Commission approves submission of major amendment application for Weisman Ecoloop PD, asks staff to consider data‑center exclusion

Alachua County Growth Management staff presented a summary of a March neighborhood workshop for the Weisman Ecoloop planned development (approximately 260 acres north of the airport), and the commission voted on May 12 to submit a major amendment application to modernize the PD's allowed uses.

Planner Mady Bankattar explained that the existing PD, approved in 2010, included references to the fairgrounds and separated developable areas; staff proposed consolidating developable acreage, broadening allowable heavy‑industrial and governmental uses site‑wide while retaining a conservation management area, and updating conditions to reflect current code requirements. Bankattar told commissioners the PD update would remove fairground references and align the PD with existing market realities.

Staff noted workshop concerns including impacts to the Murphree Wellfield, traffic, noise, and protection of natural resources; Bankattar said staff will propose a condition to ensure there are no impacts to the wellfield. Commissioner questions focused on whether the PD amendments would make the site more attractive to data centers; one commissioner moved to submit the application and explicitly asked that the application consideration include conditions to exclude data centers, and the board approved the motion unanimously.

The vote authorized staff to file the major‑amendment application and return to the planning commission and the board with proposed conditions and recommended code language for any exclusions.