The Alachua County Fairgrounds may house offices instead of medieval fairs.
The Alachua County Commission unanimously decided Tuesday to have staff send letters to county businesses to see if anyone would be interested in setting up shop on the current fairgrounds site.
Commissioner Rodney Long did not vote due to a conflict of interest.
A new fairgrounds would be built on the corner of NE Waldo Road and NE 39th Avenue on land the county purchased about four years ago, said Assistant County Manager Rick Drummond.
Construction of the new site would cost about $22.3 million.
The existing fairgrounds would remain in use until the new fairgrounds is ready to host events.
Alachua County Commissioner Paula DeLaney said that having a business space near the Gainesville Regional Airport would be a good investment for the county.
Commissioner Susan Baird said she wasn’t sure if investing so much money in this project was a good idea.
She said that the commission is already stretched thin financially.
“Gosh, my first inclination is table this until next year,” she said.
“This isn’t the right project for the right time right now.”
Drummond said there isn’t a time line for creating the new fairgrounds yet, but he thinks construction could start in about two years.
“We’re still about three or four years out, even if everything breaks the right way,” he said.
