CRA narrowly votes to support local effort to save Railroad Square amid drama

Temperatures rose Thursday as the Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board voted to work with a group called the Railroad Square Revitalization Cohort towards collaborative local ownership of Railroad Square to preserve the beleaguered arts district.

The final vote was an unusual 3-2 split: Curtis Richardson was the rare swing vote and joined Commissioners Jack Porter and Jeremy Matlow in supporting the move while Mayor John Dailey and Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox voted against.

Richardson explained, however, that his support was conditional.

"We made a promise to several predominantly African American neighborhoods in this city that we would invest in the redevelopment and revitalization of those neighborhoods," Richardson said. "I'm okay with (working with the cohort) but the bottom line is that anything that would preclude us from fulfilling our promise to those neighborhoods ... I would not be interested in."

Alongside verbal jabs among the board, Railroad Square co-owner Adam Kaye made a last minute appearance, after which he was almost escorted out of City Hall. A mystery offer to buy the entire property at the appraised amount of $6.4 million was also emailed to commissioners by a local realty firm.

According to CRA staff, Adam Kaye and sister Lily Kaye said they wouldn't entertain it as the offer was too low.

Thursday's meeting was the latest development in the months-long saga to determine the future of Railroad Square, which endured a heavy hit from the May 10 tornado outbreak and led the Kayes to issue something of an ultimatum to elected leaders: Buy the property or they'd open it up to private developers.

Now the Railroad Square Revitalization Cohort, comprised of 621 Gallery, Mickee Faust club and the Council on Culture and Arts (COCA), look ahead . Their next two weeks are booked with meetings with public and private developers, as yet unidentified, and locals who could aid in their cause.

Kaye family shoots offer dead in water

Stephen Cox, the executive director of the CRA, read an email − which the board received the night before − from the Big Bend Group, a real estate concern, who had sent an offer to the Kayes for $6.4 million, the appraised value of the whole property.

The email, sent by the Big Bend Group's Bruce Foster, said that he was representing a group of investors but did not name them.

He did say, however, that the investors "envision redeveloping Railroad Square into a well-funded, world-class arts destination, transforming it into a key community asset for Tallahassee residents and visitors. Their plan includes the addition of apartments, commercial buildings, art galleries and public spaces."

"Once the contract is signed, my clients would like to engage with the CRA and other local government entities to explore opportunities for collaboration with tenants and community stake holders," Foster wrote in his email. "The goal is to ensure that the proposed vision for the property aligns with broader community objectives and addresses any concerns."

Cox went on to say he received an email from Lily Kaye in which she believes the "appraisal undervalued Railroad Square" and that a buyer would be willing to pay the "highest and best value" of around $10 million.

Dailey shook his head at that: "I'm a little disappointed that Mr. and Ms. Kaye are not here ... Mr. Kaye has not attended a single one of the public meetings while asking for over $10 million from this body."

He added: "I was excited to see the offer that came through last night ... I will wait to hear more from Mr. and Ms. Kaye on exactly why they will not entertain this offer because if it comes down to money I think they're showing their true colors."

As the board discussed between themselves how to move forward with Railroad Square, Adam Kaye burst into the chamber and announced his presence. He sat in the front row of the city commission chambers.

Throughout the later discussion, board members continued to talk about Kaye as if he was not there, causing him to speak up and attempt to answer questions, but he was told he was "out of order." This continued as he threw his arms in the air and continued shouting out.

After voting, Williams-Cox had some words for Railroad Square tenants: "It is unfortunate that you had to put your paint brushes down, your scripts down, to come down here repeatedly to try to save a district that is owned by someone who refused an offer to do that."

Kaye then blurted out, "Leave me out of your politics, lady." She called for security but Kaye left before they showed up. Outside the chambers, security kept a close eye on him watching to make sure he left City Hall.

Kaye later said his family would be putting out a statement on the topic of the politicization of their sale of Railroad Square. As of late Thursday, it had not been received.

This story contains previously published material. Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at  AOtero@tallahassee.com  and follow her on X:  @ari_v_otero .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee CRA votes 3-2 to support effort to save Railroad Square