From her Newberry home, UF mathematics junior Analiese Wagner has watched Gainesville grow for the past 20 years.
She has reaped the benefits of some of the developments — a nearby Publix and a new McDonald’s. Although Wagner enjoys seeing the city grow, she has concerns about it.
“I think development is positive as long as it’s done in a way that is conscious of what is already there,” Wagner said.
On Thursday, UF announced the details of its Strategic Development Plan, a project between the university and area stakeholders, organized by a third-party firm. The plan came out of UF’s desire to be a top-10 public university.
To achieve this goal, UF is looking to renovate the area surrounding campus, said UF Senior Vice President Charlie Lane.
“It’s something I think we’ve needed to do for a very, very long time, and I think this university is really going to benefit from it, if we’re able to implement it in the way we think we need to,” he said.
The new development will focus on making Gainesville a “New American City” that is walkable, pedestrian-friendly and easy to navigate, Lane said. Part of this includes improving bicycle safety. Abigail Dougherty, a UF student, was recently killed in a bicycle accident across from campus.
Gedaliah Dreyfuss, a UF geography sophomore, pushes for cyclist safety in Gainesville. Although there are bike lanes on side roads, main roads are not safe for cyclists, the 20-year-old said.
“These are dangerous roads to be on,” Dreyfuss said. “Not just because of the speeds of the vehicles, but because there is no bicycle infrastructure there.”
Another goal of the development plan is to increase UF student housing near campus, Lane said.
The Standard, a new luxury student-housing project at the intersection of West University Avenue and Southwest 13th Street, is expected to open by Fall 2017.
UF also recently bought Leonardo’s By The Slice’s building for an undetermined purpose.
Nestled in a booth at Leo’s, Nique Etienne, 28, watched the construction of The Standard. Although she said she hopes more students living near campus will help with traffic congestion, she worries the building sticks out among the streets’ mom-and-pop shops.
“The building itself I feel like sort of goes against Gainesville’s general development that’s always been historic,” Etienne said.
Noah Hinrichsen, a UF music junior who is also working toward his master’s degree in entrepreneurship, said although he likes seeing new businesses come to Gainesville, the city needs to keep its individuality.
“Gainesville needs to, in my opinion, I guess keep its identity while growing,” the 20-year-old said. “I think there’s enough — hopefully there’s enough — opposition so that the growth is balanced.”
