Florida Construction News staff writer
The City of Tallahassee City Commission’s annual retreat focused on leveraging the airport as an economic driver, the Southside Action Plan and progress on several major City facility construction projects.
A major component of the long-term economic impact is construction of the International Processing Facility (IPF) at the airport. This multi-year, $28 million terminal expansion will allow TLH to accommodate international flights and provide for goods to be shipped to and received from destinations worldwide.
The 40,000-square-foot addition will house a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)-approved international Port of Entry and a Federal Inspection Services Facility that will serve both commercial air service and general aviation needs at TLH. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Since the Southside Action Plan (SAP) was adopted a year ago, major projects have been underway, including the Southside Transit Center and the Southern Triangle water and sewer infrastructure project, among others. In Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), $500 million of public funding was allocated to Southside projects, encouraging private investment and opening new avenues, such as the North Florida Innovation Labs.
The STC, the first public transit center built in Tallahassee since C.K. Steele Plaza in the 1980s, is a multi-bay, two-story facility with eight covered bays with electric charging stations for fixed route buses; a designated pull-off for paratransit vehicles, Dial-A-Ride rideshare clients and neighborhood circulators; ticketing areas; administrative offices; community meeting space.
Other major construction projects include the new Tallahassee Police Department headquarters to be constructed on the former Northwood Mall site; Fire Station 17, which will be located off Lake Bradford Road; and a second Senior Center, which will be located on Welaunee Boulevard.