A report, presented to the CRA Board in September of 2017, showed that updates to the Plan would be completed in April 2018. A consultant completed part of the report, but no rationale was provided to the Citizens' Advisory Committee or the CRA Board as to why the updates were never completed. In June 2019, the CRA held community meetings to obtain input to begin another revision cycle. More on this post
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Monday, March 22, 2021
CRA Redevelopment Plan for Greater Frenchtown/Southside Appears after Four Years
Monday, February 1, 2021
Saturday, January 30, 2021
In-Person Meeting of the Greater Frenchtown/Southside Citizens' Advisory Committee
Greater Frenchtown/Southside CRA Citizens' Advisory Committee
Saturday, November 7, 2020
Back to In-person Meeting for the CRA Citizens' Advisory Committee
Greater Frenchtown/Southside CRA Citizen's Advisory Committee
Saturday, October 3, 2020
CRA WILL CONSIDER ADDITIONAL EXPANSION FOR THE GRIFFIN HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD
The Citizens' Advisory Committee for the Greater Frenchtown/Southside Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) will meet online Monday, October 5th beginning at 3 PM
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
CRA BOARD MEETING INCLUDES BUDGET APPROVAL FOR FY 20-21
The Community Redevelopment Board meets Thursday, September 24th, beginning at 4:00 PM. A public hearing on the budget for the FY 2020-2021 will be held at 6 PM.
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Affordable Housing by 2024?
A recent presentation by the City of Tallahassee's Housing Division to the Greater Frenchtown/Southside Citizens' Advisory Committee, included projections for 855 affordable housing units built or preserved by 2024:
(these figures were included in the Strategic Plan for the City of Tallahassee)
425 units of home repair/rehab
35 units on Community Land Trust
60 units of inclusionary housing
10 units of Habitat Build (partnering with the City)
125 units of down payment assistance
200 units - Funding for the Purpose Built/Orange Avenue Apartments rebuild (Federal HUD subsidized rental housing operated by the Tallahassee Housing Authority)
The City proposed the cost will be $4.6 M to build and preserve 398 affordable units. But, a division of the total into the number of units results in only $11,557 available per unit. It is unclear which of these 'investments' add up to $4.6M.
Friday, August 21, 2020
CRA BOARD MEETS AUGUST 27, 2020
The CRA Board meets Thursday, August 27th beginning at 9:30 AM.
Thursday, August 13, 2020
A Few Examples of Bundling in Local Races
Continuing the conversation regarding how corporations are circumventing the campaign donation limits. If you haven't read the post on why we need public funding of local campaigns, see this post.
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Isn't It Time for Public Financing of Local Elections?
Isn't it time for public financing of local candidates? Too often, developers and parties with interest in conducting business with the City of #Tallahassee, have donated sums to candidates in excess of the $250.00 limit by donating individually themselves, then donating the maximum through spouses, corporate entities and subsidiaries of those corporations.
Before voting in local election, do your research on bundling, 'questionable' development
Akin S. AkinyemiYour Turn
*Reprinted with permission from the author.
In my 25 years of being an actively engaged citizen of Leon County, I have not seen an election cycle more critical to our community than the upcoming 2020 elections. It is more important than ever for each of us to be knowledgeable about the field of local candidates and to vote.
As an architect, urban planner and previous county commissioner, I have seen disturbing trends in our local government, especially with contract approvals and community planning. Most concerning is the unprecedented rash of questionable land development projects being pushed forward without consideration as to their sustainability.
The three-tier development review system (staff, planning commissioners, elected commissioners) seems to be losing its independence, leading to controversial recommendations or outcomes. Examples include the clear-cutting at Park and Magnolia, huge student housing/gentrification in Frenchtown, Myers Park land sale, police headquarters location, and the ongoing Welaunee Comp Plan amendments.
How does this affect your voting? I can tell you from personal experience that it takes strong-minded, objective commissioners who are not easily influenced by politics or big business to do what is in the best interest of our community.
You, as an informed voter, are the key to placing ethical and intelligent leaders in these key decision-making positions.
When deciding what candidate you want to choose, consider these points:
- For sitting commissioners, consider making a list of five or seven tough issues they have voted on. While you should not expect to get a 100% match, if you disagree with most of their votes, they probably do not deserve your vote.
- For new candidates, read their platform, debate speeches or responses to questionnaires, all of which should be online.
- Review the candidates’ campaign finance reports on the Supervisor of Elections website. On the most current report, divide the total amount raised by the number of donors. The lower the result, the better you can infer that the candidate is “for the people, not the powerful.”
- Search for multiple donors with the same address, or businesses owned by the same people — especially those doing business with the commission. The more “bundled” contributions you see, the more likely this candidate may be influenced by lobbyists or developers. While bundling is not illegal, the fewer of these you see, the freer the candidate is to make tough decisions independently.
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Innovation and Entrepreneurship through Small Business Incubation
Here at The Other Tallahassee, we have heard a lot of discussion about poverty in Tallahassee/Leon County, and numerous conferences and varied suggestions, but few proposed solutions and fewer implemented strategies.
Entrepreneurship can be a way to build a stable income without a four-year degree and often without a high school diploma . Yet, people living in areas of concentrated poverty, the 32304 zip code and the Greater Frenchtown/Southside Community Redevelopment Area (CRA), are missed by existing programs helping people to become entrepreneurs.
In a supported setting, entrepreneurship can remove barriers such as educational achievement and earn higher wages. They can move from dead-end, minimum-wage jobs with no benefits and they can move from unemployment to becoming an employer.
