https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/05/22/developer-wants-build-student-housing-site-warehouse-pool-hall/629722002/
The Tallahassee-based Genesis Group, responsible for the development of Cascades Park and the revitalization of the Gaines Street corridor, has submitted plans to turn The Warehouse and three other properties on the north side of Gaines Street into a $52-million, seven-story, 166-unit complex that would house up to 511 college students.
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Photos: The Warehouse on Gaines Street
The company has filed for two zoning deviations on behalf of the Park 7 Group, a New York-based developer that plans to buy the three properties contingent on approval of the site plan, said David Hutcheson, division manager for the Genesis Group.
"There are still a couple of hurdles that could cause it not to happen," Hutcheson said. "It looks pretty promising but things could come up at the last minute and not go the way you expect."
Those hurdles include the deviation requests, the site plan approval, easements and property swaps with the city and adjoining property owners, he said.
"There are quite a few moving parts to this," Hutcheson said.
How much land will be used?
The developer is asking the city’s growth management department to depart from the development standards for University Urban Village zoning. The City Planning Department has set a hearing on the request for June 11 at the Renaissance Center on Macomb Street.
The project would use up the entire 1.86-acre site, including Bicycle Boulevard and city rights of way.
The parcels include The Warehouse and Professional Automotive Center. The Warehouse is a combo pool hall/bar/concert venue that has hosted open mic nights, literary readings, karaoke, dramatic performances, concerts and wild Halloween parties.
Details on the Warehouse closing
Warehouse owner Jay Scott said the venue was planning its last big show this weekend and closing for good on May 31.
One of the variance requests would allow the developer to build seven stories where only two to five stories are currently allowed. The property is within the College Town neighborhood, which is undergoing a building boom that lines right up with the Florida State University's goal to have student housing within walking distance of campus.
Additional projects
The Odyssey to the north of the Park Place property is proposed to be seven stories. The Railyard Lofts/Hotel Indigo across Lorene Street is also asking for seven stories.
Another project, the six-story, 92-unit Arive on Gaines, is being proposed across the street from Park Place.
"Rather than being a detriment, the project will serve to balance the heights of the surrounding properties and aesthetic, increasing the public good," the application for the height variation stated.
Adhering to the five-story maximum would require a significant reduction in the number of student units, making the project cost prohibitive, the applicant said.
The second request would eliminate the street landscaping along Gaines and Lorene Streets to avoid conflict with required sight distances. Currently, a half-dozen young trees in planters stand along the Gaines Street side of the property.
The developer said he would keep all but two existing trees in place on Gaines, and plans to landscape the property with hedges and shrubs "to provide an aesthetic appearance and provide for the opportunity to a complete street with sidewalk and reduced street trees."
If the deviation requests, site plan and other issues are resolved, the developers hope to acquire the properties and begin construction by March 2019 with a completion date around summer of 2021, Hutcheson said.
Unlike other student housing projects in the area, Park Place won't have ground-floor retail or commercial use, he said.
"We've reached a point where retail on Gaines is not being utilized, so this will be all-student housing," Hutcheson said.
Name: Park Place Tallahassee.
Estimated cost: $52 million, not including land expenses.
Property size: 1.86 acres.
Number of units: 166, units with 511 bedrooms.
Hearing date: June 11, Renaissance Center
Contact Schweers at jschweers@tallahassee.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffschweers.
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