Downtown Revitalization: Tallahassee
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/2114025625_ZQZBKDj-M.jpg)
A brief tour around the downtown of Florida's capital city: Tallahassee.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2012-dec-downtown-revitalization-tallahassee
very nice. Thanks again for the history and updates of our state capital?
Tallahassee has a great public green space park system.
Tom Brown Park is a public space...where in Jacksonville is there a city supported dog run for small dogs and a space for large dogs?
Chain-link fence or a new sky box?
Great walkthrough.
Tallahassee is a really great little city, far better than people give it credit for.
Really interesting about the attempt to the move the state capital to Orlando in the 1960s. I never knew that.
Great work Ennis and you hit it right on the head about Capital Cascades and Hogan's Creek. I've been saying it for a couple years now, but its pathetic that Tallahassee can pull that off and we can't even get things rolling on Hogan's Creek. I can say with almost 100% certainty that a major reason is Tallahassee's local government proactively made efforts to make it happen, while in Jacksonville people have practically had to beg the city and Parks and Rec to do anything. After HDR completed the Hogan's Creek Greenway Plans, there was literally no plan from the city for how to implement it. When I was at SPAR I realized that and started forming a Hogan's Creek Greenway Committee, but left my job before I could really get things rolling. I know a lot of other people have stepped up and tried to make things happen on Hogan's Creek, but its hard without a paid staffer or two to do it. When I was at FSU, I recall a few of my classmates working on the Capital Cascades project and I'm pretty sure there were a few city employees working on them as well. Meanwhile, Tallahassee is comprehensively implementing their plans and all we have is a children's playground in Confederate Park....
I think having a good urban planning program at FSU is a huge boost to the Tallahassee government and its ability to make things happen. When I was at FSU, a few classmates and I gave about 500 hours of free planning labor to the Economic Development guy that runs their TIF on Gaines St. We basically created a comprehensive Place Marketing Strategy for the area and outlined the types of development to attract. FSU's fall studio is currently working on a sector redevelopment plan in the College/Park area just down the street from Gaines. Then there are the professors who occasionally get involved when time permits. If Jacksonville had either FSU or UF's Planning Departments in town, we'd have much better planning/vision and our government would be much more effective.
The Gaines St. project isn't even done yet, but the city is already starting to reap the rewards of their investments. Here are a few projects that are under construction in the area (to go along with what Ennis already posted):
http://fsucollegetown.net/home
http://urbantallahassee.com/v4/index.php/projects-topmenu-28/pending/1121-601-south-copeland
http://urbantallahassee.com/v4/index.php/projects-topmenu-28/pending/868-college-town
http://urbantallahassee.com/v4/index.php/projects-topmenu-28/downtown/1206-place-condos
http://urbantallahassee.com/v4/index.php/projects-topmenu-28/downtown/1307-saint-francis-flats
http://urbantallahassee.com/v4/index.php/projects-topmenu-28/downtown/1278-horizon-by-chance-partners
QuoteTallahassee is a really great little city
100% agreed. The point about it being a college town where 'grown up' people can comfortably live is spot on.
The Gaines Street revitilization efforts really have been quite impressive.
Tallahassee is really a great place to live. One thing you will immediately notice is the wonderful tree canopy around most of town. There are several oaks in the area, including the FSU campus that are over 200 years old.
I am personally much happier here, than Jacksonville. There are always many things going on, from Festivals, parades, great music and cultural events.
I do wish they would restore Amtrak here. I know there has been some talk about it, but not sure of any official time table, or plan.
I miss the hills, and the FSU campus. After about 20 years it is nice to see Gaines St finally getting new development. Cascades Park I believe is funded through Blueprint 2000, which is a smaller version of of BetterJax, they just chose not to spend a billion on road projects. Something like a Hogans Creek project could have been part of BetterJax, but that ship has sailed.
You're correct fsujax, it is part of Blueprint2000. However, it hasn't been solely funded by the city. The EPA conducted a cleanup of the site, which is something COJ can't get done on Hogan's Creek (along with waterway work by the Army Corps). Wikipedia says the EPA and DCA have given 7.8 million to the Capital Cascades project. It has also been funded by private donations. Capital Health Plan donated $660k and according to a doc I'm looking at, Tallahassee originally planned to privately raise $10 million.
