AMELIA ISLAND — While several national names are building stores and launching projects in Tallahassee, most of the $3.3 million in the construction pipeline is coming from the local government and universities, not the private sector.
That shows Tallahassee’s economy is relatively flat, yet leaders see cause for excitement with several major developments and what’s possible for areas around Cascades Park – if the state ever unloaded prime land in downtown Tallahassee.
It’s not a new idea.
Several city-block sized properties have been mentioned before, and the closeout session at the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Conference opened with a slide presentation from Ed and Slaton Murray, the father-son tag team and partners at NAI TALCOR, that teed up interest.
One slide showed the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation building. Another slide captured the Burns Building used by the Florida Department of Transportation on Suwanee Street.
“That one doesn’t really have plans yet, but you know that’s a big site,” said Slaton Murray. “You can see something really cool, mixed-use wise, go there.”
Ed Murray made it clear there are no plans for the DOT building to relocate, adding “We’re not saying they’re moving. But, if they move, it can be a great place to go.”
Then, they flashed a bold rendering of a sports venue anchored by a baseball field and surrounded by a hotel, stores, restaurants, triggering applause from the audience.
It was all part of an exercise to get more buy-in for creating a community vision for Tallahassee. So much so that the Chamber launched a series of websites, including https://tlhvision.com/ to capture ideas.
In the meantime, speakers offered highlights of what’s coming and trends for Tallahassee’s market:
Buc-ees: A proposed Buc-ee’s travel center, (74,000 square-foot travel center with 120 fueling stations) could generate between an estimated $50 million to $100 million based on the convenience chain’s stores nationwide. It hit some delays in the permit process but county officials say that’s not unusual for a project this size.
More chicken joints?: No, expect a slow down on more fried chicken chains, although a new Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is slated to replace the former two-story, New Orleans-inspired building at 2000 Apalachee Parkway that had been home to several banks over the years, including The First Bank Apalachee Parkway branch.
Major national chains: A new Warby Parker opens next month in the Carriage Gate Shopping Center, 3425 Capital Circle NE. Lovesac furniture store, known for its viral sofa products that offer ways to shift sectionals at will — is under construction now next to the Hollywood Feed store in the Miracle Plaza shopping center. Another national company is coming to the plaza: Back Nine Golf, a simulated indoor experience with 24/7 access.
MacDinton’s making a mark: Located at 1111 W. Gaines St., the Irish pub will be in the heart of CollegeTown and bring its own brand of bar life to the area. It is anticipated to open in 2027 in a 12,000 square-foot space, which is “a massive space,” said Slaton Murray, adding Madison Social on Woodward Avenue in CollegeTown is 5,200 square feet by comparison.
“It’s going to be fun out there on game day,” Ed Murray said. “I won’t be anywhere near but it will be fun.”
Here’s a look at more development projects on the horizon in Tallahassee.
TalisTrails, next big master-planned community underway in northeast Tallahassee
Why did one of the largest master planned community developers decide to build in the capital city?
Grady Miars, president and CEO at GreenPointe Holdings, attended some of the sessions offered at the conference and said there’s a “disconnect” between the delivery of single-family homes and the bold visions for the community that include FSU Health and other large-scale projects.
“You need someone to come to make that investment,” Miars said, adding part of the company’s interest came from founder, Ed Burr, a former chairman of the Florida State University Board of Trustees. Once some of the company’s investors came to Tallahassee they saw the appeal. In other words, “they got what we got.”
“They were absolutely blown away, blown away by the activity, the people, the culture, everything,” Miars said.
In May, TalisTrails broke ground and is slated to be the next largest designated area for development. The mixed-use, master-planned community spans 900 acres off I-10 and Mahan Drive within the Welanuee Plantation property. The project would inject 1,500 homes and 600 apartments in a market that’s remained relatively flat, according to commercial real estate experts.
The first phase of residential construction, which includes one- and two-story single-family houses, townhomes, and apartments is slated to begin mid-2027. The homes will be built by Premier Homes and D.R. Horton.
Expect to see resort-style recreational amenities, along with paved and unpaved trails connected to Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway, Tallahassee’s largest nature preserve. Construction for the property’s amenity features is slated to begin in 2028.
