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Growth: Metropolitan Corporate Centre

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  • 1 month later...
caseyamcl Crossroads

caseyamcl

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I believe that the Metropolitan Corporate Centre is, generally speaking, a prime example of bad development. Possibly the most redeeming feature of the MCC is that it will exist in a previously spoiled landscape--let's face it: northeast Thomasville Road has become a completely auto-dependent sprawl built not for the people that live there, but instead for their cars. If a tract of land had been cleared on say, Northeast Miccosukee Road or North Meridian for the project, it would have been downright depressing.

The Metropolitan Corporate Centre is no exception to the "car-required-to-come-here" building trend. Early in the construction of the facility, those who drive by can already see what will make up the majority of the grounds: car storage. Thus, the MCC is simply another set of boxes (in this case, brick boxes with pitched roofs) in a a sea of asphalt. There is an added bonus, though: a fountain in the middle of the parking lot -- to liven it up, I suppose. The lack of any public gathering space in the project, however, means that the fountain will be enjoyed mostly by your car as it sits in the parking lot.

I mean not to pick on Tallahassee or its growth here. Growth is not a bad thing. Certain types of growth undermine the overall goals of the community, though. The MCC is nothing new, really... another example of the myriad of Interstate off-ramp office developments that have popped up over the country in the last several decades. "Suburban office pods built in parking lots", as one commentator puts it. It is rather distressing, though, to see our fair city grow at the periphery out on the mega-highways while business downtown lies dormant, relatively speaking. It's as if the whole of Tallahassee's business and commerce picked up and moved 4 miles to the northeast. Why the move?

Perhaps the most distressing implication of the MCC is indeed the fact that it will draw ever more business out of Downtown Tallahassee which now consists of little more than the capitol building, the courthouse, some various government offices and legal firms, and a four-lane road designed to shuttle people in their cars from the north-end to the south-end as efficiently as possible. Honestly, how often do you ever go downtown for anything these days? Daily life exists out on Capital Circle in the parking lots and big-box retail marts miles from the city center. The only part of Tallahassee that is genuinely unique and pedestrian-friendly (downtown) continues to be drained of its business and livelihood as new car-dependent freeway developments attract business. The fact that the MCC is less architecturally devoid than some prior Interstate office developments really doesn't mean much in the context of larger issues.

Let's hope that the new condominium buildings will help spur a little life to Tallahassee's downtown community. Perhaps they will attract some of the business back to the actual City of Tallahassee.

I wouldn't want to live in a community where I wouldn't have the option to walk to work, or at least take public transport. The MCC, given its location and development style, doesn't seem to promising in either of these regards. True, Killearn has good sidewalks, but being that they are adjacent to noisy, six-lane, high-speed highways, how often would you want to walk on them? Come to think of it, I've really never seen anyone using the Thomasville Road sidewalk near the MCC; I wouldn't want to be a pedestrian out there, either.

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poonther Town

poonther

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Hey caseyamcl, for your first post tell us how you really feel. :lol:

Interesting post. I agree w/several comments. Two things I'd like to address quickly:

I've never been thrilled about MCC for some of the reasons you mentioned.

Downtown isn't completely dead. I live downtown and so do a few others on this board and we aren't dead. I get UP to NE Tally/I-10 area about 3 times a month max. Life in Tally can exist in the DT/midtown area as it is now. Can it be improved....absolutely!

Welcome

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thetoolman Whistle-Stop

thetoolman

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I feel sorry for my friends who have to bear that 4 lane road that tries to get people up to the NE as fast as possible, but often fails.

I think the solution is infill and other types of development, but it is not realistic to think that the families that like the Tallahassee atmosphere will be the type that will move from their single-family homes to downtown highrise living.

It is also not realistic to think that the growth that we are experiencing can occur without developments like MCC. I agree it is not the best kind of growth for a strong downtown (which I am a big proponent of), but it is a necessary complement to the downtown development we are already experiencing.

I think that the traffic/convenience equation will tilt more towards downtown living in 3-5 years, and NE growth may slow as a result. Anything too far outside of capital circle may slow as a result, which would be great as far as sprawl is concerned.

BTW - my office is downtown.

Welcome to the discussion caseyamcl!

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csmurphy8885 Burg

csmurphy8885

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I think keeping some of those NE'ers working in the NE is a good thing. However, if our comuters from wakulla county are working in MCC- no way that is good. Having this satellite facilities keeps cars outta DT, so those who work and live there can enjoy it.

I live off Pensicola. If it wasnt for the jOhn knox location of one job, and the Southwood location of my other job, i would not only be able to survive within capital circle, but i could do it carless. A major part of tallahassee, FSU Campus, is extreemely walkable. Even a stroll up to Famu can be effortless at 6pm.

my concearn for our walkability is always going to be tied to a lack of lanes.

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caseyamcl Crossroads

caseyamcl

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Thanks for the warm welcome!

Hope my first post wasn't too negative sounding.. I really enjoy living in Tallahassee and I want our fair town to grow smartly!