If COJ could get things rolling, it would probably be a piece of cake to get major corporate donations in this town, along with help from EPA, Army Corps, State of Florida, etc. Especially if Hogan's Creek was branded as "Jacksonville's Central Park".
I've been in Tallahassee a few times over the past year and I have really enjoyed it. The Lake Ella area is beautiful and the development along the Gaines street corrider was very impressive. Being a UF grad, I naturally compared it to Gainesville. In terms of connectivity of the campus to the rest of the town and the attempt to connect the campus to downtown, UF gets the nod, but Tallahassee is making great strides to bridge the gap.
Thanks so much. Great article
My wife commutes to work in southern GA a couple times a week. So five years ago when we first moved to north FL (we weren't about to live in southern GA coming from DC), we had to decide between Jacksonville & Tallahassee. Obviously we chose Jax. But I'm not so sure we made the best decision, at least for us. Because it seems like most of the things that we look for in a city, Tally has more of.
Again, this isn't calling one city better than the other. "Better" is completely a matter of opinion & needs. But when I look at Tally, I usually like what I see. It's condensed, well thought out, I like that the population (young & old) is highly educated (mostly due to the universities), the public schools usually aren't crappy, it's more left-leaning but in the good way that concentrates on the value of public spaces & the population, their bus system (while smaller) is more efficient & doesn't look like it would be a complete clusterfuck nightmare to use, their dedication to the biking community is strong, etc.
Speaking of that, I read that Tally was recently upgraded to a "Bronze level" biking community by the League of American Bicyclists for all their efforts. And they have over 120 miles of bike lanes, with more on the way. I believe they have something on the books now that says they have to include them in most new roads & every time they repave old roads. That's a pretty big night & day difference from being one of the most dangerous cities for cyclists/pedestrians in the country like Jax.
If we end up having to stay in N FL for whatever reason, we'll probably look pretty hard at moving across the way.
It's too small and isolated for me now but I enjoyed the five years I was there. It's everything you expect a town dominated by several universities, colleges, and public workers to be. Outside of a couple of bars/clubs like the Late Night Library, Gaines Street was pretty much a no man's land when I was there and Cascades Park was an afterthought. It was just something to drive by to get to the Moon or Pizza Hut. It's going to be a great as a mixed use neighborhood bounded by two universities and downtown.
I went back for a couple games this year, and WOW has the area around FSU's campus exploded. Lots of very cool projects too.
The anecdote about Apalachee Pkwy being designed to hide the Capitol view is incorrect. The construction on Apalachee Pkwy began in either '57 or '58 to provide a new route for US 27. Previously, US 27 went down Lafayette St. You can still see some remnants of the old highway where the junction of Lafayette, Old St Augustine Road and the Parkway meet by Gov Sq Mall. Also of interest to Lafayette Street is the Moon. Originally, that was an A&P grocery store.
I mostly grew up in Tallahassee and went to undergrad at FSU. It is amazing all of the changes that have occurred since I left in 2007. I'm amazed at what I see when I go back up every year for football games. Keep an eye on the College Town development that the FSU Boosters are funding. If that is successful, it will totally reshape that entire part of town.
Tallahassee is an interesting city full of different connundrums. It is a university town, yet still part of the Bible Belt. The town votes very liberally, but is much more socially conservative than say a place like Tampa, where I live now. The city is well educated, but there is also a rather large uneducated workforce that is sustained by a preponderance of state jobs.
^Right now all signs point to College Town being a success. All but 2 of the retail spaces are already leased and it is still a year or so out to completion. They've got some cool tenants and spaces lined up too including a rooftop pool/bar overlooking Doak. After College Town opens and more and more students start moving into the area near Gaines, that area will very likely supplant the Tennessee Strip as the college entertainment district. Other than Bullwinkles, Potbellies, and maybe AJ's, pretty much every bar/club is replaceable from a building perspective. I'd be shocked if someone doesn't make a big move towards moving a lot of the popular bars/clubs to Gaines St. in the next 1-5 years.
