Stadium Centre

Gaines Street is the main corridor connecting three of the Tallahassee’s most significant institutions: the state capital complex, Florida State University (FSU) and Florida A&M University (FAMU). Together, these institutions have a population of over 65,000 students and employees on a daily basis. In addition, the Civic Center brings 1.5 million visitors a year for sports, cultural and related activities. Formerly an industrial corridor, Gaines Street functions today as a “back door” to the downtown area and it is here where the city is responding creatively and boldly to the community’s aspirations for a high quality “gateway” to the Capital City.

The Gaines Street area is of key importance to downtown Tallahassee as the city emerges as a major university, government and employment center.The main focus of the Gaines Street redevelopment was the need for higher standards of quality development and quality of environment through:

• The desire to establish a “sense of place”: unique, identifiable characteristic, landmark, or community focus for the Gaines Street district and within each of the identified sub-districts;
• The need to identify “district edges” and define the corridor as a major “gateway” into downtown Tallahassee;
• The need to incorporate residential and mixed uses within the corridor in response to current demands and trends within the area and thus create a truly pedestrian friendly environment;
• The need to resolve problems associated with vehicular and pedestrian traffic and parking and to make the area more walkable.

The first of many projects located in the Gaines Street area is “College Town” which will be the entertainment district for Tallahassee with America’s Backyard as an anchor tenant and a music venue and bar that will accommodate upwards of 1,000 people. College Town will also comprise a three-level building at the corner of Madison Street and Woodward Avenue that will house several restaurants. Urban Outfitters is also under construction at Gaines and Woodward to open an 18,000sf store in early 2014.

Florida State University is one of the most renowned higher education facilities within the State University System of Florida and nationally recognized as one of the nation’s elite research universities. Established in 1851 the university now offers more than 300 programs of study. Located in the heart of the state capital the main campus extends over 451.6 acres. The University is lively with 31,851 Undergraduate Students, 8,484 postgraduates, and an academic and administrative staff of 8,279.

Home to the state capital and two notable state universities, Tallahassee is Leon County’s largest city. The 2012 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 181,376, The city’s population has grown 17.01 percent since 2000. Tallahassee is a regional center for trade and agriculture in the Florida Panhandle and is served by Tallahassee Regional Airport. The city offers a highly educated workforce, engaged high-tech industry, transportation and communications infrastructure.