Local government leaders are worried Tallahassee’s Railroad Square Art District may not survive without their help.
The district suffered devastating damage caused by tornados that touched down in the area earlier this month. Repair efforts are underway, but no businesses have yet reopened, and Railroad Square officials say at least two of the buildings will have to be demolished.
The damage has reignited rumors that owners of the district are looking to sell the property. That concern has even reached local elected officials.
During a Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency meeting last week, County Commissioner Rick Minor asked Blueprint staff to contact the owners of Railroad Square and look into ways to help the district. His motion passed with only one board member in opposition.
“I would hate to have us as a community, not do anything and then see the art district not just get decimated physically from what happened last Friday, but taken away from us and it will never come back,” he said.
Minor said one idea is having Blueprint lease a portion of the property. While most local officials supported the proposal, Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey was skeptical. He said options will likely be limited.
“Knowing basically fair market value for the property is, the CRA does not have money in the budget for acquisition, period. I just want to make sure that’s up front before we send staff to talk about it,” he said.
While some businesses in relatively undamaged buildings will reopen in coming weeks, others in the district have announced they are closing shop permanently.