Tallahassee Convention Hotel

[csmurphy8885]

Hopefully capital circle improvements will aid in connecting the airport to "Tallahassee." i would like developments spurred by the airport to be more to the south, less to the west, with the intention of protecting more of our wetlands.

Back to the convention center-

I think a change up in this project will allow it to move on... It seems this darn parking garage funding is the most painful part. Also, with fsu beginning a parking garage across the street, if they act quickly, maybe there can be some co-operation between the two entities. Especially with the fsu's stake in the CC and that particular corner of DT. I have high hopes. I do not like the amount of money they figured for the pre-trial Bolshevik. I am sure, regardless of who pays it, it will have an impact on future developments in our city.

any chance in this thing getting higher because of this-- possibly-- hopefully. Maybe more condos..

[Florida]

Well I know they've already come forward once before for an increase in height. That request was denied. We should have gone to court years ago on this and perhaps we could have had a product on the ground by now.

I'm a big fan of Grand Rapid's new JW Marriott. I like the Blue glass look and I think we really need something like that around here to give our skyline more of a metropolitan look.

In Jackson, MS they are working on creating a Convention district. They're now in the process of building a 112,000 sq.ft. convention center hoping the other piece will follow. I'd encourage you all to look around a bit here on UP and see what these other cities are doing.

As a side... yet still related. Today I was driving down St Augustine Street into downtown from Campbell Stadium and I noticed I could see the Civic Center quite clearly from where I was on the road. I didn't think much of it until I came to the light there at Macomb street where I notice they've cleared the site for the new Parking Garage. From here, the view of downtown is much nicer than it was a week ago.

[csmurphy8885]

I like what you wrote on the Tally Demy site about this. i hope this is a spark, and we can get someone knew in there with ambition for this projects success.

P.S. I would love to get more boxing in the Civic Center... Especially an undefeated Rickards Grad!!!!

I am gonna have to check out the view from good ol' st aug!

[Florida]

Funny you say that about the boxing... isn't there a little something going on with Travis Walker!

If the developer was truly interested in moving forward with this project, by now, there would have been a website created with details on what is planned. Reservations to purchase condos would be available... no such thing has happened. This is not a serious project in my eyes... anymore.

[Florida]

Article published Sep 28, 2007

Civic Center Considers Appeal

By Will Brown

DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

The Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center Authority is looking to appeal Circuit Judge P. Kevin Davey's decision earlier this week to dismiss most of its lawsuit against Tallahassee Hotel Associates (THA).

In July, the authority filed the suit asking the court if it had justification in terminating its contract with the hotel without penalty.

A clause defining parking revenue between the parties as net or gross revenue was not dismissed from the suit. The hotel associates have until Oct. 15 to provide an interpretation of that claim.

"We respectfully disagree with the judge's ruling, so we have voted to file a notice of appeal," said Nancy Linnan, authority chairwoman.

For the past decade, the Civic Center Authority has sought to have the hotel associates build a hotel on the property while the authority built a parking garage that would serve the Civic Center and the potential hotel.

Source: Tallahassee Democrat Online

[stjoe]

I wish I understood this argument, but it gives me a headache.

I don't understand how this developer can make money paying these lawyers and not building anything.

Is there some incentive for not building anything and keep Tally from letting someone else do so?

[Florida]

I wish I understood this argument, but it gives me a headache.

I don't understand how this developer can make money paying these lawyers and not building anything.

Is there some incentive for not building anything and keep Tally from letting someone else do so?

[Florida]

Civic Center Authority Meets to discuss Suit against THA

10.12.2007

Downtown Tallahassee, showing site where Hotel would be if ever built. --TJLx

Will Brown of the Tallahassee Democrat reports today that a closed door meeting was held yesterday concerning the Civic Center Marriott Hotel project and the desire of the Civic Center Authority to bring suit against the developers Tallahassee Hotel Associates for their failure to develop the hotel project proposed over 10 years ago. The Authority would live to move forward and seek bids from other developers willing to bring a full-serve convention hotel to Tallahassee but are unable to do this as long as the current developers are holding things up. The details of yesterday's meeting aren't available right now, but the news paper reports as soon as the litigation ends all information will be released.