A myth about entrepreneurship is that it is only available to people who are already wealthy. A micro-loan programs worldwide have helped people open low-capital startups every day. There are lived experiences that one can start a successful business with less than $1,000.
The Other Tallahassee has put together this proposal, a three year pilot project specifically targeted to individuals living in areas of poverty, for review and comment from people like you.
The Innovation and Entrepreneurship through Small Business Incubation project focuses on indicators of economic disparity, unemployment, the wealth divide and lack of economic opportunity. It incorporates critical pieces in building entrepreneurship that are missing in programs today, strives to have a tangible impact on unemployment of disenfranchised residents of the community. It targets innovative economic development strategies, offering entrepreneurship as a pathway out of poverty; a path to economic self-sufficiency currently unavailable to most low-income in our community.
This project would provide small business loans, capacity building grants, training and technical assistance and entrepreneur coaching to Frenchtown and Southside residents, including the 32304 zip code.
Unlike many micro-loan programs, this project does not solely assist individuals to access the capital necessary for business start-up and growth. It addresses the many barriers to becoming a successful entrepreneur, it provides capacity building micro-grants, coupled with vital support services within the business incubator, together with mentorship and entrepreneur coaching, as well as micro-loans and post-loan support
Executive Summary
Start-up Small Business IncubatorTraining and technical assistance through Entrepreneurship Coaching
Capacity Building Micro-Grants, Micro Loans Development Loans and Post Loan support
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We'd love to receive your comments on the concept. Please comment here or email comments and suggestions to theothertallahassee@gmail.com
Saturday, August 8, 2020
UPDATE ON THE CRA-FUNDED NEIGHBORHOOD FIRST PLAN IN THE BOND COMMUNITY
The CRA Board approved an allocation of $6.4 million to fund the plan developed by the City of Tallahassee and the Bond community.
From funding from the Greater Frenchtown/Southside CRA District, funding of $2.65 million has been allocated to projects:
- Linear Park - $651,000 (expected completion Fall 2020)
- Residential Housing Façade - $160,000 (14 applicants funded as of August 2020)
- Enhancements at Speed Spencer Stephens Park - $30,000
- Engagement around Community Infrastructure - $10,000
- Saxon St. Streetscaping - $1,150,000 to begin in late 2020, includes street lighting, landscaping, sidewalk, and pavement marking improvements. Additional streets could include: Gamble, Holton, Osceola, Floral, Perry, Keitth
- New construction; first-time homebuyer down payment assistance: $100,000
- Residential facade program: $500,000
- Economic micro-loan program: $40,000
- Neighborhood art: $10,000
- City Farm TLH
- 2021 Holton St. demolition
- Historical Marker project
- Neighborhood Boundary (NBO) new Land Use category
- Code enforcement compliance
- RFP for the sale or exchange of 0.94 acres on Eugenia Street. Proposals are due by August 27th.
- TEMPO program working with disconnected youth to gain vocaltional training and/or employment
- Public Infrastructure Projects – $16,869,838.30
- Vacant residential lot on Clara Street was acquired for $0 + three an additional three lots available for affordable housing construction
- Three affordable housing repair projects on Saxon, Keith, and Kissimmee streets
View the full powerpoint from the City of Tallahassee staff:
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Packed Agenda for Upcoming Citizens' Advisory Committee Meeting












Tuesday, June 30, 2020
CRA Board Votes to Approve "SoMo" Walls and Financial Assistance for Businesses
Friday, June 26, 2020
No access': Poor, isolated and forgotten, kids of 32304 see their health care compromised.
Thursday, June 25, 2020
SPECIALLY CALLED CRA BOARD MEETING JUNE 29TH
- Disaster Assistance Program for Economic Distressed Businesses
$1 million - Could assist 500 businesses ($2,000 per business) which is 63% of all (estimated) businesses within the Greater Frenchtown/Southside District.
Staff indicated in the Agenda Item that 561 businesses throughout the City and County obtained assistance through the recent Office of Economic Vitality program.
- Residential Rental Assistance Program
$500,000 - Could assist approximately 277 families assuming that the average rent assistance is a total of $1,800 ($900/month) over two months.
Staff indicated in the Agenda Item that Leon County is discussing plans for CARES funding for Leon County at the County Commission meeting scheduled for July 14th. Staff indicates it expects that rental assistance will be included in the plan. Should local government CARES funding be made available for rental assistance, staff recommends that no CRA funding be allocated to the program.
After going through two lengthy meetings, the Citizens' Advisory Committee was advised that there were not sufficient funds in the budget for these two proposed programs. If these programs were to be funded, then other projects already discussed or planned would not be funded, at least, not in the original timeframe. Funding levels would have to be reduced, eliminated or postponed. An alternative would be to borrow funds against future revenues, an approach the CRA has been reluctant to do to date.
A sampling of indicated projects that would have to be reduced or eliminated include:
- $1,025,625 grant as matching funds to a housing application for Phase I of the Tallahassee Housing Authority proposal on Orange Avenue.
- $2,000,000 - current year funding for the Greater Bond Neighborhood First Plan
- $1,000,000 - funding for the Greater Frenchtown Neighborhood First Plan
- $64,497 Purchase of 2021 Holton Street property
- $1,150 Saxon Street improvements
The Advisory Committee voted to NOT recommend any funding reductions, eliminations or postponements of funding. It voted to address any budget shortfalls with a loan to the Fund and have minimal disruption to the GFS priorities.
The full agenda of the upcoming CRA Board meeting is at: https://go.boarddocs.com/fla/talgov/Board.nsf/Public
