Glimmers of construction activity are taking place at the failed Washington Square project as the developer attempts to undo the disrepair and ward off legal battles with the city and county.
It’s been dormant for five years, crushing any chance of bringing the original plan for a 19-story, high-rise development with broken promises for a parking garage, ample office space and a Loews Hotel to Tallahassee’s downtown.
The work taking place now is a direct result of an attempt by developer Fairmont Tallahassee LLC to begin an extensive list of restoration work imposed by the city of Tallahassee and Leon County government.
“What you see happening today is the restoration of the travel lane and sidewalk on Jefferson Street, which is a city roadway,” Tallahassee City Manager Reese Goad told the Democrat. “This is near term in restoring the ability for cars and pedestrians to use Jefferson Street, which has been encumbered by the project now for many years.”
While this work is taking place, Fairmont Tallahassee continues to rack up environmental and building code enforcement fines that have reached $461,687.50 as of Sept. 15, according to city officials.
Those fines prompted the city to pursue legal action, and a June 9 lawsuit was filed against Fairmont Tallahassee to foreclose on the property’s liens, court records show. Goad, who was cautious not to discuss the lawsuit, said the foreclosure proceedings were a separate matter and “still ongoing and active.”
“If those fines are not satisfied, it could culminate into a process that results in the auctioning of the property,” Goad said.
The same month the city filed its foreclosure lawsuit, Leon County continued its demand for restoration work at the developer’s expense along Gadsden and Calhoun streets based on its joint agreement with Fairmont.
But, Fairmont didn’t hold up its end of the agreement until the county filed a right-of-way restoration bond, wrote Leon County Administrator Vince Long in a Sept. 12 email to county commissioners.
The developer had 60 days to complete restoration work that went into effect July 9 and failed to make significant progress by the Sept. 7 deadline.
“While the agreement allowed for an extension if supported by measurable progress and submitted in a timely manner, no measurable progress was made, and no request for extension was submitted,” Long wrote. “Therefore, I authorized the filing a claim” against the right-of-way restoration bond.
Long said, under Florida law, a performance bond guarantees the completion of contract obligations once the county files a claim. In his letter, he said a “Surety,” which oversees the guarantee of the bond, will investigate and could:
“Again, we are awaiting a response from the Surety and will continue to ensure the work is performed,” Long said.
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Construction begins on former Washington Square site as fines pile up
Reporting by TaMaryn Waters, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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