[poonther]

Look what Macon's started. Montgomery's got one under construction too. Both cities are in our region and both are about our size city and metro wise. Meanwhile we sit around being left behind mired in lawsuits and thumbs up our tocheses. This should be one of our highest priorities and probably should have been a KCCI initiative. I say let's put Bill Law or Rick Kearny in charge of it if we want something done ASAP.

*Thanks to the good folks over at the Macon threads for letting me paste this topic here.

The Ground breaking Cermony was done today DT Macon for the New Marriot ConventionCenter Hotel which is expected to be completed early 2009...

Here is the renderings.

Here's an article about and picture of Montgomery's Convention Center.

It's also interesting to note that both convention centers are Marriott's.

[Florida]

Look what Macon's started. Montgomery's got one under construction too. Both cities are in our region and both are about our size city and metro wise. Meanwhile we sit around being left behind mired in lawsuits and thumbs up our tocheses. This should be one of our highest priorities and probably should have been a KCCI initiative. I say let's put Bill Law or Rick Kearny in charge of it if we want something done ASAP.

*Thanks to the good folks over at the Macon threads for letting me paste this topic here.

The Ground breaking Cermony was done today DT Macon for the New Marriot ConventionCenter Hotel which is expected to be completed early 2009...

Here is the renderings.

Here's an article about and picture of Montgomery's Convention Center.

It's also interesting to note that both convention centers are Marriott's.

[Florida]

Here are some bits and pieces of information as I find them online:

Marriott Hotel, Condominiums, and Parking Deck-Tallahassee

Tallahassee, Florida

Owner: Tallahassee Hotel Associates, Ltd

This design-build project is a public-private joint venture of Tallahassee Hotel Associates and the TLCCC Authority, replacing a surface parking lot owned by TLCCC. This re-densification in the middle of the Florida State University Campus {???} completes the master plan of the TLCCC Plaza.

Designed as a vertical mixed-use property, all components of the development are complimentary shared uses. The five penthouse condo floors have views on all sides of the FSU campus {???} The design was created in compliance with the FSU campus design guidelines and has been approved by the TLCCC board, the FSU design committee, and Marriott.

This project includes 330 four-star Marriott guestrooms, 97 condos, 10,000 SF of meeting space, and a restaurant. It also includes a 5,279-SF leasable plaza restaurant and a 2,500-SF leasable fitness center in a 21-story tower, on top of a 700-space parking deck.

[Florida]

I just learned

Tallahassee Hotel Associates is divided into three entities:

1. The Meyer-Jabara

2. Egidi

3. Mariner LLC (Richard Strauss)

[Florida]

At this point, it may be best to scrap the plan and the developer and start over. Are there any other development groups waiting in the wings?

[Florida]

Here's a link to the Future Development Portion of that Website

[south park county]

^Very nice finds FL. Looks like even the shortest of these hotels are about 10 stories tall. Better yet, this gives some concrete evidence that we may have a new downtown hotel by 2010 if all goes well. Now I need one thing clarified, is the Embassy Suites going in on the former property the old convention hotel was, or is it in that area bordered by Gaines on the south and the Civic Center on the north?

[poonther]

Glad that you've reminded us of this venture FL. Have they ever gotten the CRA/TIFF funds situation straightened out state-wide? According to my source (that will be leaving COT soon) this project too is on hold until that ruling is clarified b/c some funds will be used.

FL have you asked any of your COT sources whether this info is true about all downtown/CRA project including Aloft are being put on hold b/c of the CRA/TIFF ruling?

I do believe this project is our best hope for a convention center type hotel. The buffoons involved in the CC Marriott proposal are just wasting our time.

SPC this Embassy Suites proposal is going on the property across the street from the CC and will be bordered by Madison to the North and Gaines to the South.

[Florida]

^Very nice finds FL. Looks like even the shortest of these hotels are about 10 stories tall. Better yet, this gives some concrete evidence that we may have a new downtown hotel by 2010 if all goes well. Now I need one thing clarified, is the Embassy Suites going in on the former property the old convention hotel was, or is it in that area bordered by Gaines on the south and the Civic Center on the north?

[Florida]

Glad that you've reminded us of this venture FL. Have they ever gotten the CRA/TIFF funds situation straightened out state-wide? According to my source (that will be leaving COT soon) this project too is on hold until that ruling is clarified b/c some funds will be used.

FL have you asked any of your COT sources whether this info is true about all downtown/CRA project including Aloft are being put on hold b/c of the CRA/TIFF ruling?

