and problems of the trail at a community workshop Monday.
The trail, deemed a "top priority" by Alachua County commissioners, is aimed at people commuting to the university from Southwest Gainesville.
"Before we actually allocate dollars to the project, we want feedback," said Jonathan Paul, the concurrency and impact fee manager for Alachua County Growth Management.
Many residents raised concerns about the security of the trail.
Parts of the trail run past backyards, and privacy fences are discouraged in Haile Plantation, said Dorothy Benson, a resident whose back yard faces the proposed trail path.
"I have a pool in my backyard," Benson said. "There's a privacy concern with this path."
But residents who had planned on voicing concerns directly to county commissioners were disappointed. Although Paul said commissioners were notified of the meeting, none attended.
Planners hope the trail, which would be funded by the county gas tax, will develop piece by piece over the next five to 10 years, starting with the area west of Interstate 75 and Southwest 34th Street.
Paul said Haile Plantation residents would be an important part of planning because the trail needs the homeowners association's approval.
Some attendees at the meeting spoke in favor of the trail.
"It's incredibly dangerous to bike to the university each day," said Eric Keys, a Haile plantation resident and UF professor who bikes to Turlington Hall daily.
Keys said he would use the trail but said there are concerns that need to be addressed in the planning process.
"They need to be sensitive to the needs of the trail," Keys said. "There are obviously security and funding issues."
