County commissioners will make a decision whether to send Plum Creek’s Envision Alachua Sector Plan to the state next week.
The commissioners will meet Tuesday at the Senior Recreation Center located at 5701 NW 34th Blvd at 5 p.m. to speak with Plum Creek staff and applicants one last time before voting on the plan.
Three of the five county commissioners must approve the plan before it can be transmitted to the state for further review.
Three hearings for public comment have taken place at Eastside High School auditorium where 274 opinions, both for and against the plan, have been heard by commissioners.
“A lot of times we talk to empty seats, but to have this many people here sitting in the audience is just a fantastic thing, it says a lot about Alachua county,” Commissioner Lee Pinkoson said.
Commissioners fielded questions from their constituents about creating jobs in East Gainesville and about the impact the plan would have on the environment.
Although each side of the argument presents different concerns for Alachua County, Commissioner Ken Cornell said he believes these conversations make for an engaged community.
“What I know about this when we are done is that, we as a community, on both sides of this issue, are going to be stronger with every issue that we have discussed,” Cornell said.