TLH Development Newsletter: 05/12/19

St. John's Episcopal Church Phase 3 Renovations

St. John's has an immutable presence in our Downtown. As a body, the Church was established only a mere 8 years after our humble City came into existence. The front portion of the Church which faces Monroe Street was constructed in 1880 and is still standing strong. It bears a prominent late gothic architectural style, and has earned itself a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Over the last several years, the Church has been working on large-scale renovations while keenly preserving the historical components which make this building so special to our Downtown corridor. The renovations have sought to modernize portions of the building, while expanding their square footage within the limited footprint available to them. The benefits are mutual; any entity spending millions of dollars in the heart of our City is much obliged.

LCSO to Construct new Training Facility

Leon County Sheriff's Office is bringing out the big guns on this one. They're planning to construct a new training facility to replace their facilities currently spread out across multiple locations. Proposed are a series of administration and classroom buildings with a variety of other assets; simulation shoot houses, an inmate aquaculture program, a dive team training pond, an obstacle course, a rappelling tower, and a firing range. Point of personal privilege: this is pretty rad.

New Efforts to Restore Historic Munroe House

Some more good news for Tallahassee's history. The Munroe House is a grand 3-story building constructed sometime between 1904-1906 at 403 E Call St. It was once listed among the 11 most endangered historic structures in Florida, and has a place on both the local and national historic registries. The last attempt at a rehab was in 2000 by the Ajax Corporation, and with good success. But nineteen years later and the building is in subpar shape.

That could be set to change now that the building has been sold to a new owner. In December, an out-of-state LLC purchased the property for $315,000. Since then, they've submitted plans to renovate the building and put it back into productive use. Their narrative states their intent to demolish an addition to the structure built in 1953 and to rehabilitate the exterior of the building. If it pans out, their work will both enhance and preserve the historical elements of the building. The building will remain in use primarily as office-space.

Maryland Fried Chicken to Open on South Adams

Maryland Fried Chicken first opened its doors in Orlando back in 1959. Since then, they have expanded across the State of Florida, spreading their signature fried chicken, fish, and shrimp dishes. They currently have one location in Tallahassee, but plan to open a second at 1211 S Adams St. They'll be renovating an existing structure which was formerly in use as a similar type of restaurant.

Live/Work Units Planned for Capital Circle NE

A local developer working under the name Evening Rose Properties, LLC is proposing a new 3 story mixed-use commercial and residential building on Austin Davis Drive, just off of Capital Circle NE. The first floor will contain 7 "work" units and 1 "live" unit, while the remaining floors will contain a total of 8 residential units, for a total of eighteen bedrooms.

Do you have a new development tip? Hit me up, I'm always on the lookout.