About 25 people showed up to a Killearn Homeowners Association (KHA) meeting on Tuesday that featured a visit from Leon County Commissioner Bryan Desloge and officials from the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency.
The topic of discussion was the Northeast Gateway.
The Northeast Gateway project, which formally began with a kick-off meeting a couple of weeks ago with 288 signed-in attendees, proposes to connect Shamrock Street with a new road called Welaunee Blvd.
Killearn Estates residents are concerned that the project will increase traffic through their neighborhood.
Desolge, whose district represents much of northeast Leon County, explained the structure of the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency and encouraged Killearn Estates residents to get engaged and offer critical feedback on the project.
He told the meeting attendees that the project is in the information gather stage and that “nothing is set in stone.”
He also said that he, like other elected officials, will not have an official vote on the project for months.
The Blueprint officials in attendance reiterated some of the same points made during the kick-off meeting, mainly that over the next six months the traffic analysis, public input, and other information will go into determining what the final project looks like.
KHA board member Gloria Arias discussed previous attempts by local government to use Killearn Estates as a way to move more traffic and said, “we do not want to be the answer to the City’s traffic problems.”
The KHA board had previously voted to oppose the project as it has been presented.
A number of speakers discussed concerns centered around increased traffic, property values, and safety.
Blueprint officials laid out the public engagement process over the next six months that will lead to an “alternatives” meeting.
The process will include more informal public meetings in areas impacted by the project. Also, beginning around June, a series of three meetings with appointed stakeholders will be held to go over available information.
The process will end, approximately six months from now, with an “alternatives” meeting which will decide the fate of the project.
KHA President David Ferguson said another meeting would be scheduled for Killearn Estates residents to discuss there concerns over the project at a larger venue sometime in April.
"The KHA board had previously voted to oppose the project as it has been presented." ................... What other way can you present it to make the KHA Approve it, Bribing THEM? The KHA and many others have said NO, so move on.
Does killearn have right to turn it into a "gated" community?
I hope the "No-Build" alternative is going to be considered as well as the other options.
If Killearn allows (or is out-voted or out-maneuvered) this “gateway” to be built and connected to Shamrock, the decline in quality of life and property values will begin - no matter what we’re told or promised now. We live here, the decision-makers and “urban planners” don’t. They will solve their traffic problems in the area of least resistance and most convenience. Killearn represents both now.
Once a neighborhood becomes a major traffic route, that neighborhood is far less desirable - the constant noise and increasing congestion ensure that. I saw this happen to several neighborhoods in northern Orlando where I lived for 25 years.
If this “gateway” begins construction that enters into Killearn, my house (which my wife and I loved) will be up for sale within that month.
The NE Gateway is nothing but a taxpayer subsidy for a private development to the tune somewhere between $50 to $100 million. The road would not have been proposed except to provide a road for the Canopy development. Blueprint funds should be allocated to projects that have community wide benefits such as parks and recreation areas,improvements to storm water and raw sewage systems,and jump start our clean renewable energy goals.
The project needs to be stopped now before they spend another $7 million on the preliminary design and environment phase.
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When someone says, "Nothing is set in Stone" ......... It IS.
Don't do anything. The more the Traffic gets worse, expansion out that way will slow down. Stop allowing Urban Design (buildings being built right beside the Road) incase that Road needs to be widened later on. ALSO, what ever happened to the Rule/Law that the farther out you Go, Houses had to have MORE Acreage, like one House per two to ten acres, not 2 to ten houses per acre?
Having followed the course of development of 2 cities, Dallas & Austin TX, for half a century here's an observation: Neighborhoods that successfully oppose new thruways grow in value; those that don't shrink to commercial slums. Even 50 yrs ago I would curse the inconvenience of going from 6 lanes to 2 at the Highland Park (Dallas suburb) city limit line. I don't live in Killearn, but I would suggest they tell the planner Whack-o-crats to plan for balloons to float over the neighborhood.