TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A surprise agenda change and a tense public comment period highlighted Monday night’s Community Redevelopment Agency meeting in southwest Tallahassee.
- Tallahassee's CRA approved a $30,000 mural grant despite neighbor concerns and pulled a construction grant from Monday's heated meeting agenda.
- Neighbors raised concerns about a proposed marijuana dispensary receiving CRA funding.
- Watch the video below to hear why some neighbors say the project should not receive funding.
Tallahassee CRA approves mural grant despite community pushback at heated meeting
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A busy night for Tallahassee’s Greater Frenchtown and Southside Community Redevelopment Agency.
One agenda item dominated conversation during Monday night’s meeting, and a development grant never made it to a vote.
I’m neighborhood reporter Lentheus Chaney in southwest Tallahassee, sharing how the meeting ended and what neighbors had to say.
The meeting began with a surprise.
A proposal for a new construction assistance program grant for 115 W Harrison St. was pulled from the agenda.
The board did not address why the item was removed, but some neighbors weighed in on the grant.
“I don’t think anyone is against new retail going up on Adams Street and on Harrison, but I do think that it’s inappropriate for that retail space to be for a marijuana dispensary and also be subsidized by the CRA,” said neighbor Max Herrle.
The second hot topic involved a request for a $30,000 grant to create a large-scale mural along Oakland Avenue and East Harrison Street.
“We have a 2,700-square-foot public art installation that can be implemented that will create a year-round accessible destination,” said KCCI Executive Director Betsy Couch.
Several neighbors spoke against that request, raising questions about whether public dollars should again be used for a project connected to a development that had already received funding in the past.
“He has already received from the CRA $1.5 million dollars,” one neighbor said to the board during public comment.
Some residents also asked that more community input be included in the planning process before final designs are approved.
Despite those concerns, the committee voted unanimously to approve the mural grant request.
The board also moved forward with updates to the Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency Assistance Program and the Residential Exterior Painting Program.
Those updates will help expand access to improvement funds for neighbors in the district.
CRA leaders say both program updates and future development requests will continue to come before the committee in upcoming meetings.
In Southwest Tallahassee, I’m Lentheus Chaney, ABC 27.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
