Tallahassee: Roads

[Florida]

A few native Sabals blended w/other native trees wouldn't bother me a bit. To me that's what North FL is and yes we are North Florida, not South GA or South AL no matter how close we are to them.

[stjoe]

Yeah the long leaf pines do look better. We had some in the yard when I lived in Monticello years ago.

I guess my thing on Palms being in Tallahassse is because Tallahassee could pass for any Georiga or Alabama city. Rolling red clay hills with large oak trees. To me most of south Florida and the coast is flat and very sandy with small trees. And yes palms.

Also Tallahassee having a more southern feel than some other the other cities in Florida especially in the southern part of the state.

Another thing I think the southern character with out the palm trees makes Tallahassee standout amoung cities in Florida and it gives us a unique identity in the state.

[Beukeboom]

Totally agree. Don't be something you aren't. Tally is Live Oaks and Pines. Let's not be a cheap version of South Florida.

[poonther]

As a native of South Alabama, I don't think Tally is that much at all like cities in AL and GA except maybe Savannah and Mobile. Having grown up in the Montgomery area, I don't think we look very much like them at all. Montgomery, Macon and the cities north of there don't have Live Oaks, Spanish Moss or yes even the native Sabals. Also their native forests are much more deciduous than ours. My relatives that come to visit from AL always comment on how different Tally looks and how we are so much more liberal, which always makes me laugh b/c I don't think Tally is liberal at all. Also our accent isn't nearly as thick as theirs.

But don't get me wrong, Tally is Southern, but not in the Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte (Mid/Upper South) way, but in the New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston and Mobile way(Lower South)...all of which landscape w/palms. It's funny how folks feel planting the native State Tree Sabal in Tally is "fake" but they are all for planting the crappy myrtle which is native to Asia.

B'boom your proposal to cut up FL is a fine one, IF you don't give those northern parts to AL or GA, instead just make it North FL b/c after all we are the original FL. But I doubt we could survive economically w/out the big cities or ORL, TPA and South FL.

Odd as it may sound, there seems to be a correlation between the "Northern" cities that adapt Palm trees into their landscape (Valdosta, Panama City, Columbia, Savannah etc) and their economic growth. These cities seem to be willing to adapt and try new things while we sit mired in old rhetoric and tradition just spinning our wheels over silly stuff like Palms= the anti-Christ that is South FL.

[poonther]

Look at Baton Rouge trying to look all South FL....how dare they!!!!!! However it appears they have a cool looking urban outdoor lifestyle center and while we are 10+ years still tryin' to get Gaines off the ground.. Thanks for letting me borrow that shot richyb83.

[csmurphy8885]

How do palms always equal S Fla.... when did that happen? lol, really though, palms around the world are angry at the south Fl palms for taking all the rights to originality. Palms are palms.

I would like gaines to have that kind of design. A tighter road than i would like though. I think if gaines street were renamed Gaines Boulavard.... that would be nice. make it feel bigger, more pedestrian friendly.

((Look at them using all that brick... .trying to be all Tallahassee... lol)))

[csmurphy8885]

How do palms always equal S Fla.... when did that happen? lol, really though, palms around the world are angry at the south Fl palms for taking all the rights to originality. Palms are palms.

I would like gaines to have that kind of design. A tighter road than i would like though. I think if gaines street were renamed Gaines Boulavard.... that would be nice. make it feel bigger, more pedestrian friendly.

((Look at them using all that brick... .trying to be all Tallahassee... lol)))

[bighardrivesrule]

Hey every one check out the ridiculus comments made by posters on TDO.

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...NGNEWS/80104017

http://forum.tallahassee.com/viewtopic.php?t=46307

The comments about all of the beautiful land being turned into homes in Southwood and the widening of CCSE. I wonder what the land looked like before their home they are living in looked like. I am embarrassed that we have such ignorate, anti-growth, tree-hugging, NIMBY people in our community. I think Tallahassee for some reason has more than its far share of these types.

A hint to those types: Don't buy a house, don't use electricity, don't live in a city, don't get a job because you'll need car and a road to get to work and home with. Just put up tent in the woods and live off the land. If your not comfortable with that then don't blame the other humans on the planet that only want the same thing you already have.

Hmmm let me build just my house and I will close the door behind me. So selfish. UGH!!!! Can you tell I am mad

Notice by the posters names there are the same ol negative posters you see on just about every article. Those people must lead a sad and depressing life with nothing else to do but throw rocks at everything or everyone.

Very Sad.....

Oh yeah I posted my rant here because the posters on TDO.com lack any sort of intelligence to debate the issue. I think the folks on UP are great!!!

