712 replies to this topic

[stjoe]

Thanks for the welcome.  

Personally, I don't think the issue with implemention has been $$$.  I think it is poor planning, bad ideas, and plan old mismanagement.

[Florida]

can you site any specific examples. These may be useful in an address to the city commission for consideration.

[stjoe]

I doubt they would be useful.  The Commission has mismanged for decades, my suggestions on an internet board will unlikely change their mismanagement.  I can site endless ares where I think they have made huge mistakes.


*Compare Tally to every other state capitol with major universities, the COT is the worst economically diversified, the worst planned, average pay is horrible.  COT is far from Austin, Madison, Raleigh, etc.

*General planning:  The Governors mansion is beind an old tire/auto shop.

*Taking 8 years for the Marriott hotel (Civic Center to be built)

*Putting a cheap hotel on prime real estate at Gaines and McComb

*Changing zoning laws at the whim at a developer for Symphony Condos

*Poor road layouts.  Although doing a much better job the last decade or so.

etc.

[Florida]

you may want to add to this list...
... although they didn't change zoning laws that drastically for the Symphony condominiums...

they are guilty of also...

taking forever to realize we are the only state captal in the US without a performing arts center.

taking forever to realize innovation park is not living up to its potential

taking forever to widen capital circle

took forever to build Blairstone Road

the location of the regional airport

taking forever to address flooding along Franklyn Blvd (Cascades Trail)

the eye soars along Tennessee, Hwy 20, Gaines, and South Monroe. (Now being addressed in Sector Planning)

I've noticed in recent years more and more attention being given to our weaknesses. No city is perfect but I do understand we have a fair share of our own issues to heal. I believe the problem was a less agressive city commission in the past, but I see a changed body, willing to make the sacrifices to see Tallahassee grow.

[stjoe]

TaureanJ, on May 27 2005, 01:13 PM, said:

you may want to add to this list...
... although they didn't change zoning laws that drastically for the Symphony condominiums...

they are guilty of also...

taking forever to realize we are the only state captal in the US without a performing arts center.

taking forever to realize innovation park is not living up to its potential

taking forever to widen capital circle

took forever to build Blairstone Road

the location of the regional airport

taking forever to address flooding along Franklyn Blvd (Cascades Trail)

the eye soars along Tennessee, Hwy 20, Gaines, and South Monroe. (Now being addressed in Sector Planning)

I've noticed in recent years more and more attention being given to our weaknesses. No city is perfect but I do understand we have a fair share of our own issues to heal. I believe the problem was a less agressive city commission in the past, but I see a changed body, willing to make the sacrifices to see Tallahassee grow.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I disagree they did drastically change zoning laws for the Symphony.  I think they more than doubled the height previously allowed.  That was extremely unfortunate.

I think the rest of your list is a good one and there does seem to be more attention to this items.  But  I doubt much of it changes...like Innovation Park.  They just don't want to change.  So they won't.  I give them a A on road building the last 10 years.  They are trying and doing a good job.  Don't see much improvement with the eye soars.  I know they are trying on Gaines....but as I said...I worry aobut implementation.

[Florida]

I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Meanwhile, I'll be looking for the information on the Symphon PUD.

[cityboy05]

You guys Tallahassee still has some growing to do. I would call this puberty for the capital city. Yes there has been mismanagement on the commision, but I think they have even learned or is still learning from it. The Marriot hotel should of been a big eye opener. I know the city of Tallahassee will live up to it's potential. The best is yet to come.

Remember "before you learned to walk you fell a few times"

[Florida]

^that was deep yo!

[csmurphy8885]

tallahassee needs to grow up.... originally, i thought some hieght would take away from the charm... but to hell with that.  if i am sitting in heaven looking down, i would like to be able to find my home town. Also, any actions taken to save the trees all over town from the claws of subdividing developers is music to my ears.

[Florida]

^I absolutely agree 100% with you. Welcome to UP!

