Crews were clearing a heavily wooded block near downtown Tallahassee on Wednesday, March 14. It’s part of site preparation for the Cascades development.
Several giant live oaks on the block between Gaines and Bloxham streets were falling to the chain saws and excavators. Meanwhile, demolition had started on the old Firestone and W-P-A buildings nearby. In a written statement, Shawn McIntyre with the developer North American Properties, said the big oak on the northeast corner of the block along with some large palmettos would remain, along with the former county health department building. He added extensive tree replanting would take place, including a street canopy. All the land, which is still owned by the Community Redevelopment Agency, is expected to be conveyed to North American properties early this summer with new construction to get underway shortly thereafter.