To reply to csmurphy and thetoolman, I also live/work downtown (a few blocks from the capitol, actually), and I don't think I'd want to live anywhere else. Here's to everyone who chooses to conduct business in the city.

On a postiive note: I think all of the urban infill going on is great! If I can ever afford one of those new condo units, that's where I'll be :)

Cheers, everyone.

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P_McLane Whistle-Stop

P_McLane

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I share the love of urban density, but I don't think there is anything alarming in having these office park developments along the corridors into and out of Tallahassee. While it would be wonderful if all new construction were directed toward infill and downtown development, the Metropolitan Corporate park shows the I-10 traffic that Tallahassee exists - beyond the "strip malls and Waffle Houses" of that pernicious TV stereotype. Corporate parks say business. The nearby bank buildings say business. And if we are going to have a vibrant and thriving downtown, Tallahassee has to be about business.

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EbonyGardens Hamlet

EbonyGardens

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I share the love of urban density, but I don't think there is anything alarming in having these office park developments along the corridors into and out of Tallahassee. While it would be wonderful if all new construction were directed toward infill and downtown development, the Metropolitan Corporate park shows the I-10 traffic that Tallahassee exists - beyond the "strip malls and Waffle Houses" of that pernicious TV stereotype. Corporate parks say business. The nearby bank buildings say business. And if we are going to have a vibrant and thriving downtown, Tallahassee has to be about business.

That's what i'm talking about. After 5pm, the city center is practically dead. Cities with vibrant downtowns share your way of thinking, and take it a step further by adding some nightlife.

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  • 1 year later...
poonther Town

poonther

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Finally those darn fountains won't be so lonely!

All three of these bldgs. are coming before COT DRC on 8.13.

The first one is proposed for the curve at T'ville and the I-10 exit ramp:

Metropolitan Corporate Center Lot 8 (TSP070051) located on 3.03 acres at 1276 Metropolitan Boulevard. The proposed project is the construction of a 43,026 square foot office building and a 7,898 square foot bank with drive-thru. The site is zoned PUD (Planned Unit Development).

The next one is to the west of the above parcel fronting the exit ramp:

Metropolitan Corporate Center Lot 9 (TSP070052) located on 1.65 acres at 1272 Metropolitan Boulevard. The proposed project is the construction a 57,368 square foot office building. The site is zoned PUD (Planned Unit Development).

And finally go one more parcel to the west, again only fronting the exit ramp from the exterior of the project:

Metropolitan Corporate Center Lot 10 (TSP070053) located on 1.77 acres at 1268 Metropolitan Boulevard. The proposed project is the construction of a 57,368 square foot office building. The site is zoned PUD (Planned Unit Development).

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poonther Town

poonther

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^I'm not sure how long it takes until construction following one of these reviews. I'm sure it's a slightly different timeline for every project and depends on a lot of variable factors. I bet TJ and psycuda w/their City and County experience could answer this question better for us.

I wonder if the delay in building out this corp. park had something to do w/the massive road construction in the area. If I recall correctly, a story in the Democrat stated that after the bank was built, it would be awhile before any other construction. However I don't remember the reason for that statement.

As I've stated numerous time before, I'm not a fan of brick, especially bright red brick like the stuff out at this project. I also like the building style out at Summit East much better. However since this project was started in this style and the signage and perimeter fencing reflect this style, wouldn't it just be better to stick w/this style for consistency and conformity thus making the project much better aesthetically? In most projects like this, I'd much rather have a project that was built to a conforming plan, even one I don't like than the hodge-podge effect.

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  • 4 weeks later...
poonther Town

poonther

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Parrish buys Metro Corp Centre

Great now we know EXACTLY how all those bldgs will look; just like ALL of the other Parrish bldgs in town. Don't get me wrong, I like some of their bldgs, but do they have to build EVERY bldg. just the same? Sure there are some slight differences in some of them, but for the most part they are clones of each other. You can see it at the office park at Cap. Circle just south of Centerville. You can see it at their bldgs. on Hermitage (including their HQ's.) You are staring to see it at their new park on Welanuee and now this place.

Maybe they are trying to "brand" a look for Tally. Is this the type of "branding" you want for Tally? Or do they just do the same floor plans/elevations each time b/c it's easy and fast?

Can anyone point me to a Parrish constructed bldg. in town that doesn't take on their stereotypical form?

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Florida Megalopolis

Florida

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Poonther, I'll have to do some looking around, but for the most part I'm pleased with the work Parish does with their buildings. Yet again, I've been of the impression that this company is a member of the "Old Guard" in Tallahassee that likes things status-quo and challenges change. I wouldn't expect them to do anything different from their norm considering how closely it resembles what was already planned for this area.

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poonther Town

poonther

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Yeah, those are a Parrish development too. Don't let that yellow brick fool you G-man, besides that they look pretty similar to all their other commercial projects to me. :)

One I thought of is the office bldg. behind the Publix in Killearn. I forget the name of those two streets, but I know that Parrish now manages that bldg., but the true question is did they build it? If so, that one's pretty different from most of the clones around town.

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