The master-planned community is being built by GreenPointe Holdings, a Jacksonville-based residential development firm responsible for 20 other master-planned communities in Florida that represent a $1 billion investment across 27,000 homes, 2,200 apartment units and 950,000 square feet of commercial and retail space in Florida.
TalisTrails is a major part of the massive Welaneee property, which is sliced into three geographic areas — referred to as the “Toe,” the “Heel” and the “Arch.” TalisTrails is located in the Heel.
Major apartment properties in the works
Several apartment complexes are under construction or proposed in high-population parts of the city.
One site, Arbor Hills off Thomasville Road, is planning to build an apartment complex behind the Bull Run neighborhood that should be complete in about 24 months, Ed Murray said, adding he wasn’t completely sure on the timeline.
Further north on Thomasville Road, the Grove apartments within the Bradford Hills master planned community is well underway with about 230 units finished. The site spans a 155-acre, mixed-use development that will include an assisted living facility, medical offices, a daycare, a dog park, restaurants and more.
The Grove, Bradford Hills will include the only market-rate apartments on its side of Interstate 10 in northeast Tallahassee.
Construction for the apartments began in March. Phase 1 includes 17 buildings for 228 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, which all come with a washer and dryer, high-end finishes like quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, wood cabinetry and silent-close cabinets and doors.
You can’t talk about new apartments in Tallahassee without talking about student housing projects, which are steadily coming near campuses.
Slaton Murray said FSU’s decision to relocate the School of Business to West Madison Street near the Tucker Center “is a big deal” and that it “drives a lot of private sector development.”
“They have an enrollment of about 8,000 to 9,000 students in the B School, so that’s why you’re seeing about 2,000 beds getting delivered right around that vicinity of it,” he said. “So, probably be on the lookout for a few more of these projects coming around that area.”
Hotels rising
Several new hotels are also in the works.
A second Drury Hotels location looks to be coming to the former Greyhound bus station, which is now owned by Drury Hotels Company LLC., a top-tier family-owned and operated chain that’s received high marks in customer service for upscale hotels.
Also downtown, one of three luxury hotel brands — the Curio Collection from Hilton or an upscale line from the Marriott or Hyatt — may be coming to one of the last undeveloped parcels of land in Tallahassee’s downtown.
The Tampa-based 908 Group, a real estate firm, plans to build student housing apartments on what’s called the 2.41-acre “Chevron” site, and the hotel will be built next door on the “Johns” property that’s 2.68 acres. Both parcels were formerly owned by the city and was purchased this year in a competitive bid process.
The apartment building is projected to cost $125 million, and the hotel would be approximately $45 million.
Update on new Tallahassee Police Station
The Tallahassee Police Station headquarters is slated to begin occupancy in early 2027.
“It’s been a long project and it’s going to be great,” Ed Murray said of the project taking root on the old Northwood Center mall. “That was one of the very good investments that the city made.”
The new headquarters replaces TPD’s aging Seventh Avenue station that was built in 1972. The state-of-the-art facility will sit on 12 acres and include several buildings, including its main 137,672 square feet building, a 37,170 square foot firing range and a 32,627 square feet fleet maintenance and rolling asset building.
Tallahassee City Manager Reese Goad told the Tallahassee Democrat, in a text, the project won’t exceed $138 million based on the guaranteed maximum contract cost.
The price has nearly doubled since the initial $46.5 million price tag provided in 2018, which swelled to about $60 million in 2020 when city officials decided to build the new station in the former Northhwood Mall site, 1940 N. Monroe Street.
Tilt Studio coming to former Macy’s at Governor Square mall
Tilt Studio is slated to move into the former Macy’s department store location at Governor’s Square mall, said Ed Murray.
The entertainment chain has has locations throughout the U.S., including Arizona Mills in Tempe, Arizona, and Parkdale Mall in Beaumont, Texas. Each of its locations ranges from 25,000 to 100,000 square feet and provides an indoor, arcade-like experience, according to its website.
The confirmation isn’t news to readers of tallalhassee.com. The Democrat reported in January that Tilt was included on a map of possible chains that may be opening shop in the mall.
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: A Cascades vision? Chamber gets look at future development, possibilities
Reporting by TaMaryn Waters, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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By TaMaryn Waters, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
