Feb 4 2008
Five prominent Tallahassee businesses joined in groundbreaking ceremonies Saturday for what promises to be one of Florida's most exciting new green developments -- the Evening Rose Town Center.
The 120,000-square-foot Town Center compliments K2's adjoining 132-home Evening Rose residential community and will complete the developer's vision to create one of the state's first completely "green" Traditional Neighborhood Developments.
Like all of the homes being built by K2 Urbancorp at Evening Rose, the Town Center will be built to strict environmental and energy efficiency standards independently verified by third parties and certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The first businesses to sign leases with the $80 million new-urbanism inspired development -- located near the intersection of Capital Circle Northeast and Mahan Drive -- are expected to open their doors by late summer.
The five businesses are: Another Broken Egg Cafe, one of the city's most popular breakfast and brunch spots; Mad About Food, considered a hidden culinary gem by regulars; The Child Care Center, a unique facility that pairs a new curriculum tailored by famed local educator and early child care expert Dr. Pamela C. Phelps with a program developed and managed by Children's Home Society of Florida, one of the state's oldest and most respected not-for- profit institutions; FSU Credit Union, a financial institution with deep roots in Tallahassee; and the Town Market, a new 9,000-square-foot urban market complete with groceries and daily staples, fresh meats, seafood, locally- sourced produce and an indoor-outdoor bistro.
"The Capital Circle Northeast-Mahan Drive intersection is one of the most sought after commercial real estate districts in the capital region," noted K2 Urbancorp CEO David Wamsley. "In addition to the strong, current demographics, the area is planning to add up to 5,000 new homes over the next five to ten years-this is where the growth is going to occur."
These five "best of breed" businesses will set the tone, Wamsley added, for what is expected to become "Tallahassee's premier upscale retail destination."
City Commissioner Debbie Lightsey participated in the groundbreaking and hailed K2 Urbancorp for possessing what she termed "a vision and commitment as distinctive and powerful as the city's own" when it comes to carrying through on energy efficient, environmentally sound projects.
"I challenged the partners at K2 to raise the bar within the development community in Tallahassee," said Lightsey, "and quite frankly they not only met our expectations but continue to demonstrate leadership at a statewide level."
K2 Urbancorp is a leading advocate of new urbanism and one of the state's most innovative developers and homebuilders. It's also one of the leading builders of green homes in the southeast.