[Florida]

I saw the comments of those dimwhits earlier today and I felt pretty much the same as you. The paper should do the comments below the articles rather than on the side as someone previously suggested. I'd rather not read those things if I don't have to.

[poonther]

I read that JUNK yesterday too. After reading it, I had to just get up and go outside b/c I found it so, so....not sure what the right word is here: ridiculous? sad? ignorant?

I'm not even sure how those fools got started on Southwood since the main issue of the article was the widening of CCSE. And it still surprises me that some folks out there don't believe Capital Circle aka The Truck Route should be widened.

Also don't these folks know that before Southwood was developed that most of it was cleared cattle land anyway? Ball was just smart enough to leave the majestic Live Oaks in place. It's not like they came in and cut down an old growth forest to make room for Southwood.

BHDR while I might not agree w/you politically, I definitely agree w/you on this topic. I am not so sure these posting fools are true organized tree huggers that you often see at commission meeting, but more like just random Luddites as one poster referred to them so accurately.

FL I am in total agreement w/you on moving the poster's comments to the bottom of the page or even creating a link that you have to click to read the comments. That is how most major papers do it. The Democrat is the only paper I am aware of that places the "train-wreck" comments to the side of the article. While these comments maybe good for getting hits on their Democrat web-page, I find it extremely embarrassing for our community as a whole.

[bighardrivesrule]

"BHDR while I might not agree w/you politically, I definitely agree w/you on this topic. I am not so sure these posting fools are true organized tree huggers that you often see at commission meeting, but more like just random Luddites as one poster referred to them so accurately."

Poonther Your right we don't always agree on politics, just like other members on this forum. I do think that every member in the Tallahassee UP forum wants whats best for our city, state and country. We just sometimes disagree on the path or the person that will take us there. I think the key to this forums success is the intelligent participation by its members in a quality discussion of the issues. In contrast to the sometimes hateful posts made by morrons in the local paper. I read that garbage and wonder how in the world does Tallahassee survive despite itself.

I think in the future it might be a good idea next time there is an important vote on a City/County project what ever it might be for the UP crowd to attend and maybe elect one of us to be a spokes person at the meeting. Because of the diversity of the UP crowd (Gender, Race, Political, Religous, Social Economic, etc, etc, etc), we bring a lot of innovative ideas to the table. Heck I would vote for one of us if they ever ran for office. No matter what party they were affiliated with.

[csmurphy8885]

Florida... That's my nom!!!

[josefk]

"BHDR while I might not agree w/you politically, I definitely agree w/you on this topic. I am not so sure these posting fools are true organized tree huggers that you often see at commission meeting, but more like just random Luddites as one poster referred to them so accurately."

Poonther Your right we don't always agree on politics, just like other members on this forum. I do think that every member in the Tallahassee UP forum wants whats best for our city, state and country. We just sometimes disagree on the path or the person that will take us there. I think the key to this forums success is the intelligent participation by its members in a quality discussion of the issues. In contrast to the sometimes hateful posts made by morrons in the local paper. I read that garbage and wonder how in the world does Tallahassee survive despite itself.

I think in the future it might be a good idea next time there is an important vote on a City/County project what ever it might be for the UP crowd to attend and maybe elect one of us to be a spokes person at the meeting. Because of the diversity of the UP crowd (Gender, Race, Political, Religous, Social Economic, etc, etc, etc), we bring a lot of innovative ideas to the table. Heck I would vote for one of us if they ever ran for office. No matter what party they were affiliated with.

[fivesfella]

Not to agree with the average tdo commenter (and Lord knows, there're some bad ones), but there is a common local opinion that Southwood will wind up as a lower rent area in the next couple decades and that anyone buying at prices so far is getting ripped off. Not to be offensive - I don't have anything personal against Southwood - but most folks I know assumed that St. Joe would not carry out their original promises (which has turned out to be true, it seems). There's also some curiosity, I know, about how the Southwood buildings will weather a serious hurricane or two on top of normal wear and tear.

Basically, just because idiots say it on tdo doesn't mean similar thoughts haven't crossed many local minds. Give it twenty years, we'll see how it all falls out.

[Florida]

I hate to drift away from the topic of roads but we must remember, Southwood is a project that was supossed to take over 20 years to build-out. The first buildings went up in 99-2000 we haven't even met 10 years yet, however, look at all of the positive progress that has been made, not just on the construction side, but in actual sales. For that, I'm very happy about Southwood and what it has done for not only the Southern part of our city, but Tallahassee as a whole. St. Joe has had to make decisions based on what's best for it as a business. Would I have preferred them to deliver as promised and finish what they started? Yes. However in light of the realities we face with our nation's housing crisis and a downturn in our economy, I understand why they had to do what they did. I'm not as pessimistic as many have been over the future of the Town Center or those portions of the overall project that remain undeveloped. I think Southwood will be a model community.

