Tallahassee-Leon County
Proposed Comprehensive Plan Updates

Photo by Doug Alderson

Saving Special Places • Building Better Communities

Tallahassee & Leon County Commissions
Voting on Major New Development Rights

Tallahassee-Leon County Comprehensive Plan Adopted
on December 9 & 10, 2025

IMPORTANT REFINEMENTS

Citizens made a difference! Due to curtailed opportunity for meaningful citizen engagement, insufficient data and analysis, and lack of transparency, with your support 1000 Friends successfully advocated for the following:

Old St. Augustine Canopy Road
On December 9, the Leon County Commission voted 4-3 to remove 1,100 acres near the designated Canopy Road from the proposed Urban Services Area (USA) Expansion after major turnout from area residents.

Lake Jackson and Historic Meridian Canopy Road
After considerably public outcry about allowing major development at the intersection of Meridian and Bannerman Roads with significant potential impacts on the water quality in Lake Jackson, a State Aquatic Preserve and Outstanding Florida Water, and traffic on Meridian Road, 920 acres on the west side of Meridian Road were removed from the USA expansion area.

Residential Preservation (RP) in the USA
Downtown residents were blindsided with rushed proposals to dramatically increase density in RP neighborhoods. 1000 Friends strongly supports increased densities in the USA but believes it should take place only with transparency and meaningful citizen engagements. With input from the Alliance of Tallahassee Neighborhoods and hundreds of residents, the RP category was returned to existing densities.

CONCLUDING COMMENTS

All of these can be revisited in the future, but should go through the appropriate processes to ensure transparency, data-based analysis, and meaningful citizen engagement. Residents of Tallahassee and Leon County deserve no less!

The positive changes noted above were only thanks to major citizen turnout. It is a shame that local government did not harness this energy earlier in the process to create a citizen-driven vision for this community’s future.

Despite putting the brakes on major provisions above, a number of damaging changes were not addressed: Significant density increases in certain Lake Protection (LP) Zone categories, damaging incentives for increasing density, and more. With a less rushed and more transparent process, at least some of these could have been resolved.

Can’t remember what happened when?
Check out the Comp Plan Update Chronology

RECEIVE ALERTS

December 10 Update

Tallahassee City Commission votes 3-2 to adopt Comprehensive Plan amendments without requested changes below, with Commissioners Matlow and Porter dissenting.

Final ask of City Commissioners at December 10 Public Hearing (see 1000 Friends’ December 10 letter):

Protect water quality in Lake Jackson, the Floridan Aquifer, and Wakulla Springs: Proposed changes to the Lake Protection (LP) category would significantly increase allowed development density in the Lake Jackson Basin. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection identified the proposed changes as harmful to water quality in Lake Jackson, the Floridan Aquifer (which is the source of our drinking water), and Wakulla Springs. Please urge the City Commissioners to keep current densities for the Conservation Subdivision and Lake Protection Node (except for land within the US 27 LP Corridor). Add a requirement for formal environmental and transportation analysis to evaluate appropriateness of location of any new LP nodes.
Remove harmful policies which allow increased development density allowances with few checks and balances: These include Proposed Policy 3.6.4 – Density and Intensity Incentives, and Proposed Policy 2.8.4 (5) – Rural Future Land Use Category.
Protect the historic Meridian Canopy Road and Lake Jackson: Remove the 1,400-acre parcel on the east side by Bannerman Road from the proposed Urban Services Area (USA) expansion.
Clarify language related to Sub-Urban and Urban Neighborhood categories: Remove references to legal non-conforming uses and/or densities within these categories, as recommended by the Alliance of Tallahassee Neighborhoods.

December 9 Update

County Commission votes 4 to 3 to remove 1,100 acres by Old St. Augustine Road from the USA expansion, with Commissioners O’Keefe, Cummings, Minor, and Proctor supporting the removal.

County commissioners vote down Comp Plan changes for St. Joe Co. land, Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat, December 9, 2025.

Final Ask of Leon County Commission for December 9 Adoption Hearing (see 1000 Friends’ December 8 Letter)

Protect water quality in Lake Jackson, the Floridan aquifer, and Wakulla Springs:

Keep current densities for the Conservation Subdivision and Lake Protection (LP) Node (except for land within the US 27 LP Corridor). Add a requirement for formal environmental and transportation analysis to evaluate appropriateness of location of any new LP nodes.

Despite its name, the current Lake Protection zoning language focuses on promoting suburban development instead of protecting the lake. It already allows too much development in this vulnerable basin, and the proposed language would allow even more development. While providing central sewer is the justification for some to allow significant increases in density near the lake, runoff associated with density is much more harmful to the lake’s water quality. Our recommendations are consistent with those of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection recommendations (starting on page 3).

