Final phase of FAMU Way upsets preservationists

A plan approved three years ago to extend part of FAMU Way has pitted Tallahassee preservationists against city officials looking to bring improvements to a historic but run down south side neighborhood.

The ask of the new slate of city commissioners by a passionate band of citizens from across the city seemed simple: Delay the final phase of the storm water and street realignment project to save a grove of patriarch oak trees and stop the demolition of houses in the area near Gamble Street.

Tacked on the trees that remain, colored signs read: “If these trees could talk." 

But the efforts of speakers at Wednesday's City Commission meeting to halt the long-decided improvements were rebuffed by Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox.

She pointed out the plan was developed with extensive community input from the largest nearby landholder, Florida A&M University, and a working group made up of area residents and others who have represented the interests of south Tallahassee for years.

The majority of the homes in the neighborhood were without indoor plumbing and were in a state of disrepair, she said.

“I’m hearing a lot about the trees not necessarily about the people," Williams-Cox told the dozen or so people, mainly from other neighborhoods, who spoke out against the project. "The people have been notified, three years ago, that this was going to happen. The community has spoken. They have approved, adopted this plan.”

Protesters at the meeting, however, argued the project disrespects historic and environmental preservation, two of the city's points of pride. They intend to bring their concerns to the city-county joint Blueprint meeting on June 27 in the hopes of seeing the plans curtailed.

Max Epstein, a local glass blower, said demolition of the neighborhood smacked of “Jim Crow” era projects where blacks and low-income residents were pushed out of their homes for the sake of development.

“I’m wondering why the city of Tallahassee is continuing these old — what I would say are Jim Crow laws, demolishing low income and African-American neighborhoods,” he said. “This street could have provided economic incentive to the area. Why are we demolishing it? That could have been the black Railroad Square.”

Epstein and others asked that the homes, which are old but were not found by the state’s Division of Historical Resources to have historical significance, be spared or in their place affordable housing be built.

“Build a school; preserve our history, historic buildings, historic trees and fight for racial and economic equality for our community,” he said. “You didn’t do this, but you have the opportunity to do what’s right. Stop the demolition and reconsider the use of this land.”

Local historian Jonathan Lammers said investment in newer homes in the area was still happening 10 years ago. He asked that the route of the new road be reconsidered.

“Halt these demolitions immediately," he said. "I’d like you to rethink the FAMU Way extension with the goal of honoring this neighborhood and its magnificent trees which in many case are all that’s left to memorialize the people who lived here.”

Williams-Cox pointed to the city's newly developed Urban Forest Plan — 450 trees are to be planted in the area, far more than exist there now — and asked if anyone who spoke about halting the project lived in the area.

No one raised their hand.

The area at the center of the controversy is wedged between Mill and Gamble streets. It was historically a predominantly black neighborhood that housed workers of a turpentine still owned by William Boynton, a former state representative, and Tom Boynton.

Over time, shotgun style housing replaced small shacks. Community institutions like Shingles Chicken Shack, which opened in 1967, became popular meeting and eating spots for people from all walks of life, from blue collar workers to Florida Supreme Court justices and legislators.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: A eulogy for Shingles Chicken Shack 

Williams-Cox read an email from Althemese Barnes, the executive director of the John G. Riley House Museum. Barnes was nostalgic, but said communities can move forward and still honor the history of a place.

“We must keep moving with the present and fire up our history and culture in view as we govern, plan, live and take time to learn an area before making far reaching and significant changes,” Williams-Cox read from Barnes' email. “Mrs. Barnes has embraced the fact that there are some things that we're not going to be able to go back to and there are some things that we should not go back to.”

Change has been coming to the neighborhood for more than a decade. In the mid-2000s, newer homes were built there. Discussion of the now-contentious connector road began in 2008.

In 2014, the city took over ownership of the Shingles property and the building was torn down in 2016. Beginning in April, nearby homes were razzed to make way for the final phase of the project.

The wide and winding road will meet Lake Bradford Road and have ample sidewalks and an adjoining bike path. It is intended to be a visually stunning thoroughfare dotted with historical placards and nods to old Tallahassee, city officials say. It will connect the Cascades Park and the St. Marks trails, extend to the Airport Gateway Project and alleviate storm water issues in the area. 

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Speakers at Wednesday's meeting complained of what they called a sudden decision to shift the road around a planned storm water pond to avoid issues with the CSX railroad tracks. The change was discussed and approved at a April 2016 city commission meeting.

The initial path of the project took FAMU Way to the north of the pond adjacent to the railroad tracks. The change moved it to the south and through the Boynton Still neighborhood.

Assistant City Manager Wayne Tedder outlined the community input that was gathered at the time that resulted in a majority consensus about the current path.

Officials went door to door discussing the project. The city’s urban forester was consulted. In all, 1,200 notices were mailed to households in the area and city officials were involved with fielding 300 emails about the project.

The findings were brought back to the city and county and joint Blueprint 2000 committee.

“The last thing I would want anyone to leave today with is to think that there was no citizen involvement in this at all,” Tedder said at Wednesday’s meeting. “We were not going to move forward with this concept at all unless they said they wanted it and saw it as viable for the community.

"They wanted this roadway to be the most beautiful roadway in the city and I think we have delivered that."

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter