Railroad Square owners say fate of Tallahassee art park now rests with local government

The future of Railroad Square now rests with the city of Tallahassee: The art district's owners are giving them right of first refusal to take over the property as they plan to pass the torch.

Adam and Lily Kaye, the son and daughter of the late owner Nan Boynton , intend to present their case at the upcoming Community Redevelopment Agency budget meeting at City Hall, Thursday at 3 p.m., where they hope to secure what has been an all but unknown future for the beloved art park.

"We don't feel like it makes sense for one family to own the city's arts and cultural center," Lily Kaye wrote on the art district's website .

If local government were to get involved, it could solidify the district's place within the community. If they turn down the offer, the Kayes have said that they have buyers waiting in the wings. And Lily Kaye said there could possibly be a future in which Railroad Square, which houses several small business, could shrink in size.

The pressure point comes after the May 10 tornado outbreak, in which two EF-2 tornadoes converged and tore through the site, devastating the 8-acre property. It also comes after the Kaye siblings said they would no longer be able to continue as the sole owners .

"At this point, our resources to continue financially supporting the entirety of the property are depleted," the siblings wrote in their message on the website. "It has always been our hope that the City of Tallahassee, or a related government entity, would purchase at least a portion of Railroad Square, and make it a publicly run or non-profit-owned community resource."

Kayes: Not a rebuilding, but rather about the future

Lily Kaye said one of many misconceptions that residents and supporters of Railroad Square have is that the reason they are approaching the city is only to help the district rebuild.

"We didn't think that it would be possible to do that, but we were able to borrow a lot of funds and we felt like it was really important to initiate a quick rebuilding effort," Lily said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. "Eight buildings have had full or partial reroofs, 11 buildings have had electrical service rebuilt and we've (demolished) two buildings."

The reason for the fast rebuilds, according to Lily, was to show the local community and local government that Railroad Square was not a lost cause in the aftermath of the tornadoes.

Right of first refusal and taking the next steps

The Kayes are looking to keep a minimum of four buildings in Railroad Square, but the rest of the area is up for grabs.

"We're giving the local government the first right of refusal to purchase some of the property in Railroad Square, or a majority of the property in Railroad Square, so that it can truly become a community amenity that it owned publicly," Lily said in an interview.

A first right of refusal is a contractual right to enter into a business transaction with a person or company before anyone else can.

The siblings have said that if the city buys some property they wouldn't have to be the property managers; another group could step in to fulfill that role.

She admitted that they've been in contact with the city and CRA for quite some time over this decision. At the most recent Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency meeting in May, Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor even spoke up on how Blueprint should look into buying some property. His idea was shot down.

In offering it to the city, the siblings are trusting that the local government will keep the spirit of the district alive in what it means for the local art community and local businesses.

"We're kind of working under the assumption that if the local government decides to make a purchase, it will be for the intention of building something that is a community resource," Lily said. "We're assuming that they're not going to buy the property and then sell it to Walmart. Whether that would be based on faith or we would have specifics in a contract, that's to be seen."

The Kayes are open to the city using the land for new development. Lily Kaye threw out some specific ideas: a performing arts center, or a museum for African-American art history.

If the city decides to pass, however, the Kayes have several private developers standing by to buy the property, many of those being housing developers and others being specifically student housing. If some of the private developers get their way, there is a future where Railroad Square could be cut by three to four acres, she said.

Their preference would be a housing development that embraces the art community, though she is aware the market for something like that is small. As for student housing, they have been approached by a few developers who recognize the value of it being right between Florida A&M and Florida State universities. She admitted it isn't her "ideal use" of the property, which is why she hopes the city will jump on the opportunity.

Opinion: The future of Railroad Square deserves solution-driven discussions

Some residents have taken to Change.org, a known petition site, to gather 1,000 signatures to show support to keep Railroad Square. So far, the petition has garnered 754 signatures.

If you go

• The Community Redevelopment Agency budget meeting will be held at City Hall, 300 S. Adams Street, at 3 p.m., with the public hearing to follow at 5 p.m.

• The Kayes are asking any residents who want to show their support and speak on why Railroad Square should be supported by the local government to show up to the meeting and public hearing.

Arianna Otero  is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at  AOtero@tallahassee.com  or on Twitter/X:  @ari_v_otero .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Railroad Square owners say its fate now up to Tallahassee government