The existing 1952 concrete block duplex at 822/824 Martin St has been demolished.

A developer has proposed subdividing the parcel at the southeast corner of Williams and Edgewood into two lots. The parcel, owned by Panhandle Building Services, Inc.,  is 0.28 acres, and the new parcels would be 0.14, or approximately 6100 sq. ft.   The application is due to be reviewed by Growth Management on January 23, 2017.    Growth Management can be contacted at 850-891-7100.  The permit number is TCC160139.

If you would like to be included on the LPNA mailing list, or if you would like us to make an announcement via the mailing list, please contact us at lafayetteparkna@gmail.com.

The mailing list is used to reach the LPNA members on topics such as lost pets or items, community activities, LPNA events and issue affecting the neighborhood or Tallahassee.  The emails on the list are kept private and for LPNA use only, and mailings are generally limited to just a few a week or fewer.

Following hurricane Hermine, David Mitchell and the LPNA organized crews to clear the Miccosukee Road sidewalks and Kate Sullivan grounds to allow the kids to walk to school safely.  A crowd of about thirty responded, including familiar LPNA faces and community members from as far away as the Buck Lake area. Kate Sullivan principal Pam Stephens recently showed her appreciation for that work with a handwritten thank you.

Thank you, Pam, for your year-round efforts at the school.

The third quarter Lafayette Park Board Meeting is scheduled for 7:00 pm, on Thursday, September 8th, at the Sue McCollum Center. Any Lafayette Park neighbor is welcome to attend and hear the latest developments/issues surrounding our neighborhood.

A letter to the editor was published in the Tallahassee Democrat about the Gadsden Rd Rezoning. The author, Lou Wagner, had only learned about the rezoning threat because of an LPNA flyer that was delivered to his door. We were happy to distribute the flyers but they are costly to print and time consuming to distribute.

We need more email addresses from our Lafayette Park families.

The LPNA Email list currently has 273 addresses (and Mr. Wagner is now the 273rd address on the list). Since the 273 addresses include multiple email addresses within a family home, we are only reaching a few out of the nearly 700 homes in the neighborhood.

Please ask your neighbors to see if they are currently getting LPNA emails and if they aren’t have them email LafayetteParkNA@gmail.com to be included. There are times when communications need to be quicker than what is possible via a printed flyer. With email, we can reach out and get information to hundreds of neighbors in minutes instead of days.

Tuesday’s event at Zin involved attendance of well over 100 people who came out on a rainy night- that says a lot about what can happen with a well informed community. It was a great turnout and we were fortunate to have so many people who volunteered to get the word out so it could happen.

We have added 80 emails since the May picnic. We need to keep up this trend.

 
The Lafayette Park Neighborhood Association (LPNA)
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Dear LPNA Nation,

Following last nights meeting with the developers from MRI you need to contact the city representatives to voice your opinion. All you need to do is contact the representatives and state you strongly oppose the proposed Gadsden Street REZONING. You do not need to go into great details as to why, that will come later. The calls have started. Do your part to save Lafayette Park. Ask your neighbors if they received this email. If not, help get them on the list or give them a copy so they have the names and numbers.
The Developers did not want to share any information about the point last night and only spoke about it when asked. We will be requesting an additional meeting with everyone on the point.

CONTACTS

Mayor Andrew Gilliam 891-8002 (assistant Jamie Van Pelt)
Commissioner Scott Mattox 891-2087 (assistant Allie Fleming)
Commissioner Nancy Miller 891-8179 (assistant Melissa Ingram
Commissioner Curtis Richardson 891-8240 (assistant Vincent Evans)
Commissioner Gil Ziffer 891-8200 (assistant Margaret Ross)

John Humphries
President
The Lafayette Park Neighborhood Association (LPNA)

Update Sept 14: The developers did not petition for comprehensive plan changes needed for the proposed  development at 1115 and 1189 North Gadsden by the September 14th deadline.  That means the project won’t proceed, at least for now.  But check back here for continued information on developments affecting the neighborhood, and if you hear anything – demolitions, new construction, zoning changes, etc… let us know!

Developers are applying to rezone an area within the boundaries of Lafayette Park and are additionally proposing a new development at Thomasville Rd. and Monroe St.

IMPORTANT Please participate at the developer’s meeting this Tuesday, August 9th 6-7 p.m. at the Zin restaurant.

