The owners of the Railroad Square Art District want local government to purchase most of their property. In the wake of the May 10th tornadoes that badly damaged the art park, Adam and Lily Kaye will put their proposal before the Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency at its next meeting, on August 22nd.
Railroad Square was hard hit by the tornadoes, and its decades-old buildings weren’t insured. The Kayes want the CRA to take over 6.8 acres of the 8-acre property -- and to decide at their following meeting on October 17th whether to make the investment.
Lily Kaye says she understands that local governments typically take longer to go through the master-planning processes.
“Unfortunately, we are not in the position to sit around for years and wait for that to happen," she said. "So, what we are proposing, what would have to happen, is that local government would have to go ahead and make a decision and purchase the property -- and then do the master planning.”
Railroad Square is located between Florida State University and Florida A&M University, close to downtown. The Kayes have tried for years -- since long before May 10th -- to find a more sustainable model for what is effectively the city's arts district. As Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor has noted, other cities with similar districts have some level of local government support.
Lily Kaye says they want the CRA to decide at its following meeting on October 17th whether or not to make the investment.
“Some people might feel uncomfortable with that," she said. "But really, they’re purchasing a valuable piece of property that’s only going to increase in value. And they could do anything with it. I mean, it’s not going to be a burden to taxpayers, you know, if they bought it and then decided they’d made an incredible mistake, they could sell it and make money off of it.”
Former Tallahassee City Commissioner Gil Ziffer says the CRA could ask some tough questions.
“Yes, it is an extremely valuable entity within our community, particularly within the student body of FSU and FAMU," he said. "But I’d like to see what – pardon the expression – skin in the game the owners, the Kayes, have in this redevelopment or renovation, whatever you want to call it. Because if the CRA’s putting in money, I’d want to know how much are you putting in.”
Members of the Railroad Square community are expected to attend the CRA meeting as unagenda’d speakers.
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