CityLife, I agree that College Town will be a huge success and that the center of student party life will move from the Tennessee strip to Gaines. That's what the city wants anyway and it would be better for everyone as obviously Tennessee Street is not exactly safe for pedestrians. Once that transition starts to occur, the city has talked about giving Tennessee Street a lane diet from 6 to 4 lanes with old outside lanes being reserved for buses and bicycles. Normally, I am supportive of lane diet programs, but with the amount of traffic volume that uses Tennessee with no alternate place to go, that would end up being a disaster.
I'd have to know a little more about that project, but I could see some benefits. Particularly if it diverted any out of town through traffic to I-10. It would also make that area much more bike/pedestrian friendly and encourage more usage of the city bus system. Who knows, maybe it would even lead to the creation of trolley's or streetcars. With the amount of density that is building up that area, I could see a serious reduction in the amount of cars using Tennessee St, especially with better bike/ped infastructure.
Btw, are you the same DemocraticNole who posts on FSU sports forums?
^^Yes, I am. If a streetcar was part of the deal for the Tennessee Street lane diet, I would be all for it. I just am not a big believer in buses as the main mode of public transportation. Now certainly this is a long way off, but if there was a streetcar line that ran from say Govenor's Square Mall to the Capitol, past FSU down to say Doak, I think it would get a lot of use.
My perspective is certainly biased, but I didn't know anyone who ever rode the bus to get to and from school. Everyone drove. The only time we ever rode the bus was riding the Night Nole after drinking a couple of times. Buses sit in traffic like cars do. Because of that, I think many people just take the approach that they would just as well drive, rather than wait on the bus. Streetcars have proven to be different, especially with the right density surrounding the line.
During my first year, while living on campus, I used take the bus to the mall.
Quote from: DemocraticNole on December 05, 2012, 11:54:45 AM
^^Yes, I am. If a streetcar was part of the deal for the Tennessee Street lane diet, I would be all for it.
that was the the plan....they wanted to try a demo of just restriping the lanes at first to see how traffic would be affected.
but...
FDOT killed the idea....basically strong-armed the City Commission into backing away from the plan...instead, FDOT is now proposing some traffic safety improvements on Tennessee St....including a few mid-block pedestrian crossing signals.
So this begs the question; Which college town seems the most exclusively dominated by the hometown university (when it comes to the local college teams, news etc)? I can't speak for Tally, but I know that G-ville is completely fixated on one thing, and one thing only, the Gators. I had a stay down there at the VA Hospital a while back, and all of the news was Gator talk, with the World Series going on, they are talking third rate sports, Gator lacrosse, wrestling etc. Sometimes G-ville locals would look at you like an alien if you wore a shirt with the team not being the Gators. Just change the name of the city to Gatorville. I heard some people say that Austin is to that extreme with UT, but Austin has alot of other stuff going on with live music, the country music scene, fans of other teams like the Cowboys etc. I would go absolutely crazy living in a college town like Gainesville.
Quote from: I-10east on December 05, 2012, 05:24:59 PM
So this begs the question; Which college town seems the most exclusively dominated by the hometown university (when it comes to the local college teams, news etc) I can't speak for Tally, but I know that G-ville is completely fixated on one thing, and one thing only, the Gators. I had a stay down there at the VA Hospital a while back, and all of the news was Gator talk, with the World Series going on, they are talking third rate sports, Gator lacrosse, wrestling etc. G-ville locals would look at you like an alien if you wore a team besides the Gators sometimes. Just change it to Gatorville. I heard some people say that Austin is to that extreme with UT, but Austin has alot of other stuff going on with live music, the country music scene, fans of the Cowboys etc.
I haven't spent a lot of time in each town, but I'd say Gainesville probably takes the cake when it comes to that stuff. It seems smaller & a lot more "college town" oriented. Tally has that too, but its also the capital, is bigger & seems to have more of a working class. It reminded me of the same vibe I get in Knoxville TN or Lexington KY. Yes, UT (or UK) is prominent in lots of places, but its not the ONLY thing going on.
Let me put it this way. If I were a transplanted young adult (which I am), had some kids (which I do) & didn't really care about college sports (which I don't), I'd rather live in Tally. At least there there is an escape. In Gainesville there really is no escape (unless you hang out in one of the strip malls outside of town). You better love it there or else, like you said, you might as well be an alien from another planet.
