Friday, September 27, 2013

Plan Board opposes Hatchet Creek request: Gainesville Regional Airport (KGNV)

An effort by the developer of Hatchet Creek to undo a ban on building homes on a swath of land near the Gainesville Regional Airport hit some turbulence Thursday night.

The city’s Plan Board unanimously recommended denial of a request to eliminate a 2009 ban on residential development in an area near the airport where the average daily noise exceeds 65 decibels.

Byron Flagg, a representative of Hatchet Creek, said the prohibition was an obstacle to the development of the subdivision and economic development in east Gainesville.

Gainesville Regional Airport CEO Allan Penska and others who spoke in support of maintaining the ban said a subdivision would lie in the approach path of the busiest runway for arrivals.

They said that would restrict the growth of the airport, raise safety concerns, potentially lead to curfews and changed flight patterns and cultivate ill will with any residents who moved into the area now subject to the ban.

Plan Board Chair Crystal Goodison said she was conscious of the need to spur economic development in east Gainesville. But she said the continued growth of the airport was also key to economic development of the area.

The City Commission will have the final say on the Hatchet Creek developer’s request. A vote on the measure has not yet been scheduled.

Developer Robert A. Simensky of Bedford Hills, N.Y., first proposed the development in 2007 on 291 acres between Northeast 39th and 53rd avenues and abutting the city-owned Ironwood Golf Course.

The ban on residential development covers some 180 acres toward the center of the property and abutting the golf course.

Story and Comments/Reaction: http://www.gainesville.com

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