If you’ve ever wanted to watch a group of well-meaning citizens twist themselves into philosophical pretzels, look no further than the debate over Tallahassee’s new Comprehensive Plan.
The “Comp Plan,” as the insiders call it, is a big, sprawling, long-range planning document that’s supposed to guide development, transportation, housing, and environmental stewardship over the next 20 to 30 years. It is also, ironically, the one document designed to reduce sprawl — a concept we’re told is a moral imperative — while simultaneously being attacked by people who don’t want more density in their neighborhoods.
You can’t have it both ways.
After nearly eight years of community engagement, workshops, hearings, and more community engagement (did we mention the engagement?), the updated Comp Plan is finally making its way through local government. That hasn’t stopped the familiar chorus of NIMBYs — many of them from affluent, leafy neighborhoods — from waving their HOA pitchforks at the prospect of townhomes being built within eyesight of their azaleas.
Yes, it’s true: some residents who say they want to protect the environment and promote walkability are now clutching their pearls at the idea of slightly taller buildings or mixed-use zoning. This is what we call Lexus Liberalism — progressive in theory, allergic to reality when it moves in next door.
But let’s be clear: this plan isn’t about paving paradise or tossing zoning to the wolves. It’s about making the rules clearer, more flexible, and frankly more modern. The old Comp Plan was a bloated, bureaucratic behemoth — so dense and arcane that it required a Rosetta Stone just to navigate a permit application. The new version shifts some of that micromanagement to the land development code, and yes, to elected officials. That’s called local control, folks.
More importantly, this isn’t just about Midtown homeowners feeling inconvenienced. It’s about neighborhoods south of Orange Avenue — poorer, often ignored, and primarily minority — where this plan could finally unlock real, needed development. Reducing red tape doesn’t just benefit builders; it creates opportunity in places where infill development has been virtually impossible under the old system.
And let’s talk about housing. Tallahassee has an affordability crisis. The only way to solve it is to build more units — across the income spectrum. This plan encourages exactly that, using density and mixed-use policies to make housing more available and, over time, more affordable. Commissioner Christian Caban even voted against the weakened version of the plan because it didn’t go far enough to reduce regulation and boost supply. Good for him.
So yes, the process was long. Yes, the hearings were held. And yes, some neighbors are grumpy. But this Comp Plan is a win for affordability, equity, and common sense. The fact that it makes people on both extremes a little uncomfortable? That’s not a flaw — it’s a sign it’s probably right.
It’s time we stopped letting the loudest voices — the ones with the most to lose from even the slightest change — hold the rest of the city hostage. This plan isn’t radical. It’s rational. And more importantly, it’s responsive to years of community input that overwhelmingly said: “We need more housing, better mobility, and a clearer path forward.”
So to the Commissioners: approve the plan. Tell the NIMBYs that they can’t veto the future. And let’s build a city that works for everyone — not just the ones who already made it in.