An Alachua County zoning change may soon allow a broader range of recreational activities as the former West End Golf Course is being developed into a park.
An October hearing at the county planning commission’s monthly meeting focused on the proposed amendment to the West End Planned Development, for approximately 75 acres of county-owned land at 12830 West Newberry Road.
The zoning amendment is one part of a longer process to establish the park. The Planning Commission’s recommendation moves the proposal to the Board of County Commissioners for a final decision.
According to the county’s development schedule, the Board of County Commissioners will consider the Planning Commission’s recommendation on Dec. 8.
The proposed zoning change would replace references to the property’s golf course use with language allowing recreational activities, while leaving other development areas within the West End Planned Development unchanged.
“This is really just related to the 75-acre, county-owned park area,” said Clay Sweger, the planning director at eda consultants, the firm representing the county on the amendment.
Sweger said the property’s recreational land-use designation has been in place since at least 1991. The proposed zoning change is intended to bring the development plan in line with the county’s plans for the property, rather than change its overall recreational designation, he said.
County planning staff recommended the amendment, finding it consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan and land use codes. Staff also said the proposed recreational uses were similar to the existing golf course use and were not expected to exceed the capacity of existing infrastructure.
Ed Williams, capital projects coordinator for Alachua County Parks and Open Space, said the hearing was not about approving specific park amenities but about expanding the uses permitted under the existing development plan.
“That's what we're here to do tonight, just expand the definition, the sort of recreation definition of what this property could be used for,” Williams said.
The park’s master plan, which is being developed separately, will determine what recreational amenities could ultimately be included.
Past county discussions have considered options such as walking trails, a playground, pickleball and basketball courts, disc golf, pavilions and a dog park, but no official amenities have been confirmed. In March, the county estimated the next round of West End Community Park improvements could cost $6.3 million, with funding and priorities to be addressed as the project advances
Williams said the county is working with consultants on the park project. He estimated that design and permitting could take about a year, followed by approximately another year of construction.
Although the zoning amendment does not establish the park’s final amenities, questions during the hearing highlighted concerns about how future activities could affect homes near the property.
Jim Meyers, who has lived at the Fairway Pointe at West End, near the proposed park, for a little more than two years, said he’s worried about traffic since Newberry already gets heavy traffic without the park. Specifically, if youth sports or organized events come to the park, that could make it worse.
Still, Meyers said he is not opposed to the park. He has attended community planning meetings and said he understands the county’s plans to create a public recreational space.
“If they can make it a nice park, and everybody in Alachua County and surrounding counties can come and enjoy it, that's great,” he said. “I feel like they have good intentions.”
During the hearing, a speaker questioned whether the county would impose enforceable limits on events and noise near neighboring homes.
In response, Sweger said the zoning conditions wouldn’t limit the number of events in the future park. Events would be reviewed and approved by county staff, and the county’s noise ordinance would continue to regulate sound.
Sweger also said the placement of more active recreational uses had been influenced by community feedback, with those uses intended to be closer to West Newberry Road. Other portions of the property could remain more natural, with walking paths and potentially disc golf instead of more intensive recreational activities.