The Newtown Florist Club hosted a community housing meeting Monday night, where city leaders spoke about housing and development in southeast Gainesville.
Members of the Newtown Florist Club convened Monday evening, along with Gainesville city leaders, land planners and developers. The Newtown Florist Club has a stated mission to promote youth development and organize for social, environmental and economic justice. Monday evening’s meeting was a community event to inform the public and discuss housing in the third district of Gainesville.
District three covers the area of southeast Gainesville. Present from the city was Mayor Sam Couvillon, City Manager Bryan Lackey, Assistant City Manager Angela Sheppard and Economic Development Director Rusty Ligon. Frank Norton with the Norton Agency was also in attendance.
A major focus of the discussion surrounded the rising cost of housing in the county, as well as the country on the whole. Norton emphasized his current goal of creating attainable housing for those who need it.
“I think people should have the freedom to live in good, quality communities, regardless of their pocketbook,” Norton said. “We are focusing the majority of our communities in what we would call ‘attainable’ [housing], but the majority of our properties today would have an average of $1,250 to $1,300 [in rent]. They go as high as $1,900 and as low as $850.”
Norton went on to note while other construction companies enter Gainesville, build houses and apartments, then sell and leave, his agency will be in the area permanently.
“We’re building today, I think we have 84 dwelling units of some kind under development today,” Norton said. “We have plans to do 50 to 60 a year for the next five years—but we're going to be here, you know where to find us.”
One District 3 resident expressed concerns about rising property taxes making it difficult for many homeowners after new developments enter the area.
“Our homes, while they sit there in little block houses that we've had even several generations—our taxes are going to go up,” the resident said. “I had a piece of property where the taxes were doubled.”
As District 3 has historically been a majority-minority area of Gainesville, some residents were concerned a transition to a majority white district might impact the cost of housing, taxation and overdevelopment.
City Manager Bryan Lackey noted that one solution to drive down costs is to not be afraid of higher density in certain places where appropriate. According to officials, more living spaces per acre often allows for lower housing prices.
Newtown Florist Club Executive Director Reverend Rose Johnson opened the meeting by detailing several touchpoints for Monday’s discussion. Firstly, they wanted to provide a chance for city officials to engage in an open dialogue about existing housing projects.
The club also wanted to give the community the opportunity to see District 3 boundaries and understand the changing landscape, as well as spark conversations about what the future may hold for developments in the area.
