Pensacola’s Community Redevelopment Agency

PENSACOLA COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY

Working to Make Pensacola’s Core Urban Areas Thrive

Map indicating the Pensacola CRA’s three distinct districts targeted for redevelopment.

While 2020 was a year of uncertainty in business, and the larger world as a whole, the Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) continued to build upon decades of progress in supporting the city’s at-risk core urban neighborhoods.

The Pensacola CRA was established by Pensacola City Council in 1984 to battle inner-city blight, enhance public safety, facilitate construction of affordable housing and encourage positive redevelopment. Under Florida law, local governments may establish CRAs to address redevelopment goals in blighted areas. In Pensacola, members of City Council also serve as the Community Redevelopment Agency, with the authority to set development standards, negotiate with property owners and undertake beautification projects, among other duties. Since its creation, the Pensacola CRA has provided a means for the investment of public funds in tandem with private enterprise to carry out its mission. Originally encompassing one Inner City Community Redevelopment Area–– Pensacola’s CRA now includes three defined areas of redevelopment including the Urban Core district and the Eastside and Westside redevelopment districts.

HOW DOES THE CRA WORK?

All of the work of the CRA is guided by a comprehensive master plan— which is the culmination of years of community feedback, public workshops, surveys, meetings, studies of traffic, engineering, habitat, density studies and more. Within the CRA’s Master Plan are individual plans for each Community Redevelopment Area.

These plans provide guidelines and strategies for removing physical and economic blight in neighborhoods throughout our community and provide a vision with specified goals and timetables for generating growth and new opportunities, according to Helen Gibson, who serves as CRA administrator.

The Community Redevelopment Agency’s staff of three works in collaboration with residents, property owners, businesses, developers and other community organizations to foster redevelopment within the CRA districts, executing the final, approved plans to re-energize and redefine Pensacola’s historically underserved areas and help them reach their full potential.

More than thirty-odd years ago, one of the most pressing of these areas was downtown Pensacola—though it would be virtually impossible to fully grasp that fact when walking around the downtown district today. Evidence of the CRA’s efforts is all around.

“There’s been a remarkable transformation when you think of Palafox Street in the early 1980s compared to the beautiful, thriving, walkable downtown that we see now,” CRA Administrator, Helen Gibson said.

Gibson is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and holds a master’s degree in city and regional planning from Cornell University.

The CRA Master Plan was a driving force behind the rehabilitation, which in turn was key to attracting private investment dollars. The plan envisioned pedestrian-friendly streetscapes, sidewalks, lighting, trees and plants, safety features, pavers, public benches, plazas, fountains and more. And now these same types of improvements are also moving forward on A Street, Reus Street and DeVilliers Street, where it is believed new private interest and investment will follow.

WHERE DOES THE FUNDING COME FROM?

CRAs are not taxing districts, like some fire or library districts. Instead, CRAs are funded based on the growth in property values within the designated district—a funding system called “tax increment financing” or “TIF.”

In the TIF system, a baseline for property values within the district is calculated when the district is first established. For Pensacola, the Urban Core district was founded in 1984, with the Eastside and Westside districts following in 2005 and 2007, respectively.

As the value of the property within the districts increases, an amount equal to the revenues in excess of the baseline are set aside in the CRA trust fund. Municipal funds are subject to the CRA, but school district revenues are not. The funds are used in pursuit of the detailed redevelopment plans that were painstakingly formulated for each district.

DOLLARS FOR SIDEWALKS, LIGHTING, SAFETY FEATURES AND HOUSING

In the Urban Core, the CRA invested $5.5 million on 28 projects that were either underway or completed in FY2020. Chief among those are streetscape enhancements along DeVilliers and Reus Streets. There, a comprehensive project is bringing improvements to sidewalks, crosswalks, lighting, landscaping,disability access, curb-cuts and more. These corridors serve as critical neighborhood connections between the historic Belmont-DeVilliers, Tanyard and North Hill neighborhoods and the Pensacola Bay waterfront.

NEW BUILDING PERMITS SHOWED $11.5 MILLION IN CONSTRUCTION IN THE URBAN CORE IN 2020

For the Westside district, 2020 continued the trend of residential growth with 68 new residential units. In 2020, the value of building permits in the Westside district was $13.8 million.

In the Eastside district, building permits showed new construction valued at $2.29 million in 2020 and 18 new residences were built in the Eastside district.

PROTECTING THE CHARACTER OF LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS

While growth and new construction are valuable to the community, so is maintaining a neighborhood’s traditional character and walkability, as Gibson emphasizes. To that end, the CRA has implemented the Urban Design Overlay District, which sets out certain standards that new development must meet.

“As new homes and commercial buildings are constructed, it’s important to be sure that what comes next will serve to enhance what was traditionally there,” Gibson said. “It’s vital for the neighborhoods to retain the character that some of the residents remember as Pensacola.”

The Urban Design Overlay District standards are intended to promote the compatibility of new construction with the traditional urban form and walkable character of the Inner City, where a special design review district does not exist. The standards address elements like building use, height, setback, appearance from the street, etc.

Bird’s eye view of the Bruce Beach site. Courtesy of the Pensacola CRA.

OTHER CRA PROGRAMS

Reducing crime is one of the stated purposes for CRAs. In Pensacola, the CRA funds two full-time police officers dedicated to patrolling the neighborhoods of the Urban Core district as part of a “community policing” effort.

This is intended to improve trust between the community and law enforcement, provide a more efficient approach for targeting criminal activity and result in a better understanding of the community’s needs and expectations. In 2020 alone, 1,201 calls for police service in the Urban Core district were handled by these two community patrol units.

Housing affordability is also a priority goal of the CRA. The CRA invests in individual residences through the Residential Property Improvement Program. Individuals that meet income requirements are eligible to receive up to $70,000 to help with painting or re-siding, porch repair or replacement, exterior lighting and more. The program aims to assist long-time residents with costly updates and home improvement projects on homes located in the city’s older and historic neighborhoods so they can remain in their homes. The CRA is also heavily involved in planning and programming public spaces for residents to enjoy.

In 2020, plans were underway for new and improved downtown waterfront access at Bruce Beach on Pensacola Bay, as well as a day-use marina at the Community Maritime Park. Design also started on the Garden Street Landscape Beautification project, which will bring an expertly curated variety of trees, shrubs and groundcover along the major corridor.

Another community project that is currently in its planning phase, is the Hollice T. Williams Urban Greenway and Stormwater Park. The project will create new amenities for our community for all groups of people to enjoy.

2020 was a challenging year, for sure, the Pensacola CRA didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, the past year has presented many trials,” Gibson said, “But it has also been a time of progress and growth in each of the CRA’s redevelopment districts. We’ll keep carrying out our work because we know that the investment we make in the community today, will help us welcome a brighter future for Pensacola.”

For more information on the Pensacola CRA and other projects, visit cityofpensacola.com. ■