Gainesville definitely....Tallahassee has 2 universities....plus the fact that it is the state capitol means that there are lots of people there not associated with either school
Gainesville definitely. Piggybacking others, Tallahassee is a much larger city. Not everyone there bleeds garnet and gold!
(http://i.huffpost.com/gen/650833/thumbs/r-FAMU-large570.jpg)
umm...that pic isn't even from Tallahassee and that band doesn't exist anymore :)
LOL! The sabbatical is almost up!
Ah, Tallanasty. The Tacachale clan has a Monticello branch, with whom I spent many happy days in my youth. Here are some stray thoughts from someone who's spent a considerable amount of time in Tallahassee as a non-student.
I agree with the perception that Tallahassee stands out among some other college towns as a place where non-students can live comfortably. My aunt and uncle have done it for over 20 years now. However, while it isn't quite as dominated by its college(s) as your Gainesvilles, Anne Arbors, or Athenses, it's still very much a small college town, and there's still a good bit of "town-and-gown" separation, especially in things like employment and entertainment options. But even though it's very college oriented, it's nice that there's a place in the environment for non-students.
Though Tallahassee has shot down attempts to consolidate with Leon County (where it's the only municipality), Tallahassee has annexed many miles of the surrounding area, including a lot of its suburban areas. Excluding the towns in adjoining counties, I'd recon that most of the Tallahassee suburbs are within the city limits at this point. I think this has a lot to do with the city not being so totally dominated by the colleges.
Somewhat related to that, I'd seriously challenge the notion that Tallahassee is "traditionally left wing". It's heavily Democratic, and the college students skew pretty liberal, but I wouldn't describe the community as a whole that way. A lot of those D-votes are from the state workers and the African American community; they're not necessarily "left wing". It's also very much a blue spot surrounded by the very reddest part of the state, which is, I'd imagine, the situation of a number of other college towns.
An interesting challenge for FSU has been their campus. They're considered the most "land-locked" university in the SUS, with a main campus that's only 450 acres for around 40k students. By comparison, A&M's main campus is about the same size, but serves about 10k people; Florida's campus is 2,000 acres for 49k students; and UNF's is 1,300 acres for 16k students. This makes any expansion very difficult and expensive for them, as it requires either buying land at considerable price, or moving functions away from the main campus. At the same time, though, they've made their main campus probably the best integrated with their city of any of our universities, though Tally's poor transportation system is a drawback.
The activity going on downtown has been very impressive. It's really changed since I was a kid, and it changes more every time I go back. I was there last summer for a wedding; we stayed at the Aloft and drank at the Hotel Duval; a friend of mine who graduated from FSU in '05 looked out from the rooftop bar and said, "This isn't Tallahassee".
Though I didn't get a chance to see the progress myself last time, I think the Gaines Street and parks projects will be huge. I've heard nothing but good things about them. But I disagree with the posters who think the student night life will shift away from West Tennessee. I just can't see that happening anytime soon; it's too convenient to FSU (a good bit closer than Gaines Street). At least not anytime soon.
There's probably a lot Jacksonville can take from some of Tallahassee's recent successes, in particular with infill development and the parks projects. It's another example of how fulfilling your potential can really pay off.
QuoteThough I didn't get a chance to see the progress myself last time, I think the Gaines Street and parks projects will be huge. I've heard nothing but good things about them. But I disagree with the posters who think the student night life will shift away from West Tennessee. I just can't see that happening anytime soon; it's too convenient to FSU (a good bit closer than Gaines Street). At least not anytime soon.
I think the wildcard for Gaines Street is Florida A&M. Tennessee is pretty far but Gaines Street is within walking distance to that campus. I didn't spend much time on West Tennessee until I moved off campus to University Commons on Ocala Road. It also helps that Gaines will be anchored by Cascades Park on one end and Doak Campbell on the other with FSU and the civic center not too far away.
Quote from: thelakelander on December 06, 2012, 05:20:45 PM
QuoteThough I didn't get a chance to see the progress myself last time, I think the Gaines Street and parks projects will be huge. I've heard nothing but good things about them. But I disagree with the posters who think the student night life will shift away from West Tennessee. I just can't see that happening anytime soon; it's too convenient to FSU (a good bit closer than Gaines Street). At least not anytime soon.
