As promised at an early July meeting, the Alachua County Commission has rolled out four public hearing dates on the topic of Plum Creek.
Announced the morning of Aug. 25, the meeting schedule is as follows:
- Sept. 2, 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Hawthorne High School auditorium (21403 SE 69th Ave., Hawthorne)
Topic: General Overview - Sept. 4, 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Eastside High School auditorium (1201 SE 43rd St., East Gainesville)
Topic: General Overview - Sept. 16, 5 p.m. at Alachua County Administration Building (12 SE 1st St., Second Floor, Room 209, downtown Gainesville)
Topic: Natural Resources - Sept. 22, 5 p.m. at Alachua County Administration Building (12 SE 1st St., Second Floor, Room 209, downtown Gainesville)
Topic: Transportation/Economic Development
The four-meeting lineup is aimed at educating the public about the proposed development project and hearing resident comments. So far, the county has not held its own resident-focused meetings on the topic. Plum Creek has been holding community planning and information meetings for the past three years as the organization formed the sector plan, which spells out the terms of the development.
The plan, proposed by one of the nation’s largest land management companies that owns 65,000 acres in Alachua County, would consolidate conservation areas and allow major employers to settle in the eastern part of the county. It is pending approval of the commission.
