The Alachua County Commission voted unanimously to approve the temporary use permit for WildFlowers Music Park in Melrose on Tuesday night. The decision followed hours of presentations and comments from the public.
Words were spoken in hushed tones, benches were packed with people and there was a visible divide in the Jack Durrance Auditorium as attendees awaited a decision that could alter life in their rural town.
WildFlowers Music Park , a proposed park in Melrose, sought approval to host music festivals throughout the year, with the first event planned for March 13-15. The permit and park started debate among residents, some of whom raised concerns about traffic congestion, environmental issues and noise in the small community.
The Alachua County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the permit. Chair Ken Cornell stated that he had been a ‘no’ vote before the meeting Tuesday night, but that the presentation changed his mind. Commissioners cited the potential economic benefits of the festival for the community, and that they believed in the success of the festival organizers.
The Board attached two conditions to its approval: WildFlowers has to post no trespassing signs along boundaries of the park and no parking signs along the right of way on Northeast 35th Street next to private property.
The meeting went on for six hours and consisted of presentations from the developer of the property as well as the applicant, Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson, and input from a variety of experts in fields such as transportation, environmental science, along with the president of WildFlowers Music Park Inc., Guy Forchion.
Sixty-nine people signed up to speak during the public comment period, and there were 10 residents who applied as parties. These are people who feel they will be more affected by this project than the general public of Melrose, mostly those who live adjacent to the park. These residents were able to give a presentation of up to 15 minutes expressing concerns about negative impacts the project could have on their day-to-day life.
Arlene Barbra Antz-Hansen has been a long-time resident of Melrose and raised her five children in the community. She had plans to move in with her daughter who lives about 60 acres from WildFlowers. She said that the development of the park could hinder those plans due to noise and overcrowding.
“I wanted to die in Melrose. I bought plots at the cemetery, but I don’t want to be by a music park,” said Antz-Hansen.
The 270-acre property is located right outside the town of Melrose and was purchased in August 2025 by a group of investors led by New York-based developer Jordan Puryear for $2.5 million. Owners proposed for the land to be used as festival grounds, with amenities like camping grounds, vendor shops and a 2.5-mile walking trail to keep attendees on-site. When festivals aren’t scheduled, the park would be open to the community for recreational use.
Jorge Dubois, who was the broker involved with the land purchase, said that this is what the land was meant for. Dubois said the previous owner, Hugh Nichols, had a “dying wish” that the land not be sold to the government or developers.
Due to the scale of the proposed event, the developers were required to obtain a temporary use permit. The project has generated pushback from residents who are worried about how music festivals could affect their rural community.
Now that the permit is approved, the proposed festival scheduled for mid-March can go on as planned. The organizers have four weeks to finalize preparations and meet the conditions placed by Alachua County commissioners. This clears the way for Melrose to host its first large-scale event.