News & Articles

This letter represents the personal opinions of two ATN members. It has not been formally approved as an ATN position statement. It will be on the agenda for approval at the April ATN meeting. Commissioners: Re: March 23 City Commission/Board of County Commissioners Workshop on a Request for Proposals for Consultant Services to Rewrite of Comprehensive Plan Land Use and Mobility Thank you for your discussion on this item, which clarified a number of questions Read more…

The Tallahassee-Leon County Comprehensive Plan is due for a number of updates and evaluations (i.e., the Evaluation and Review (EAR) Report). ATN is monitoring the update process, particularly for the following comp plan elements: Land Use and Mobility Southern Action Area (formerly Southern Strategy)

Sent to the Florida Senate Community Affairs Committee on March 15, 2021 Hello All, this proposed SB 284 / HB 55 is very unsettling to me. Design standards are a fundamental tool needed for a sustainable future. Compact urban forms are well-known and accepted as essential to lowering our carbon footprint. They are also essential to contain our infrastructure and municipal services expenditures (i.e., taxes). Higher densities and urban infill in existing cities help create Read more…

Status report as of March 18, 2021 During the discussion of the adoption of the Welaunee Master Plan, ATN raised the issue of approving a large development in the northeast when intown areas, particularly in the Southern Strategy Area, did not have the infrastructure, housing, or economic development opportunities called for in the Southern Strategy policies in the Comprehensive Plan, which were adopted decades ago.   (Excerpts from ATN’s comments are included as Attachment #1) After Read more…

Status Update:  March 18, 2021 The City has adopted an ordinance to enable the conversion of hotels/motels to residences.  ATN spoke at the introduction of the ordinance on February 10, 2021 regarding the need to inform neighborhoods about this change, since there are older motels near intown neighborhoods. As requested by ATN, staff held an online informational meeting for neighborhoods.  At that meeting, ATN representatives questioned whether the definition of “residential dwelling unit” could include Read more…

Status Update: March 18, 2021 At the February meeting we thought that the city was bringing forward the revised Variance and Deviation ordinances drafted by Ellery Sedgewick and Randie Denker, basically as they had drafted them and discussed them with the city attorney and other staff.  However, since that time the city has revised the drafts.  We are concerned because the changes will codify the deviations into the zoning code and allow developers easier access Read more…

Status Report as of March 18, 2021 Status: On February 10, 2021, ATN asked the City Commission to schedule an agenda item on a consultant review of the Multimodal District Ordinance (MMDO).  We requested that the commission direct staff to prepare an agenda item for the March 10 meeting regarding the consultant report and a plan for moving forward on its recommendations. The City Commission did not act at the February 10th meeting.  Staff said Read more…

Status Updates July 14, 2021 The City Commission recently adopted the compatibility ordinance. Carrie Litherland, ATN’s chairperson, presented an ATN letter of appreciation to the mayor and commissioners for their support for the ordinance. March 18, 2021 ATN is very pleased with the ordinance.  ATN will endorse the ordinance at the Planning Commission hearing and urge the City Commission to adopt the ordinance. History In early 2019, ATN approached with City regarding concerns about the Read more…

ATN has engaged in what is now a multi-year effort to update various city ordinances to protect and enhance neighborhoods, support housing affordability, and improve the livability amenities and beauty of Tallahassee. The ordinances we are working on include: Compatibility Ordinance Multimodal District Ordinance Deviations/Variance Ordinance Dwelling Unit Ordinance

Issue What protective rights should neighborhoods have regarding public notice of and participation in public and private development projects in or near them? Background ATN began a search for various neighborhood  protective measures following a number of situations in which neighborhoods felt they were not informed in a timely manner on development projects in or near them and/or had little or no say in how those projects could be more compatible with the neighborhoods (see Read more…