Planning Commission to Consider New Northside Development

Planning Commission to Consider New Northside Development

Today the Leon County Planning will consider a staff recommendation to accept an application for the Cambridge Parc Planned Unit Development (PUD). The proposed project is on approximately 7.45 acres off of Thomasville Road adjacent to St. Peters Anglican Church.

The meeting will take place today at 6:00 p.m. in the Second Floor Conference Room of the Renaissance Center. The planning contact is listed as Susan Poplin, Principal Planner, (850) 891-6400.

The proposed PUD is a 26-unit single-family residential development with a park and other open space. The applicant is Cambridge Parc, LLC, which lists Hadi Boulos as the principal, and the agent is Magnolia Engineering, Carmen Greene.

The residential development will include a stormwater facility, open space and a neighborhood park. The application details a concept plan map that combines a pedestrian-way with open space to keep at least two areas of significant trees. The total acreage allocated to open space, park, stormwater facility, buffers, and pedestrian paths is 3.4 acres of a 7.45 acre site.

Public Engagement

The application requires a vote by the Tallahassee City Commission. The Planning Department mailed 135 notices to property owners within 1,000 feet of the subject property, which included the Stonebriar Homeowners Association, Inc. (HOA), The Foxcroft Civic Association, and the Circle J Acres Neighborhood Association.

To date, the Planning Department has received four phone calls from two adjacent neighborhood residents (Stonebriar subdivision) asking if the development will be assessed for traffic and if the project will connect to Cleburn Drive, which is a roadway internal to that subdivision. Staff responded that no access to Cleburn Drive is proposed.

Four objection e-mails/faxes have been received based on traffic, lot size, and stormwater. At the Development Review Committee (DRC) meeting on October 14, 2019, two attendees spoke in opposition to the PUD based on traffic and lot size, and during the November 25, 2019 meeting, no attendees spoke in opposition.

Staff states that the applicant has fully addressed transportation concurrency including providing mitigation for the additional trips generated by the PUD. Additionally, staff discussed that the proposed zoning district is the lowest density available within the City, and that, if the property had remained in the County, the zoning district would accommodate approximately twice the number of units currently proposed.

14 Responses to "Planning Commission to Consider New Northside Development"

  1. What can be done to stop the corrupt politicians and developers from absolutely decimating the Tallahassee real estate market. We don’t need or want all this. Where are all the buyers coming from. Last I knew Tallahassee was still a college/government town.

    1. that’s what I want to know! Once you’ve “clear cut” all of these beautiful areas they can never be restored. I saw the same thing happen to the Miami area 30 years ago, but I never thought they would never let the same thing happen to Tally!

      1. To Both Diana and J – Sadly, this is happening in many areas of FL. I’m a native-born Floridian, and my wife and I just returned from a small beach town south of Daytona Beach that we often visited when we lived in Orlando years ago. The locals were outraged that “the world is closing in on our little paradise and the developers are throwing up houses tightly as possible, mowing down every tree in sight.” Central FL and Orlando was once a beautiful area back in the early 1980s when I moved there – now it’s a traffic-choked, overbuilt mess. It went the same route as Miami. We moved to Tally 12 years ago (I’m a 1970s FSU alum), to escape Central FL’s growing mess.

        My brother in law is a realtor in Nashville, where population is exploding, and he said “to the developer, the name of the game is get as many houses as possible on a piece of land.” The development by Tallahassee Nurseries has homes so close they had to stagger the AC units because they couldn’t put two across from each other! Maybe just 6 feet between the “houses”. Another commenter is correct: If one catches fire, they all go.

        As for “where are the people coming from” – Florida is growing at an estimated net rate of 300,000 people a year for the next 4 years, and that’s only as far as they would project out. Tallahassee may not be foremost on most newcomers’ minds, but we’re obviously growing. All we can do as voters is show up loudly at the meetings where new developments are discussed, fight re-zoning “variances” like hell, and try to get some people elected who care more about the quality of life in Tallahassee than the almighty dollar under the table.