Protect the historic Meridian Canopy Road and Lake Jackson:

Remove the 1400-acre parcel on the east side by Bannerman Road from the proposed Urban Services Area (USA) expansion. As with the proposed Old St. Augustine parcel (and the Orchard Pond parcel which has been already been removed), a routine comp plan update is not the appropriate process for such a major change to the USA boundary. Have this area go through a large-scale amendment process which will require more analysis of potential impacts.

Remove harmful policies which allow increased development density allowances with few checks and balances:

o Proposed Policy 3.6.4 – Density and Intensity Incentives. This allows density and intensity incentives for certain poorly defined areas within the City and County to exceed densities allowed in the Future Land Use Category by up to 20%.

o Proposed Policy 2.8.4 (5) – Rural Future Land Use Category. This policy precludes the Rural land use category from within the USA, potentially setting up a “chain reaction” necessitating rezoning to higher densities.

ACCOMPLISHED!

Thank the Leon County Commissioners! On December 9 they voted to remove the 1,100 parcel along Old St. Augustine Canopy Road from the proposed Urban Services Area expansion!

Save Old St. Augustine Canopy Road from thousands of new residential units:

Remove the 1100-acre St. Joe property from the proposed Urban Services Area (USA) expansion – If added to the USA with the Future Land Use Map changed from Rural to Planned Development as up for adoption, this will increase the land’s development potential from 1 residential unit per 10 acres under the current Rural designation to as much as 20 residential units per acre under the Planned Development category.

This would increase the residential development potential from 110 units total to allow thousands of new units. Additionally, the current Rural designation does not allow any commercial, while the Planned Development could allow 20,000 square feet of development per acre for office and commercial development, and even more for warehouse and storage units.

December 2 Update

1000 Friends has flagged the following as still being areas of concern. We are rushing to review the final documents and will share more specific recommendations soon:

Lake Protection (LP) Zoning Language – The May 2024 draft of the comprehensive plan amendments would have allowed major increases in residential and commercial density in the zoning area intended to protect Lake Jackson. While this proposal has since been scaled back, we still believe it still goes too far and should be subject to more in-depth analysis. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) agrees. In its required state evaluation of both the County and City proposals, FDEP (see pages 3 to 5) concluded:

The Department recommends exploring alternate proposals for the areas of concern, including options such as conserving Rural acreage in the drainage basin, preserving original LP and LPN [Lake Protection Node] provisions, and decreasing proximity of new LPNs to the aquatic preserve.

Urban Service Area (USA) Boundaries – We applaud the City, County, and staff for removing the Orchard Pond property from the proposed expanded USA. But for consistency, we are raising planning concerns about other proposed expansions. These include but may not be limited to the more than 1400-acre parcel at the northeast corner of Meridian and Bannerman Roads, and the more than 1500-acre parcel along St. Augustine Road. Each involves large landholdings owned predominantly by one or a few property owners. Our concerns include:

Inappropriate process. Even without Orchard Pond, these major changes would constitute the second largest USA expansion in more than 30 years, only after Welaunee in scope. A routine comprehensive plan update is not the appropriate process to evaluate major changes to the USA boundaries; instead, each should go through the separate amendment process.
No clear demonstration of need backed by data and analysis. Before a significant USA boundary amendment is considered, the comprehensive plan specified that there should be data and analysis showing clear demonstration of need for expansion. Staff has stated that an estimated 23,000 more housing units are needed in Leon County to accommodate population growth through 2050. It is not clear if this includes the 50% additional units required in the comprehensive plan, which would bring the total housing needed to 34,500 units. Additionally, staff has not shared the supply part of the calculation. Our very rough calculations show that there are currently about 21,000 units in the development pipeline. This only includes developments that are 20 units or more in size and does not include the 12,500 potential units in the Welaunee Arch. This more detailed analysis needs to be undertaken by staff as required in the comprehensive plan and shared with the public to determine if there is a need for expanding the USA by such a significant acreage. If there is no demonstrated need, this constitutes urban sprawl.
No analysis of costs for City taxpayers. An expansion of the USA means that City taxpayers will pay for those urban services (new roads and expansions, central sewer and water, other costs) not covered by the developer. This is while some already urbanized areas south of downtown still do not have appropriate urban services. Our City residents need to be aware of the magnitude of costs that come with a close to 3000-acre expansion of the USA and the social inequity it promotes.

Detailed Review of Amendment Language – We are carefully reviewing the language changes proposed to date but will not know the final recommended language until it is released later this week. One issue we have already flagged is proposed Policy 2.8.4, which would require that Rural zoning not be allowed within Urban Service Area boundaries. This could set up a “chain reaction” particularly related to annexation, where if the City annexes land it must automatically be rezoned to higher densities.

November 18 Update

On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the Leon County Board of County Commissioners evaluated major changes to the Tallahassee-Leon County Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map (FLUM). These legally binding documents identify how our community will grow over the coming decades. The proposed amendments would specify how our community would grow through 2050.

