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Dear Alachua County Commissioners,

As a resident of the Jockey Club neighborhood, I am writing to urge you not to approve rezoning for the West End Golf Course. The exponential building growth in this part of the county in the last 6-9 months is a grave concern to me as a resident. This growth will result in further traffic congestion on Newberry Road and increased pollution. Newberry Road traffic is already problematic for those of us who commute to UF for work, such as myself. The increased length of the commute due to traffic has led to a lower quality of life for me as an Alachua County citizen and UF employee.  Additionally, more traffic in the area will make it more difficult to access essential food and services; it already takes longer and a circuitous way to get to the grocery store in the Jonesville shopping center because of the increased traffic.

The proposed rezoning will further the traffic congestion on Newberry Road in addition to that projected with existing new construction. The new extension of 8th Avenue will become further congested and as that cuts across family neighborhoods, there is greater risk that bicyclists, pedestrians and dogs will be hit by a car and seriously injured. I thank the county for reducing the speed from 40 MPH to 35 MPH because of the death of a dog.

In addition to concerns about traffic due to the addition of more residential units and businesses, there will be an associated increase in pollution, further diminishing our quality of life and health status.  Furthermore, the continued degradation of existing green space in this part of the county also contributes to a lower quality of life and poorer health for us residents. If Alachua County wants to be known for green space and outdoor activities that take advantage of such green space, the expanded destruction of green space for more residential units is in contradiction to that desired reputation, and at this point, makes it a lie.

I strongly urge you to consider overall quality of life for current and future residents in this area. The existing construction will severely stress the local infrastructure. Rezoning of the West End Golf Course will exponentially exacerbate such stress to the infrastructure. Please do not approve the rezoning request.

Sincerely,
Amy V Blue


Sent from my iPad

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