[cityboy05]

Umm, csmurphy8885 are you ok because you also have me worried.

[Florida]

Surely he is right though... Tallahassee needs to grow up. I've always viewed this as a well educated, environmentally sensitive community and the smartest thing for us to do is to encourage dense, high-rise developments in our downtown area.

A downtown should be the most Urban Area in any community. This is the place where trees and shrubs should yield to buildings, downtowns are business neighborhoods. This is not to say a downtown should become a cement jungle, greenspace is important.

Looking to the future I hope people will begin to realize those people who will be living downtown are consuming less fuel in traveling, saving money on home repair, yard maintnance, car maintnance, and spared the excessive hours spent in traffic. Surely I hope downtown Tallahassee will begin to again draw in highpaying jobs of a diverse nature, in addition to cultural attractions, and more homes.

[stjoe]

I agree with the density  being positive enviormentally ONLY with appropriate parks, green space, nature reserves.  Density by itself is NOT environmenally sensitve.  Tokyo is dense......basically 15 Million humans squeesed into a concrete jungle...nothing good for the environment there.

[Florida]

^ which is why I made it a point to mention the importance of greenspace.

[Florida]

St. Joe what about the Marriott Residence Inn is cheap to you? We all know its not an upscale hotel, but the renderings are nice.

Rendering Added for Illustratuion:

Edited by TaureanJ, 21 December 2005 - 08:07 PM.

[bobliocatt]

^He probably means its cheap because its not unique.  Its basically the same stucco building they pop up. next to the interstate in every other city.

A part of me wishes more effort was put into the corner, since the intersection is a very important and visual spot for the Gaines Street Corridor.

[stjoe]

thelakelander, on Jun 15 2005, 07:08 AM, said:

^He probably means its cheap because its not unique.  Its basically the same stucco building they pop up. next to the interstate in every other city.

A part of me wishes more effort was put into the corner, since the intersection is a very important and visual spot for the Gaines Street Corridor.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

thelakelander nailed it.  That is a very visable cornor...perhaps the corner stone...and they put a typically stucco hotel on it.  It is average at best and sets the tone for the area as nothing special at all.  The COT just doesn't know what it is doing.  I wish I was wrong here. I want Gaines Street to succeed at being something special like Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, etc.  But again, the COT took something that is valuable with high hopes but the implementation was average to poor at best.

[Florida]

^You are wrong here St Joe... the City of Tallahassee has permitted a good project in an ideal location. We all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and surely if you don't think this building is beautiful, as I and I'm sure many others do, you must admit it is atleast inviting and lively meshing well with the intent of the corridor's purpose -- to entertain.

[stjoe]

TaureanJ, on Jun 15 2005, 03:27 PM, said:

^You are wrong here St Joe... the City of Tallahassee has permitted a good project in an ideal location. We all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and surely if you don't think this building is beautiful, as I and I'm sure many others do, you must admit it is atleast inviting and lively meshing well with the intent of the corridor's purpose -- to entertain.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, you just disagree with my opinion.  There is a difference.

Why must I admit a stuco hotel that are a dime a dozen in all mid sized cities and above will be inviting and lively?  How does a hotel bring in entertainment?  Sorry, you are grasping big time.  The city wasted a prime spot...period.

[Florida]

Money talks... and the developer had it to pay the City for this property. Stucco has been used on many quality buildings throughout Florida, and I think it is being used here on this project to reflect the fact that we are the Florida Capital. Nothing is wrong with us taking on the look of our own state.

There could be many reasons this developer is choosing to use stucco, the first of which that comes to mind is the ulimited color choices one can use with Stucco as opposed to brick or some type of marble. This color will add to the vibrant nature of this street corner. "IMHO" it wouldn't look fitting for an entertainment district as I've see them, to have an elegantly styled brick building fronting Gaines Street so closely in this University Transition area. Surely if the building was elegant, the student population in this corridor wouldn't feel as welcome as they might with the design of this marriott.