[TD]

I hate to drift away from the topic of roads but we must remember, Southwood is a project that was supossed to take over 20 years to build-out. The first buildings went up in 99-2000 we haven't even met 10 years yet, however, look at all of the positive progress that has been made, not just on the construction side, but in actual sales. For that, I'm very happy about Southwood and what it has done for not only the Southern part of our city, but Tallahassee as a whole. St. Joe has had to make decisions based on what's best for it as a business. Would I have preferred them to deliver as promised and finish what they started? Yes. However in light of the realities we face with our nation's housing crisis and a downturn in our economy, I understand why they had to do what they did. I'm not as pessimistic as many have been over the future of the Town Center or those portions of the overall project that remain undeveloped. I think Southwood will be a model community.

[Beukeboom]

And tallahassee is the best real estate market in the country or one of them despite this slowdown.

[Florida]

I don't think such a criteria exists, although many have come up with their own arbitrary tests. Tallahassee's real estate market is sound, but "best" is a stretch. I'd say we'd measure a good real estate market on a basis of closings vs. listings. The current trend has local closings slightly out pacing listings, a positive in the eyes of a real estate professional, but not what I'd call a robust market at this time.

[Rachiroo]

Blah...those comments are terrible. Sounds mostly like people are jealous of what Southwood has done/is trying to do as a community and are trying to soothe their own egos. If people want to live in a forest, they can move into mine...we've got 7 or so houses on the market and we're right down the street.

Personally, I like Southwood, had we been able to afford one of their homes, I would have snapped one up in a heartbeat. It goes back to the sense of community that we'd discussed previously. When I drive through Southwood it is almost identical to the picture I have always had in my mind of what a "community" looks like. Silly I know, but hey.

[bighardrivesrule]

I was looking at a map of Tally the other day and was wondering if it would be possible to make Capital Circle a complete circle one day. So I did a drawing and this is what I come up with. To my knowledge I don't think it would cause any problems with existing structures.

I heard one time that there was some talk about extending Kerry Forest past the Wal-Mart on Thomasville Rd. and aligning it with Ox Bottom road. This is my green line segment. From looking at the amount of development going on behind Wally World this might happen soon enough.

Now widen OX bottom to handle the increased traffic over to Meridian Rd. The next part is probably the most controversial part. Build a new road from Meridian over to Lake Jackson. The is the east side of the red segment. So that wildlife are not affected by the new road build a bridge over the very small part of Lake Jackson it would cross. The road would then have a straight shot over to connect up with Capital Circle Northwest via Old Bainbridge Rd.

I think this would go a long way toward helping the Northwest side of the county economicaly. Plus folks living in the NE part of town would not have to use I-10 to get to the NW side. That would make the Interstate planners happy.

What do you think?

[Beukeboom]

I was looking at a map of Tally the other day and was wondering if it would be possible to make Capital Circle a complete circle one day. So I did a drawing and this is what I come up with. To my knowledge I don't think it would cause any problems with existing structures.

I heard one time that there was some talk about extending Kerry Forest past the Wal-Mart on Thomasville Rd. and aligning it with Ox Bottom road. This is my green line segment. From looking at the amount of development going on behind Wally World this might happen soon enough.

Now widen OX bottom to handle the increased traffic over to Meridian Rd. The next part is probably the most controversial part. Build a new road from Meridian over to Lake Jackson. The is the east side of the red segment. So that wildlife are not affected by the new road build a bridge over the very small part of Lake Jackson it would cross. The road would then have a straight shot over to connect up with Capital Circle Northwest via Old Bainbridge Rd.

I think this would go a long way toward helping the Northwest side of the county economicaly. Plus folks living in the NE part of town would not have to use I-10 to get to the NW side. That would make the Interstate planners happy.

What do you think?

[Florida]

I like it too.

[bighardrivesrule]

It seemed to be the most direct route that made sense. Its a real hassle to get from the NE to the NW (I-10 contruction and the traffic at 5:00PM just getting on I-10). I think something like this would go a long way in helping that situation.

[csmurphy8885]

It would do alot for the northwest... since there is so much going on in the NE.

[bighardrivesrule]

Yeah my thoughts are once the roadway was built some of the money would spill over from the Northeast to the Northwest. In an indirect way helping out things such as the Tallahassee Mall. Also Havana being so close to where the roadway would connect up to Capital Circle would benefit as well.