I do believe this project is our best hope for a convention center type hotel. The buffoons involved in the CC Marriott proposal are just wasting our time.

SPC this Embassy Suites proposal is going on the property across the street from the CC and will be bordered by Madison to the North and Gaines to the South.

[TD]

The ruling on the CRA/TIFF financing has not come through yet. But this would not be a publicly financed project, it would be all private funds (which I'm sure you would agree is the best way to go). Now, I would imagine the developer would benefit from some sort of incentive for building downtown. Worse case scenario, if the judges rule against using the CRA funds as we've previously been allowed, we would still be able to use the funds, just not on major-long term projects.

Aloft is indeed on hold awaiting results of this ruling. But there is a backup plan for it as well.

You're right, this project is probably our only hope for a convention center any time soon. I'm told Hammon's is planning a 65,000 sq.ft. convention area for Tallahassee combined with a 300-suite hotel facility. The Embassy Suites hotel pictured above is the best reference I could find for what was described to me. I remember when Roxanne mentioned this hotel during a GGG meeting and she made reference to it being a taller building, a certain disgusted look came over the face of our buddy Moor.

[poonther]

FL, you are absolutely sure that the Hammond project will not use any public funds? That was my original thought too, no public funds, but after a few meetings w/the GGG, I was made to believe something different. I do hope you are right on this FL and I am wrong. Nothing would make me Moor Happy!

Ah, Aloft has a back-up plan....cool!

Any idea when we'll know something about this CRA/TIFF ruling? A few weeks? Months? Years?

P.S. W/out looking it up on a map, what do you think the name of the small road is on the western border of the Salley property? I am stumped. Anyone? The eastern border road is Boulevard Street which is a misspelling and wrong pronunciation for Bolivar.

[Florida]

FL, you are absolutely sure that the Hammond project will not use any public funds? That was my original thought too, no public funds, but after a few meetings w/the GGG, I was made to believe something different. I do hope you are right on this FL and I am wrong. Nothing would make me Moor Happy!

Ah, Aloft has a back-up plan....cool!

Any idea when we'll know something about this CRA/TIFF ruling? A few weeks? Months? Years?

P.S. W/out looking it up on a map, what do you think the name of the small road is on the western border of the Salley property? I am stumped. Anyone? The eastern border road is Boulevard Street which is a misspelling and wrong pronunciation for Bolivar.

[Florida]

Poonther:

FL, you absolutely sure that the Hammond project will not use any public funds?

[south park county]

The ruling on the CRA/TIFF financing has not come through yet. But this would not be a publicly financed project, it would be all private funds (which I'm sure you would agree is the best way to go). Now, I would imagine the developer would benefit from some sort of incentive for building downtown. Worse case scenario, if the judges rule against using the CRA funds as we've previously been allowed, we would still be able to use the funds, just not on major-long term projects.

Aloft is indeed on hold awaiting results of this ruling. But there is a backup plan for it as well.

You're right, this project is probably our only hope for a convention center any time soon. I'm told Hammon's is planning a 65,000 sq.ft. convention area for Tallahassee combined with a 300-suite hotel facility. The Embassy Suites hotel pictured above is the best reference I could find for what was described to me. I remember when Roxanne mentioned this hotel during a GGG meeting and she made reference to it being a taller building, a certain disgusted look came over the face of our buddy Moor.

[poonther]

Wow FL, excellent find!!!!

Hindsight sure is 20/20! Our leaders certainly picked the wrong developer and just think, the Hammond project could have been finished by now.

Wasn't Strauss in the State Legislature at one point? Didn't he have some Tally connections? If so, that might be why he was picked???? G. Yordon sure seems to have made some money from defending their procrastination.

SPC, nah it's not D. Moore. It's just FL and me being silly and bad about some stuff from the GGG. Sorry to confuse you.

[Florida]

Wow FL, excellent find!!!!

Hindsight sure is 20/20! Our leaders certainly picked the wrong developer and just think, the Hammond project could have been finished by now.

Wasn't Strauss in the State Legislature at one point? Didn't he have some Tally connections? If so, that might be why he was picked???? G. Yordon sure seems to have made some money from defending their procrastination.

SPC, nah it's not D. Moore. It's just FL and me being silly and bad about some stuff from the GGG. Sorry to confuse you.