Commissioners,
My name is John Bailey and I am the new president of Centerville Rural Community Association or CeRCA.
While CeRCA has not been heavily involved in the Master Plan, we will definitely be present to encourage Blueprint to make considerate choices with regard to our rural neighbors as the PD&E process continues. As a resident of Centerville Road, I have been continually told that the NE Gateway will be a 2 lane rural road as it nears our property. This is not true. It will become a 4 lane road very quickly as soon as dwellings reach somewhere between 4,300 and 12,500 units. We would be naive to think it will be just a two lane rural road long term.
The proposed NE Gateway spills into the intersection of Centerville and Bradfordville Road, plowing though a 50 acre perpetual conservation easement that was established nearly 20 years ago between the City of Tallahassee and local rural residents. The easement was designed to be a buffer between the residents and the schools while preserving the natural habitat of the area. CeRCA was named maintainer of the conservation in the settlement agreement and we will continue to protect it.
Another concern is bringing an urban 4 lane road into a rural community. Bradfordville is currently a two lane road which will then connect to Bannerman a newly proposed 4 lane road. Will we then four lane Bradfordville to accommodate the additional traffic coming from the NE Gateway? This area north of Roberts consists of large acreage properties followed by larger plantations…it is rural!
We want to protect the rural nature of this area for our children…it is precisely why we chose to live here.
John Bailey
CeRCA Board President