Alachua County officials took notes Thursday as county residents suggested issues to be addressed in coming years, including overcrowded residential roads and water availability.
At the top of the list, residents felt the county should prioritize its projects based on need and the number of people who would benefit.
The meeting was the second of four community workshops to help evaluate the city's future growth and development.
Held at Kanapaha Middle School, the meeting attracted 25 people, mostly from west Gainesville.
Ken Zeichner, principal planner of Alachua County Growth Management, said he was pleased with the feedback.
"There were some well-articulated issues that will help us in putting together the report," Zeichner said.
The public meetings, together with input from the county's advisory boards, are the first phase in creating a report to assess the county's growth plan.
The second phase will involve analyzing the issues, and the third will consist of several public hearings led by the county commission.
All three phases should be completed by Sept. 1, 2009, though the county's growth plan will not be changed until at least 2011.
Alison Law, an Alachua County resident of 20 years, attended the meeting to voice concerns about inadequate roads and lack of parks and recreation centers in the area.
"It's necessary to go through the steps even though I don't think it will accomplish anything," Law said.
Joe Prager, president of Meadows of Kanapaha Home Owners Association, brought up potholes and a lack of sidewalks on Southwest 75th Street. Though Prager lives three miles away, he said, his daughter cannot ride her bike to school.
He said he thought the meeting helped.
"We have to hope that the county will eventually listen to its taxpaying citizens," he said.
