Alachua County commissioners voted to approve a land-use amendment that clears the way for the University of Florida to develop a 36-hole championship golf course. The amendment will now advance to the state level for further review before the project can proceed.
Sources: Mainstreet Daily News · The Gainesville Sun
City of Gainesville officials and contractor AJAX Construction formally began construction April 24 on a new three-story, roughly 24,000-square-foot property and evidence facility on the Gainesville Police Department campus. The building is designed to handle the department’s expanding volume of stored evidence, improving storage organization and retrieval for investigations and prosecutions. The City Commission approved the $19 million project in December 2025, financing it through a bank loan tied to the Streets, Stations & Strong Foundations surtax program, with completion expected by summer 2027.
Sources: City of Gainesville
The Gainesville City Commission approved guaranteed maximum price agreements at its April 16 meeting to begin sitework on two new fire stations: a relocated and expanded Fire Station #3 in northeast Gainesville and a new Fire Station #9 at a joint Southwest Public Safety Center near Archer Road and Interstate 75. The northeast station will be a 17,000-square-foot facility with three truck bays, while the southwest station will have four truck bays plus shared space for Public Works and a community room. The projects are driven by sustained demand on Gainesville Fire Rescue, which responds to more than 29,000 calls for service annually.
Sources: City of Gainesville
The City of Gainesville has launched construction on SW First Avenue between South Main Street and SW Second Street, converting the block into a curbless, pedestrian-only space designed for festivals, farmers markets, and food trucks. Work is expected to run through October and will include brick pavers, outdoor lighting, seating, landscaping, and upgraded underground utility infrastructure completed in two phases. The Spring Market Series resumes along the corridor on April 24 after a brief hiatus, and downtown parking remains free on weekends near the construction zone.
Sources: City of Gainesville
The Alachua County Commission voted to change the future land-use designation on 580 acres east of Parker Road — owned by the UF Foundation — from Rural/Agriculture to a new “UF Golf Institutional” category, allowing outdoor recreation, a clubhouse, lodging, and maintenance facilities while preserving environmentally sensitive zones as conservation areas. The amendment must be reviewed by Florida Commerce before returning to the commission for final adoption. The county’s April 28 meeting also included a ribbon-cutting for two converted motel properties — Forest Edge and East Tumblin Creek — now offering a combined 67 housing units for vulnerable residents as part of the county’s homelessness response.
Sources: Alachua County
By Marc Lefton
There was no City Commission meeting on Friday — Thursdays are when the action happens around here. But staff in the building were quietly working on items for next Thursday’s agenda, including a draft proposal to expand the city’s curbside composting program.
The pilot, which c
From: City of Gainesville
The City of Gainesville announced a partnership with SunPath Solar to install solar panels on the Thomas Center, the Hippodrome State Theatre rooftop, and the city utilities building on NE 8th Avenue. The project, funded by a $2.1 million federal grant, is expected to reduce annual utility costs by approximately $40,000 and offset 480 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. Construction begins June 1.
