
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Because of increased traffic, the Tallahassee-Leon County Long-Range Transportation Plan identified Tharpe Street as needing enhanced roadway capacity. The need to accommodate other modes of travel such as bicycles, pedestrians, and transit was also identified in the plan.
EXISTING CONDITIONS
The corridor study involves the study of existing and future conditions to Tharpe Street from just east of Capital Circle, N.W. to just west of Ocala Road in Leon County, within City of Tallahassee limits. The total length of the project is about 2.5 miles. Within the project limits, Tharpe Street is a two-lane roadway with varying rights-of-way, as follows:

Official Website: Regional Transit Study Website
Transit provides our region a solution that can reduce our national dependence on foreign oil, reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and provide a wider range of mobility options. As the region continues to grow, there is an increasing need to expand transit services to outlying parts of Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson, and Wakulla counties and to coordinate urban and rural transit services.
The Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency (CRTPA) has completed a Regional Transit Study (RTS) for the CRTPA region (Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson, and Wakulla counties). The CRTPA and its planning partners undertook the RTS to help guide the future of public transportation in the region. As the region continues to grow, there is an increasing need to develop a long term transit vision within Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson, and Wakulla counties and to coordinate urban and rural transit services. Recommendations from the study were compiled into a Transit Service Plan, a summary of which is presented in this newsletter. The full study report and background data are available on the study website (www.crtpa.org).

The West Pensacola Sector is a highly urbanized area, comprised of a mixture of university properties, university-related retail and services, student rental housing, large apartment units, stable older neighborhoods, and several government owned properties. Tallahassee Community College and Florida State University bookend the sector. Due to the close proximity to these academic institutions, the majority of investment and development proposals in the sector are focused on student or multi-family housing and other university related uses.

In 1996, the City Commission approved an aggressive revitalization strategy designed to rebuild the home ownership and economic base of the Frenchtown community. This strategy focused on increased public safety, access to neighborhood services, improving the residential viability of the community, and increased employment and commercial opportunities. The City, in partnership with all aspects of the Frenchtown community, has implemented a number of programs and initiatives.These actions have already resulted in significant improvements such as crime reduction and increased construction of single-family homes in the area.
After years of planning, meeting and negotiating, the construction of the Frenchtown Renaissance Center was completed in April 2005 with a grand opening celebration on May 13, 2005.This office complex encompasses 70,000 square feet with a 300-space parking garage. Renaissance Partners LLC, a limited liability corporation consisting of the McGinnis Booth Trust and the Frenchtown Community Development Corporation, developed the project. Barnett Fronczak Architects designed the facility and Culpepper Construction Company built it.

This report summarizes the planning recommendations to increase the quality of the pedestrian environment in the core downtown area of Tallahassee. The plan was initiated by the Tallahassee Downtown improvement Authority (TDIA) in January of 2004. The TDIA is responsible for the coordination of activities and projects that promote business vitality in downtown Tallahassee. Over the years, the TDIA business members have voiced concerns over the lack of pedestrian activity in the downtown and the resulting negative affects on the business environment. Some of the issues that have surfaced pertain to: poor handicap accessibility, pedestrian un-friendly sidewalks, high-speed traffic at pedestrian crossings, lack of pedestrian activity around government buildings, visitor disorientation, lack of entertainment and retail venues, and terrain impediments. Most importantly, private reinvestment in the core area has been very slow over the past several decades. As a result of all these variables, the TDIA has been in the process of initiating strategies to reignite private investment.
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