Leon County reviews Southside Action Plan status, highlights sewer, housing and transit work

Leon County commissioners received a status update on the Southside Action Plan during a workshop session where staff outlined priorities including sewer expansion, affordable housing, anti-gentrification measures and transit options.

The presentation said the Southside Action Plan covers about 14,323 acres, of which roughly 81% lies inside incorporated city limits and 19% is in unincorporated Leon County. Staff told commissioners that the area has attracted more than $1,130,000,000 in investment across infrastructure, affordable housing and commercial projects.

The update put sewer expansion at the center of implementation plans. County staff summarized three delivery methods: City of Tallahassee’s master sewer planning, county-led septic-to-sewer conversion projects, and private development that installs sewer lines when parcels redevelop. County staff reported completed or underway projects that will convert septic-served homes in primary spring protection zones to sewer, listing Woodville Heights/Anna Wood Bel Air phases 1 and 2 complete, Northeast Lake Munson near completion and Woodville Sewer Project Phase 1 under construction. When the listed projects are finished, staff said, 709 homes currently on septic within the Primary Springs protection zone will gain sewer service.

Staff also said the county and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have allocated $18,100,000 for the next phase of the Woodville work and that the overall program to convert septic systems totals more than $63,000,000 in investment. Staff noted Connect to Protect grant assistance will reduce the individual homeowner cost by about $13,000 per household.

On housing, staff described three complementary strategies: direct county investment in projects such as Columbia Gardens; policy tools and incentives created or approved by the board; and support for innovative housing types. The board in 2023 passed an ordinance easing implementation of accessory dwelling units, and staff cited a planned unit development (PUD) for a tiny-home community now at 130 tiny homes, with a recent PUD amendment allowing 200 multifamily units to supplement the tiny-home site.

To limit displacement and mitigate gentrification, staff recommended a mix of public investment, land-use controls and placemaking: allowing incremental density increases rather than abrupt upzoning, investing in transportation and walkability to reduce household transportation costs, and minority- and women-owned small business enterprise programs tied to public contracts so neighborhood residents share economic gains.

On transit, staff said they had consulted StarMetro. StarMetro’s current focus is optimizing existing routes; route expansions would be assessed by comparing nearby existing routes, projected ridership, population densities and connections to employment and activity centers. The agency would analyze start-up and ongoing operational costs to determine feasibility for an extended route such as service to Woodville.

The board accepted the status update as a workshop action; commissioners asked staff to return with more detail on several topics in future sessions.