History lost, Nékter Juice Bar to open, upcoming apartment projects
Sometimes, we do the wrong thing.
It is bad to destroy history. It is especially bad to destroy the history of minority groups that cherish good memories marred by the painful realities of the past. In kind with other cities across America, we have done this in Tallahassee. It is unfortunate, it is ugly, and we can acknowledge that. From the dirt roads and clusters of homes that made up Smokey Hollow to the neighborhoods which were cleared out for the Civic Center. We've bulldozed blocks in Frenchtown. Stearns-Mosley is gone. You get the idea.
I hadn't yet graduated from University in 2015 when it was decided that the the historic African-American neighborhood, Boynton Stills Quarter, was expendable. I am remiss that I did not follow municipal politics at the time; it was only a month ago that I found out about the demolition of Boynton Stills. That this enclave of near hundred year-old shotgun homes off of Mill and Gamble was set to be demolished for a retention pond as a part of the Capital Cascades Trail. I didn't know about Shingles, the first historic structure to go. By last month, half of the street was already gone. Just dust, grass, and hay. Nothing to do but take pictures of what was left and direct my concerns to the right people. It's unrealistic to think you can change a project four years into planning, but it's upsetting to find out that a bad thing is happening as it unfolds before you. I don't blame the City or the County. Not their staff nor our preservationists. Not myself or anyone else, not even Blueprint. It's on all of us. Sometimes, we just do the wrong thing.
Nékter Juice Bar Expands to Tallahassee
Nékter,a California-based chain of juice bars, is set to open its firstTallahassee location in the Varsity Plaza shopping center on WestTennessee Street. They have locations all over the country, but are onlypresent in three FL cities. The establishment is known for its freshjuices, smoothies, and açaí bowls. Gainesville lost the race on thisone.
New Apartments Slated for East Lafayette Street
Developers are proposing to build a set of three-story apartments on East Lafayette St. just off of Magnolia Dr. They are hoping to develop the site, nestled between The Moon and several local restaurants, with 96 units of residential housing along with a pool and clubhouse amenities.
West Pensacola Student Housing Boom Keeps Up
When a developer hires local architects Lewis + Whitlock, things are bound to look just right. While it's easy to complain about the glut of student housing going up, it would be hard to extend that to this project. Student Housing Solutions has plans to redevelop its existing development at 1924 W Pensacola, Villa Reanna, into a large, contiguous building. They're aiming to build a five-story complex containing 116 units. The project is expected to break ground sometime near January 2021.
Hilton Home2 Suites to Open on Cap Circle SE
Adding to the existing Home2 Suites off of Magnolia Drive, Hilton plans to construct a second location on Capital Circle SE just North of Apalachee Pkwy. The planned four-story building, abutting the existing Sonny's restaurant, will add 87 hotel rooms to the hospitality market.