TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Part of Tallahassee’s privately owned art district, known as Railroad Square, could soon become a 246 unit “multifamily” apartment complex, according to a permit application on file with the City of Tallahassee.
The owners of Railroad Square, Adam and Lily Kaye, had been in conversations since at least August of 2024 about the future of the property. Back then, the Kaye family said they no longer wanted to own Railroad Square. However, this month’s permit application lists their LLC as the owner and Moore Bass Consulting, Inc. as the applicant.
A mystery group of investors also expressed interest in 2024, but it’s unclear if those talks ever materialized.
Efforts for the local government to purchase Railroad Square, in order to make the arts district publicly owned, failed in January of 2025. Business owners inside Railroad Square wanted that government takeover, despite the vote by members of the city commission and mayor.
According to the permit application, “The proposed project is the development of 17 parcels located west of Railroad Avenue and north of FAMU Way into a 5-story multi-family development with 246 units.”
Plans filed alongside the permit show the complex would have an interior courtyard and a nearby “commercial building.”
Lily Kaye, co-owner of Railroad Square, said portions of the area have been for sale for the past two years. She emphasized that the whole area will not be developed.
“It is important to reclarify that whether it is this development or a different, future one, we intend to keep part of the property for the same creative art district uses that we have today,” she said.
Kaye said the same developer who has been doing research on the property for several years is moving forward in the “long and complicated process of researching the feasibility.”
She touted the success of Railroad Square in recent months.
“The creative district has been back at 95-100% occupancy for the past six months and now has an exciting diversity of food, goods and experiences.”
She encouraged people to come out and enjoy Railroad Square both now and in the future.
WTCTV reached out to Ben Hood, listed as the agent on the permit application, and has yet to hear back.
Here’s the full statement from Lily Kaye:
“As previously reported on, portions of Railroad Square have been for sale for the past 2 years. The same developer who has been doing research on the property for multiple years, and whose development ideas have been previously reported on, is just taking another step in the long and complicated process of researching the feasibility.
It is important to re-clarify that whether it is this development or a different future one, we intend to keep part of the property for the same creative art district uses that we have today. Railroad Square continues to currently be one of the most interesting destinations in Tallahassee. The creative district has been back at 95-100% occupancy for the past six months and now has an exciting diversity of food, goods, and experiences.
There was a great turnout for the Jazz Festival at April’s First Friday, almost every weekend is busy, and we look forward to another well-attended First Friday in May. We encourage folks to come out and explore Railroad Square and its many unique creative businesses, both now and in the future.”
Detractors say it’s really student housing, but acknowledge the arts district is privately owned…
“It’s invasive capitalism is what it is. I think this is an issue of control, I would say. And they’re doing things like this shows that they have no respect for the community or appreciation of art,” said Jada Brown, a member of Tallahassee ALERT.
Joshua Johnson, the CEO of 621 Art Gallery, says protesting this sale won’t really work, since the local city government already declined to buy the property.
“This being a private seller and a private buyer, we have very little recourse. We would like for it to remain an art district as has always been our plan. But in a lot of ways, this is kind of out of our hands,” Johnson said.
He added that he prefers the district remain as-is, and he hinted at efforts to startup a government run arts district elsewhere in the city, though he said plans were not concrete enough to share.
”I’m not sure what they will do. It is my hope that it stays a full-fledged art district and not something that just has art in name, but art also in name and soul,” Johnson said.
In her statement, Lily Kaye bolded the part about maintaining at least a partial art district. An unsatisfactory answer, for some.
“Tallahassee is full of art, culture, history, all things that aren’t displayed. And so by protecting the art district, I think that we can add a little bit more livelihood to the city,” Brown said.
WCTV sent a request for comment to all five city commissioners, and Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor, who represents the area in which Railroad Square sits. We’ll update this page as comments come in.
Jeremy Matlow
“If this moves forward, it will be the end of Railroad Square as we know it. The City had an opportunity to purchase Railroad Square and make it sustainable for the next generation, but we didn’t have the support of the Commission majority to save the Arts District.
Now this local gem, tourist destination and largest concentration of locally-owned businesses could be replaced by another mega-block housing development and a giant asphalt parking lot.
I believe arts and culture add to our quality of life and are worth investing in.”
Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor
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