I think the wildcard for Gaines Street is Florida A&M. Tennessee is pretty far but Gaines Street is within walking distance to that campus. I didn't spend much time on West Tennessee until I moved off campus to University Commons on Ocala Road. It also helps that Gaines will be anchored by Cascades Park on one end and Doak Campbell on the other with FSU and the civic center not too far away.
Very true. I do think that Gaines Street will become very popular and it's a great infill project for the city. But think about what you just said: when you moved off campus you moved off Ocala. That area has a ton of students from all of the colleges, and it's closer to the West Ten strip than to Gaines. Perhaps folks will move around Gaines when it becomes an option, but I just don't see West Ten going away anytime soon, especially not when so many of the most popular spots are still located there.
I moved to Ocala Road because I was already working at a Winn-Dixie (started in high school and transferred to Tallahassee) full-time at Tennessee and Ocala at the time. However, there's a ton of off-campus apartments and such, south of the tracks as well. I left in 2001, and I'd say, it's probably doubled since then. I image it will boom with the Gaines Street makeover.
Tacachale, good post about Tally. Spot on with a lot of your points.
Since you didn't get to see the progress of the Gaines St. corridor, I don't think you realize how much residential has already been built there and how much will soon get built there. The original photo essay is great, but doesn't even show 1/3rd of the new residential in All Saints and in the area that is starting to be branded Southgate. Southgate is basically everything south of Jefferson, east of Woodward, north of Gaines, and west of Macomb/Railroad. This area is pretty much becoming where students with money live and is also heavily populated with Greeks (both are drivers of nightlife). The best projects haven't even been completed yet and it is already quickly becoming the most desirable place for students to live. There is also quite a bit of new development/rehabs in the area west of Stadium Drive between Jackson Bluff and Pensacola. Gaines St. is much more convenient and accessible for residents of all 3 of these areas.
The Tennessee Strip has never been easily accessible for FSU students that live off campus anyways and there are very few who live off campus that can walk or bike there. Gaines St. has a million times more potential and things going for it. The shift has already started to happen, but just wait till College Town and some of the other projects get built. The Strip has been dying a slow death in the past few years for a variety of reasons and when things start to line up a little more I'd be shocked if Gaines doesn't supplant it. I know quite a few others feel the same way, including some people with Seminole Boosters who have worked on College Town and FSU's director of Facilities and Planning, who I've spoken to about it.
You guys in the know, what areas would you recommend non-student young professionals with kids look into living? Walkability/bikeability & close to urban amenities would be a plus of course.
Great story. It would be nice if Amtrak would return to that beautiful, historic station.
Quote from: peestandingup on December 06, 2012, 07:29:11 PM
You guys in the know, what areas would you recommend non-student young professionals with kids look into living? Walkability/bikeability & close to urban amenities would be a plus of course.
I've haven't been through them in a decade, but while living in Tallahassee I thought the neighborhoods east of downtown's Monroe Street, north of Apalachee Parkway, west of Magnolia Drive, and south of Lake Ella Park fit the bill.
I'd concur with Lake's take. After I graduated I worked in Tally for a year and lived off Call St. between Franklin and Monroe. Basically just east of Downtown. There are some beautiful parks in that area and some decent historical housing, but really not much to walk to, as most stuff DT is on the other side of Monroe.
Midtown is a hot area in Tally right now with older students, grad students, and young professionals. I have no clue how its defined geographically, but the Monroe/Thomasville split seems to be the center of it. There are quite a few restaurants and bars in this area, and also some nice residential areas nearby.
Thanks, guys. Yeah, looks like east of Monroe is the way to go. That district has some decent schools & town isn't far at all. Would be a breeze to bike to. The north side around (and on past) I-10 seems to have the best schools, but screw that. I think we've all had enough of that lifestyle while living here the last 5 years & having to commute to find anything of real substance.
If you want a more urban feel, then Midtown is good. It just depends on your priorities, and funds.
Ther is a lot of growth on the east side of town, and the schools are pretty good. There is a very wide variety of properties available, from restrictive HOA's, to acreage. I live on 2 acres on the east side of town, and unlike Jax, I'm only about 20 minutes away from most everything. I personally avoid the Thomasville Rd/I-10 Killearn area due to traffic. It is always a mess. If you need a good realtor, let me know.
