What is typically a quiet, staff decision turned into a hour-long public discussion as the Suwannee River Water Management District considered Alachua County’s objections to water permitting for a cavetop development.
At stake was an “Environmental Resource Permit”: a sort of permission slip developer Sayed Moukhtara will use to show local authorities his “Tara Phoenicia” project won’t harm surface waters or cause excessive flooding.
Tara Phoenicia is proposed to be a mixed commercial and residential development adjacent to U.S. Highway 441 in the City of Alachua. It’s one of five interconnected “Tara” projects planned for the area which, altogether, have raised local concern because of their proximity to a prominent cave system of the Floridan Aquifer.
The district’s governing board unanimously decided to issue the permit Tuesday afternoon.
Here’s how that decision played out and what comes next:
1. The district had already approved a previous permit for Tara Phoenicia
The district approved an environmental resource permit for Tara Phoenicia in January 2023. The developer later revised its stormwater management system after coordination with an adjacent neighborhood fell through. The new permit serves a smaller area with a larger proportion of impervious surfaces than the previous one.
2. Speakers disagreed about how the development would affect sinkholes and water quality
“The entirety of this project site lies within an extensively fractured zone,” said Alachua County Environmental Protection Department engineer Mary Szoka.
A geotechnical company contracted by the developer identified three underground anomalies within the project’s limits. Szoka recommended these areas be studied further, “for future residents that are going to live there and for the future protection of our water resources in the area.”
When asked by the governing board if additional testing would be informative, district engineer Sara Ferson said it wouldn’t change staff’s recommendation to approve the permit, “as it's not required in rule.”
County staff also raised concerns about the project’s impact on water quality, noting that contaminants from the development could enter residential wells and springs through the adjacent Mill Creek Sink. Cave diver Bryan Buescher said preliminary water quality testing from the sink shows nitrate levels 14-times higher than the district’s goal of 0.35 mg/L.
Jay Brown, president of the project’s site developer JBPro, said Tara Phoenicia’s stormwater system is designed to capture and treat more runoff than local codes require. “We’re not sending more water there. We’re not sending it there faster,” he said of the sink. “We're designing it so that it's discharging similar to pre-development conditions.”
3. The board approved the new permit unanimously
By doing so, District Assistant Executive Director Tim Alexander explained, “we’re not saying it’s good, we’re saying it’s met our criteria.”
4. Water permits for other sections of the project are still waiting on approval
The five portions of the development total around 580 acres. They’re at different stages in the approval pipeline with both the water management district and the city.
5. It’s up to the City of Alachua to decide the project’s fate
The Alachua City Commission approved a preliminary plat that includes Tara Forest West, Tara Phoenicia and Tara April last July. Public opposition, county involvement and planning staff resignations slowed further progress.
A public hearing for the final plat hasn’t been scheduled.
