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Alachua County approves preliminary plan for Town of Tioga South Annex with traffic, tree protections and setback conditions
Summary
The Alachua County Commission approved the preliminary development plan for the Town of Tioga South Annex TND after adding conditions intended to protect trees, limit shortcut traffic onto scenic Southwest 15th Avenue and increase setbacks beside adjacent farms. The approval includes requiring two north connections in the first subphase and reserving a right-of-way to the south for future evaluation.
At a county commission hearing, the Alachua County Board approved the preliminary development plan for the Town of Tioga South Annex Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND), a proposed project of roughly 222 acres with a maximum of 500 dwelling units and at least 35,000 square feet of nonresidential space.
Leslie McClendon, senior planner with Alachua County Growth Management, told the board staff recommended approval with conditions including making both connections to the north (Southwest 136th Street and Southwest 133rd Way) as part of the first subphase and identifying an appropriate location within the conservation management area for a future roadway connection to the south. McClendon said the plan shows conservation management areas and that the mapped CMAs constitute roughly 15.64% of the site’s open space, meeting the code’s open-space threshold.
Applicant representatives Jay Brown (JV Pro) and developer Luis Diaz described the project as an extension of the existing Tioga community, noting the design uses TND principles—village center, multiuse paths, tree preservation and a mix of housing types. Brown said, “We are proposing 35,000 square feet, which is the minimum proposed,” and reiterated the applicant will build required intersection and safety improvements identified in the traffic study.
Commissioners and residents pressed developers on traffic and ecological impacts. After extended public comment from adjacent property owners urging stronger protections for the live oaks along Southwest 15th Avenue and residents asking for sidewalks and traffic-calming measures, Commissioner Prizia moved to approve staff’s recommendation with additional conditions: require a roundabout design or separator that precludes easy westbound shortcuts onto Southwest 15th Avenue, and increase the eastern estate-lot rear setback from 10 to 20 feet. The motion passed on an affirmative voice vote.
The adopted conditions require the developer to deliver the two northward connections with the first subphase, identify (but not necessarily construct) a right-of-way connection to the south that minimizes impacts to the Hickory Sink Strategic Ecosystem, and comply with the county’s Unified Land Development Code and other required conservation management plan elements. The board also noted staff and the developer will work with Public Works on the intersection design and on minor engineering details at final development plan review.
Next steps: the applicant must return with final development plan components and construction details showing how required connections, tree protections, buffers and any intersection modifications will be implemented and maintained.