Quote from: peestandingup on December 06, 2012, 07:29:11 PM
You guys in the know, what areas would you recommend non-student young professionals with kids look into living? Walkability/bikeability & close to urban amenities would be a plus of course.
the midtown area is ideal...look in the 5th,6th, and 7th Avenue areas
Lake and City, I'm sure you're right about the new development. But I think West Tennessee is simply to convenient to to many people (especially those with cars) for Tallahassee to be rid of it anytime soon. There are a lot of students looking for walk- and bikeability, but there are also those who just want to pile their bros into the F250 extended cab and take advantage of their Thirsty Moose Club membership.
Quote from: tufsu1 on December 07, 2012, 09:17:50 AM
Quote from: peestandingup on December 06, 2012, 07:29:11 PM
You guys in the know, what areas would you recommend non-student young professionals with kids look into living? Walkability/bikeability & close to urban amenities would be a plus of course.
the midtown area is ideal...look in the 5th,6th, and 7th Avenue areas
I'd also say the Midtown area. A good friend of mine was looking at a gorgeous old place out near Leon High School, though he ended up buying somewhere out in some development.
Quote from: Tacachale on December 07, 2012, 09:50:33 AM
Lake and City, I'm sure you're right about the new development. But I think West Tennessee is simply to convenient to to many people (especially those with cars) for Tallahassee to be rid of it anytime soon. There are a lot of students looking for walk- and bikeability, but there are also those who just want to pile their bros into the F250 extended cab and take advantage of their Thirsty Moose Club membership.
What do you consider as the Tennessee Strip? From my understanding, its roughly two blocks of Tennessee Street between Dewey and Copeland.
That is what most people in Tallahassee consider it too. Really, the only irreplaceable spot on the strip is Bullwinkles, which was always my favorite watering hole. Poor Pauls has a pretty loyal following too, but it could easily be moved elsewhere. I've heard 2nd hand that the owner of Bullwinkles has or is exploring the possibility of moving to Gaines St at some point. As big as the place is, it could easily use a little more space. Especially on Friday nights. Plus they would be able to get Gameday business with a move to Gaines.
Tac, people will be able to drive to Gaines St. almost as easily as they can to Tennessee St. The big difference will be that more students can walk/bike there, it will be a much safer drinking environment, and closer proximity to Doak for gameday partying. Plus an opportunity to construct a true College Town strip like you see in a lot of great college towns.
There's more on West Tennessee than just the stretch around Bullwinkle's. Further west there's Momo's and a hookah joint we used to go to; there's the bowling alley and I believe several other bars and restaurants spread around there. Don't quote me on it but I think all that stuff is before you get out to the student apartments on and around Ocala. I'd tend to agree that the Gaines project looks like it will be a much safer and better planned environment, but again, I just don't see West Tennessee Street going away any time soon.
At any rate, I'm hoping to get back out there for a long weekend this spring. A good friend of mine just moved out there, and I want to take my wife to Mission San Luis, which, incredibly, I've never gotten around to seeing. I'll be sure to check out the progress on Gaines Street. It's been a while since I was out that way.
Quote from: Tacachale on December 07, 2012, 01:15:42 PM
There's more on West Tennessee than just the stretch around Bullwinkle's. Further west there's Momo's and a hookah joint we used to go to; there's the bowling alley and I believe several other bars and restaurants spread around there. Don't quote me on it but I think all that stuff is before you get out to the student apartments on and around Ocala. I'd tend to agree that the Gaines project looks like it will be a much safer and better planned environment, but again, I just don't see West Tennessee Street going away any time soon.
We were referring to the "Tennessee Strip". There is a lot of strip development west of FSU's campus but that's not considered the "Strip." That's just a typical auto oriented commercial corridor, in similar fashion to North Monroe Street, Apalachee Parkway, and Thomasville Road near I-10. The "Strip" is specifically a cluster of bars and clubs between Dewey and Copeland Streets. Personally, I don't think it will take much for Gaines Street to overtake it in prominence once the streetscape is complete.
