Council continues 9‑unit Alachua Street townhomes case to Oct. 22 for more materials

The board continued consideration of a proposed nine‑unit townhome development at 101 Alachua Street to the Oct. 22 meeting because key materials were missing from the applicant’s packet. Staff recommended a continuance rather than conceptual approval, noting insufficient elevation, scale and context images to assess compatibility with the CRA and Old Town guidelines.

Mark Akins of Rice Architecture presented a schematic massing and said the team would submit more detailed elevations, mechanical‑screening plans and pedestrian‑level context images prior to the October meeting. Board members asked for attention to vertical elements such as elevator shafts, rooftop mechanical locations and treatment to break massing into multiple, smaller volumes that read as a series of buildings rather than one large block.

The board voted to continue the case to the October 22 meeting with a staff deadline for submittal of materials two weeks prior (Oct. 7). The applicant indicated willingness to collaborate with staff on required information.