The developers are inviting the Lafayette Park Neighborhood to discuss their proposed plans. The Lafayette Park Neighborhood Association urgently requests that you attend to learn more and voice your opinion.

MORE DETAILS ABOUT EACH DEVELOPMENT:

Development 1: North Gadsden Street Redevelopment:

Where is this property? The affected areas are 1189 and 1115 Gadsden St., located within the boundaries of Lafayette Park Neighborhood. Currently, 1189 is a bungalow-style home facing Ingleside that is used for counseling offices. 1115 faces Beard Street and is currently rented as apartments. These uses were preserved, or “grandfathered in” when the area was designated residential over 30 years ago.

What legal changes are proposed?

The developer wants to rezone and to amend the comprehensive plan.

• The zoning would change from RP-2, low density residential (up to 6 units an acre) to OR-3, which allows high density residential (up to 20 units an acre); and allows banks, day care centers, hotels and motels, medical offices, nursing homes, veterinary services, and retail commercial activities to be erected.

• The Land Use Plan would change from low density residential to allow high density residential, office, commercial, medical, business park, and light industrial.

What does the developer want to build?

MRI wants to tear down the 3 current buildings and build 10 row houses that would face Gadsden Street. Each unit would be 1800 square feet, 3 bedroom/ 2 bath with a parking garage. There would be one entrance to the property from Ingleside, an exit onto Gadsden and an exit onto Beard Street. HOWEVER, once the zoning changes to OR-3, MRI could build anything that is legal in OR-3, including business, commercial, and light industrial uses.

Potential Concerns of this Development:

• PRECIDENT Zoning changes would erode the legal defensibility of our borders and set a precedent, making it more likely that other encroachments would be allowed to advance into the neighborhood under the pressure of Midtown’s popularity.

• PROPERTY VALUES The impact is unknown but there is a strong likelihood that it could lower property values, particularly to the adjacent properties, due to the undesirability of adjacent commercial activities and associated noise and congestion.

• TRAFFIC CONGESTION Traffic already backs up along this section of Gadsden during the busiest times of the day. Adding 30 cars and 20 garbage and reycle bins will worsen the congestion.

• PARKING The 30+ new residents and guests would add to the spillover parking the neighborhood already experiences from Midtown restaurants and bars.

• NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER While bordered by busy Gadsden and Miccosukee, our neighborhood remains intact as a beautiful old in-town neighborhood. Rezoning would allow commercial intrusion, increase congestion, and lessen quality of life.

Here is the letter from the Developer: Gadsden Street Redevelopment Project0001 (1) (1)

Summary of Zoning and Comp Plan Processes for 2 Developments

Current Zoning is RP-2   (link to city regulation)
Proposed Zoning is OR-3  (link to city regulation)

City of Tallahassee Comprehensive Land Use Plan link  https://talgov.com/planning/planning-compln-comp-plan.aspx

Current Land Use is Residential Preservation, see pages 31-33

Proposed Land Use is Suburban, see pages 35-37

Development 2: “Midtown Point” Project

Where is this property?

The 3 parcels in this proposal are at the intersection of Thomasville Road and North Monroe Street. The site includes a two-story commercial office building, a vehicle service business, and a small restaurant (replace with business names). The current parking lots run east to west and provide access from both Monroe and Thomasville roads.

What legal changes are proposed?

These properties are already zoned CU-45, which allows the project MRI is proposing.

What does the developer want to build?

MRI wants to build a five-story building with 2 subterranean floors. The building would include commercial activities on the basement and ground floors; 24 Transitional residential dwellings on floors 2, 3, and 4; and the top floor would include a bar and restaurant. The development will accommodate 50% of its parking demands with a small parking garage and parking spaces provided in the northeast corner of the parcel.

How would this development affect Lafayette Park?

The proposal continues commercial activity at the southwest border of the neighborhood and could visually improve the location.

Potential Concerns of this Development:

• Parking How many onsite parking spaces will there be compared to the business expected to be generated? Lafayette Park is already struggling with overflow from other business locations along Thomasville and Midtown.

• Noise If the 5th floor bar and restaurant will be on the rooftop (as proposed) with outside areas, how will MRI control the noise so that it does not flow over the neighborhood from its 5th floor promontory? Currently this is a big problem in the College town area.

• Congestion The Point has a lot of traffic throughout the day. How will MRI design entrances and exits to avoid making the area more dangerous?

Actual letter from the Developer: midtown point project
Current Zoning is CU-45 (links to city regulation)

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