1000 Friends urged the Leon County Commission to direct staff to:

Keep the current Urban Services Area (USA) boundary near Lake Jackson on both sides of Meridian Road. This would necessitate all property owners seeking changes to go through the appropriate amendment process, providing greater equity and consistency and requiring a more thorough evaluation of need, environmental, traffic, and other impacts before changes are allowed.
Keep the existing Lake Protection (LP) provisions and update them in a separate process in the coming months. In some categories, the amendments would allow considerable increased density. We believe more time is needed for greater analysis, transparency, and community engagement in this process. (Check out the June 16, 2025 Florida Department of Environmental Protection letter sent to both the City and County (starts page 3) — outlining concerns about the LP provisions)
Direct staff to prepare an additional version of the Future Land Use map (FLUM) clearly showing all differences between current and proposed designations throughout the county.

Variations of these concepts were supported by Commissioners Minor and O’Keefe and we thank them for their articulate support of sound planning principles. Sadly, the other five commissioners did not agree.

What was initially proposed?

Expand our community’s Urban Services Area (USA) by close to 1,000 acres near Lake Jackson. This would be the second biggest change to the USA in 28 years, with only the Welaunee development larger.

The Future Land Use Map (FLUM) depicts the location, distribution, and extent of various categories of land, with the USA delineating areas on the FLUM most appropriate for intense residential and commercial development.

Allow development in the ballpark of 2,000 residential units and hundreds of thousands of square feet of shopping centers, businesses, and offices in this area by changing its land use designation from Rural to Lake Protection.

Property under the current Rural land use designation can only be developed at 1 residential dwelling unit for every 10 acres of land. The proposed Lake Protection land use category allows much greater residential and commercial development, setting the stage for massive change.

Why was the initial proposal concerning?

There has been no environmental analysis of the potential impacts on the Lake Jackson system, the only freshwater lake in Florida to be designated as a State Aquatic Preserve. It is also a designated Outstanding Florida Water.
There has been no transportation analysis of the potential impacts on the already congested Meridian Road. This scenic, two-lane canopy road, established in 1824, would be the primary access to new development. It is officially designated as a Tallahassee-Leon County Canopy Road and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
There has been no demonstrated need for major development in this area. Planning staff have shared that our community needs 23,000 more housing units by 2050. Currently, 21,610 new residential units are already in one phase of development or another.
This major expansion of the USA does not follow the regular process and instead has been tucked into a routine comprehensive plan update. Instead, if development is proposed it should comply with the annual application process for major amendments to the comprehensive plan to ensure robust community engagement.
There has been no analysis of the cost to taxpayers to expand the USA. This expansion represents a major public commitment to provide sewer and water, roads, and other urban services to this area.

FIND OUT MORE

About Lake Jackson:

The Lake Jackson system, made up of Lake Jackson, Carr Lake, and Mallard Pond, is one of the state’s most unique and ecologically valuable surface water systems. The Lake Jackson system is the only freshwater lake in Florida to be designated as an Aquatic Preserve, and is also a designated Outstanding Florida Water. The 4,000-acre Lake Jackson has been recognized for years as a prime location for trophy large-mouth bass fishing with four of Tallahassee’s top ten eBird sites for birdwatching nearby. Due to the environmental significance of the Lake Jackson system, protection measures have been in place since 1970. Long a center of civilization, on its south shore is the Lake Jackson Indian Mounds Archeological State Park, established in 1966, which was built and occupied by people of the Fort Walton culture between 1000 and 1500 A.D.

A majority of the current development within the Lake Jackson system is concentrated on the south side, primarily in the form of residential and commercial development. This has contributed heavily to the degraded water quality of the aquatic preserve. This is balanced only by the health and quality of water at the northern end of the lake system, which would be opened for development if the amendments are adopted.

The Lake Jackson Aquatic Preserve Management Plan specifically states that water quality along the north end of the lake is considered good, but “…if development increases at the same density seen in the south end of the Lake Jackson watershed, water quality is likely to be negatively impacted.”

Photo by Russell Grace

About Meridian Road:

Primary access to any new development would be provided by the scenic two-lane Meridian Road. Extending from downtown Tallahassee to the Georgia state line, this road was established in 1824 as part of Florida’s Prime Meridian, on which virtually all land surveying in the state is based. With its overhanging canopy of live oaks and distinctive red clay banks that reach eight feet in some places, it is among the finest canopy roads in Leon County. Due to its historic significance and natural beauty, Meridian Road was designated as a canopy road in 1972, with local protection measures. In 2013, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

For many, the greatest worry about a new development of about 1,000 acres along Lake Jackson and Meridian Road is the flood of new cars that will take to the road, adding to the already congested traffic at rush hour. Traffic counts along Meridian Road show that the segment from Ox Bottom to Bannerman is already near capacity. Additional residential units and commercial development in this area will add more cars to the road and cause this segment of Meridian Road to operate far over capacity, likely necessitating widening.