Commissioners vote to advertise hearing on Lakeshore Drive scenic‑road designation, add outreach and explore Outstanding Florida Water status

Alachua County planning staff and commissioners moved Oct. 7 to advertise a public hearing on designating Lakeshore Drive on the west side of Newnan’s Lake as a county scenic road, and the commission added several directions for staff ahead of that hearing.

Ken McMurray, senior planner in Growth Management, presented the scenic‑road analysis and staff recommendation. He described Lakeshore Drive as a roughly 2.3‑mile corridor that offers “excellent views” of Newnan’s Lake, contains extensive wetland and cypress swamp vegetation, and is adjacent to mapped strategic ecosystem corridors. McMurray noted approximately 70% of the corridor is undeveloped and much of that is publicly owned, including Palm Point Park.

After staff identified a small segment of frontage with active commercial forestry use near Hawthorne Road that it recommended excluding from designation,…