  2. The developers would not advocate for projects of this nature absent an adequate pool of buyers. There are many homeowners who prefer zero lot lines. The advent of Southwood was that specific model. The quality of homes in SW as well as the Thomasville Road projects is far removed from “shoddy /cheap construction”.

    1. The Upper East development on the old Tony’s Garden Patch property is one of the kind you refer to – “zero lot line” or less. The models on that project were completed ~3 years ago, and as of now 5 or 6 have sold out of the 24 they planned for. They stopped construction a year and a half ago or so: at least 4 still sit, FOR SALE and they’ve sodded over the remaining 12 or so “lots”. The most recent one sold was recently purchased by the builder! These developers want to make as much money as possible, period. I would say the speculation on that type of development has proven to be a big flop at UE. What would you say?

  3. When will people learn that they are being treated as mere cattle, herded into tight spaces, with shoddy/cheap construction of row homes designed to keep them minimally accommodated so that they can be taxed more and charged more to live with less?

  4. So the ” Land Use Planning Commission” made some decisions about the zoning of the property. If they are changing it, they admit they were wrong in the first place. If this is so, is it not likely they are wrong to change their first decision too, and not to be trusted ? Stop this. There is no mitigation for traffic on Thomasville rd.

    1. the current zoning is for 1 house/2ac or something like a small church. Not only are they talking rezoning, this is insane rezoning! I live in Stonebriar, just south of where they want to put this monstrosity. We already have to do a U-turn on Thomasville to get back to Lake Hall Rd. I apoke at the Oct. 10 meeting; we were told the developer was seeking a “variance” so as not have to do any traffic mitigation on Thomasville Rd. Nothing is mentioned about this in the article – what exactly is going to be done. I also brought up the fact that a developer has already “raped and pillaged” the old Tony’s Garden Patch property – that proposal was for 24 “houses” on TEN acres. So far they have built 10, 3 of which were models. That was 3 years ago and so far less than HALF have sold, one of those to the builder, just months ago. Is no attention paid to the fact that this kind of housing is NOT what people want to buy?? Meanwhile they have sodded the huge stretch of land that used to be covered by many BIG trees, including oaks that should have been protected. Once you destroy these natural areas they can never been restored. There must be corruption $$$ going on, and there should be something that we the people can do.

  5. Hopefully, they will allow for establishment of a combination event venue and bar for motorcycle races. The music will be a nice addition to the sound decibels for the citizens wishing to sleep and rest in their homes.

  6. Well the homeowners of these 26 units wont have to worry about mowing their lawn…at almost 7 homes per acre…all they’ll need is a small electric weedeater and some hedge trimmers…and hope they get good neighbors, because they’ll be close like family!

  7. In the meantime 4 high density subdivisions along the Mahan Corridor past Buck Lake are already going up in a hurry with Fallschase finally breaking ground on a new apartment complex this year behind Costco with further single family residences going up. While the intersection of Mahan and Capital Circle NE is a train wreck and was a train wreck even before they closed Weems for needed improvements. Never let it be said the City/County governments don’t like going green, the green of developer’s money.

  8. “The application requires a vote by the Tallahassee City Commission” …………….. Hmmm, $15,000 should get you the needed 3 Votes ($5,000 each). You know who 2 of them are……….

  9. “The total acreage allocated to open space, park, stormwater facility, buffers, and pedestrian paths is 3.4 acres” SOOO, you plan to squeeze in 26-unit single-family Residential Homes or Townhomes? Keep in mind, you still have to put in the Road which also uses up some of that Land. that’s a lot of Homes on less than 4 Acres. If one Burns, they ALL Burn. ALSO, will be adding over 50 Cars DAILY onto Thomasville Road. I would have to Vote NO on that Project.

    1. Concur. This is not the first developed area in Tallahassee where houses are so close together, all you have to do is open windows to exchange Christmas presents (no need to leave your house). Stop the developments. At least give neighbors space to breath and not smell your neighbor’s cooking. It’s all about $$$$$.

Leave a Reply to Diana S. Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published.