Kathy Bielling went to the City of Newberry Public Workshop Thursday night as not only a real estate agent but a best friend.
Bielling, of Lake Butler, wants to better assist her Alachua County clients, especially her closest friend since she was 7 years old. Attending the workshop could help her gain more clarity on the expansion of the Overlay District, she said before the meeting, because her friend has inherited land in Newberry.
The city commissioners opened the city hall workshop to the public to gain community input on the Overlay District and Urban Service Area. These agenda items address the accessible land for development, standard for appearance of new infrastructure, and access to services such as water, sewage and transit, city officials said. CHW Professional Consultants of Alachua County, a local development group, was brought in to mediate.
Thursday marked the first of a 150-day goal to adopt concise regulations into Newberry's set of legal ordinances for future infrastructure. Over the next six months, a blueprint for the expectations of the future of Newberry should be clear to the city, consultants said.
Some residents are hesitant to accept the pace that the city is changing.
“I’m afraid to lose the small town feel in Newberry,” Walt Boyer told commissioners, but he recognizes growth is inevitable and hopes plans will be carried out satisfactorily.
The crowd was about 30 people, not including those who attended virtually, who filled the room with similar concerns. New infrastructure might put the city at risk of losing the small-town charm, residents said.
The consultants plan for change with residents in mind.
“Every project is to leverage and strengthen the community,” said Gerry Dedenbach, Executive Vice President of CHW Professional Consultants.
He said that businesses and people need to have a clear understanding of what and where they can build in Newberry when requesting permits. Dedenbach wants the adoption of regulations to be a “collaborative effort.”
The only available land for development in the city is within the boundary of the Urban Service Area, city officials said.
“The Urban Service Area needs to change,” said Inez Wilburn during the three-minute workshop break, saying she is concerned there are too many people coming into Newberry but not enough jobs.
Wilburn, 50, of Newberry, said that if the city wants to expand it needs to do so quickly, but she hopes to see more than residential growth. New infrastructure of businesses will lead to more jobs in Newberry, she said.
The commissioners were vocal about wanting to preserve the character of the historic city.
“Super modern does not appeal to many people out here,” Commissioner Tim Marden said to the consultants.
City Commissioner Mark Clark was persistent in advocating for natural earth elements like stone and brick to be incorporated into new infrastructure.
The Thursday agenda was largely focused on drawing plans for future building aesthetics in Newberry.
The landscape, building access points and signage were some of the mains point of Caeli Tolar, Senior Project Manager of CHW Professional Consultants.
Newberry can utilize its building codes to ensure infrastructure is built how residents want, she said on Thursday.
New ordinances for building placements, building forms, building materials, building height restrictions, landscape regulations and land uses can be made while fitting the character of Newberry, consultants said.
The consultants and commissioners plan to work collaboratively with residents over the next six months. The goal is to have a comprehensive plan for growth by June, city commissioners said.
This is the time that Newberry gets to decide how the corridors look when people come into the city, Mayor Jordan Marlowe said.