QuoteAt any rate, I'm hoping to get back out there for a long weekend this spring. A good friend of mine just moved out there, and I want to take my wife to Mission San Luis, which, incredibly, I've never gotten around to seeing. I'll be sure to check out the progress on Gaines Street. It's been a while since I was out that way.
The Mission is pretty cool. You'll enjoy it.
There is a lot more to Tennessee St. than just the "Strip", which is what everyone calls the spot near Bullwinkles, Yianni's, etc. Other than that, the only other big hangouts on the street are Momo's, AJ's, and LiquorLoft/Proof. All of those locations are replaceable. In fact all three are in horrible spots, with major parking issues. Heck I'm shocked AJ's hasn't collapsed yet. Really, there as many popular hangouts on Pensacola St. with Gordo's, Mellow Mushroom, and Po Boys anyways. As demographics, student housing, and investment keep shifting, it will be very easy for the owner's of these popular places to move to Gaines St. The CrepeVine is a popular place that used to be on Pensacola and just opened on Gaines.
Ever been to Railroad Square Art Park? I don't know how it is now, but when I was in grad school out there from 08-09, I thought their First Friday event was way better than Artwalk. There are already some cool spots in that area like Fermentation Lounge, All Saints Cafe, and probably a lot of other new ones I don't even know about. Basically the All Saints, Railroad Square, Gaines/Railroad area has become the artsy, alternative scene in Tally already. Once College Town opens, that stretch of Gaines will be a more upscale geared towards young professionals and mainstream students. It will be interesting to see what happens in between.
http://railroadsquare.us/
http://fermentationlounge.com/
Railroad Square was fairly artsy when I was there. At the time, there was an art shop that was pretty popular with my design studio. I can see all of that becoming more connected and seamless with the Gaines Street and greenway projects.
Quote from: thelakelander on December 07, 2012, 01:37:43 PM
Quote from: Tacachale on December 07, 2012, 01:15:42 PM
There's more on West Tennessee than just the stretch around Bullwinkle's. Further west there's Momo's and a hookah joint we used to go to; there's the bowling alley and I believe several other bars and restaurants spread around there. Don't quote me on it but I think all that stuff is before you get out to the student apartments on and around Ocala. I'd tend to agree that the Gaines project looks like it will be a much safer and better planned environment, but again, I just don't see West Tennessee Street going away any time soon.
We were referring to the "Tennessee Strip". There is a lot of strip development west of FSU's campus but that's not considered the "Strip." That's just a typical auto oriented commercial corridor, in similar fashion to North Monroe Street, Apalachee Parkway, and Thomasville Road near I-10. The "Strip" is specifically a cluster of bars and clubs between Dewey and Copeland Streets. Personally, I don't think it will take much for Gaines Street to overtake it in prominence once the streetscape is complete.
Ah, I see. Yeah, I could definitely see "The Strip" being overtaken in time; I just don't see the whole corridor going away any time soon, at least not to the point that it would open up major projects like road diets or a streetcar such as were mentioned in some of the posts.
Quote from: thelakelander on December 07, 2012, 01:37:43 PM
QuoteAt any rate, I'm hoping to get back out there for a long weekend this spring. A good friend of mine just moved out there, and I want to take my wife to Mission San Luis, which, incredibly, I've never gotten around to seeing. I'll be sure to check out the progress on Gaines Street. It's been a while since I was out that way.
The Mission is pretty cool. You'll enjoy it.
I've been meaning to get out to it ever since I took Dr. Shafer's Florida history class at UNF like 6 years ago, but every time I've been out to Tally either it's closed, or I run out of time. It's high time for a dedicated trip.
Quote from: thelakelander on December 07, 2012, 01:54:52 PM
Railroad Square was fairly artsy when I was there. At the time, there was an art shop that was pretty popular with my design studio. I can see all of that becoming more connected and seamless with the Gaines Street and greenway projects.
Yea that area and Gaines have been the alternative scene in Tally for a little while, but things have really taken off since I was first in Tally in the early 00's. The Cow Haus used to be a good music venue there, The Warehouse has always been popular for poetry/literature readings and things like that, and Railroad Square has been around for a bit, but there was barely any connectivity between those type of spots in the past. Now there is some true synergy happening and momentum. Whatever happens in that area, I hope that there is always an edgy and unique artsy area of the corridor.