The Gainesville Police Department may have to make some adjustments before it can expand its downtown headquarters.
The City Commission voted unanimously Thursday night to postpone approval of zoning and land use changes that would allow for the expansion project out of concern for nearby homeowners.
The plans included a new training center, offices and an indoor firing range adjacent to the headquarters at Northwest Sixth Street and Eighth Avenue on a 2.56-acre site that GPD purchased three years ago for $9.6 million.
It would also divert part of the Gainesville Rail Trail bicycle path around the buildings and allow for an 8-foot wooden fence separating neighbors from the new facility and bicycle path.
Commissioner Thomas Hawkins said he was worried about the noise a firing range would generate.
Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan agreed. Although she said she liked the proposed design, she worried its approval would upset some neighbors and that an 8-foot fence was excessive. She said she did not want to rush into a decision.
"If it's not executed well, it will haunt us for many years to come," Hanrahan said. "But if it is, it will be a great feat of architecture."
Commissioners requested that a neighborhood meeting be held before the item is brought up again Dec. 4 so residents can discuss how the expansion would impact them.
Gainesville Police Lt. Art Adkins said the police department intends to construct a facility that the neighbors, city and police department is proud of.
Alligator contributing writer Lidia Dinkova contributed to this report.
