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Renee’ D. Wilhoit
Tracey McClurd
Lisa Hudson
Charles Thomas
Karen S. Welch
Holl
Downtown Pensacola is staking its claim as one of the country's most vibrant city centers.
With new single-family homes, residential developments, resort-style condos and apartment communities being constructed across the city, Pensacola is entering a new era of downtown living.
The Port of Pensacola seeks $53 million in Triumph Gulf Coast - BP oil spill grant funding to complete Supply Chain Enhancement Project.
Pensacola's new Mayor-elect D.C. Reeves talks about his goals for his first 100 days in office.
Multiple new residential, commercial and infrastructure development projects have broken ground or are slated to break ground in downtown Pensacola in the coming months. Here's an update on what's happening downtown.
A roundup of some of the newest eateries, businesses and retailers in downtown Pensacola.
What a year it has been for downtown Pensacola. From new eateries, businesses and residential developments to large-scale infrastructure and revitalization projects, it’s evident that Pensacola, especially the downtown district, is experiencing unprecedented growth. Our once-quaint community is continuing to evolve with more growth and development than ever before.
The past twelve months have been among the most transformative of any time in downtown’s history and the energy with which the city continues to grow is remarkable. With any type of growth, it seems, comes even more growth. It’s encouraging to know that it is not just one or a small handful of developers, but a whole host of entrepreneurs, builders, professionals, new businesses — and yes, even politicians — whose combined efforts have helped transform Pensacola into what it is today.
When it comes to creating communities where everyone benefits from economic growth, planning is everything. As downtown enters a new era of growth and development, our city is also preparing to welcome D.C. Reeves as its new mayor in January 2023. For this issue, we had a chance to sit down with Reeves to learn more about some of his goals for his 100 days in office and gain his perspective on some important topics relating to downtown Pensacola. His forward-thinking leadership style focuses on inclusion and opportunity to create a more diverse and vibrant community where people want to live, work and play.
For this annual downtown issue of NW Florida’s Business Climate Magazine, we wanted to bring you up to speed on all of the developments helping to drive the evolution of our growing city. From luxury condos and apartments boasting rooftop terraces to dozens of new businesses opening their doors throughout downtown, the city’s urban core is thriving and there’s no sign of it slowing down. For all of the positive change we have seen in the past year, I look forward to seeing what the next holds.
Morgan Cole, EditorOWNER
Malcolm Ballinger
PUBLISHER
Malcolm Ballinger malcolm@ballingerpublishing.com
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Kelly Oden kelly@ballingerpublishing.com
Ian Lett ian@ballingerpublishing.com
Garrett Hallbauer garrett@ballingerpublishing.com
Morgan Cole morgan@ballingerpublishing.com
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Nicole Willis nicole@ballingerpublishing.com
Rebecca Ferguson
Paul Thompson
Jonathan D. Scull
SALES + MARKETING
Paula Rhode, Account Executive paula@ballingerpublishing.com
Geneva Strange, Account Executive geneva@ballingerpublishing.com
21 E GARDEN ST., STE. 205
PENSACOLA, FL 32502
Bringing groundbreaking care to the communities we serve is a part of our history. We were born from a legacy of putting people first through better access, experiences and outcomes. We continue to grow and invest in the health of our community to support our Mission of helping people throughout life’s journey.
Our new hospital campus that opens in the fall of 2023 at the corner of Brent Lane and I110 is our latest investment in transforming health care in our community. New photos and videos of campus progress are added to our website each month. Learn more by visiting ebaptisthealthcare.org.
President John F. Kennedy once said, “We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them, we neglect the nation.”
Far from neglected, downtown Pensacola is riding a tidal wave of commercial, residential, retail and epicurean development that is transforming its city center into one of America’s most vibrant places to work, live, dine and visit. Clearly, it takes a village to awaken a dormant downtown and there’s a long list of people contributing to the renaissance. That said, it would be impossible to talk about the revival without a salute to Quint Studer, a Midwesterner with a passion for excellence and empowerment.
Studer made his mark in the healthcare field by inspiring people to improve the patient experience. Now, he is invigorating Pensacola by investing in new infrastructure, a minor league baseball park, apartments, office buildings, shops, restaurants and entrepreneurial leadership training.
“Quint was the spark,” longtime Pensacola builder-developer Jim Cronley of Terhaar & Cronley Development Company said. “He was the one with the vision for what downtown could become, and he motivated a lot of people to follow his lead.”
Austin Tenpenny, whose aDoor Properties will build 100 singlefamily homes this year in
downtown Pensacola, concurs. “When the Studers (Quint and his wife and business partner, Rishy) built the Blue Wahoos Stadium (the majestic waterfront venue for a Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins baseball team) and Southtowne (a 252-unit apartment complex with office and retail space), the die was cast – downtown Pensacola became the place to be,” Tenpenny said.
Studer says the defining moment in what ultimately became his dream for downtown Pensacola began in a casual conversation with Jon Clifton, the CEO of the world renowned analytics and consulting firm Gallup. Clifton had been impressed with Studer’s success as a healthcare consultant and wondered if he might be interested in Gallup’s latest survey, “The Soul of a City,”
on the factors proven to make cities thrive. Studer was indeed interested, and the rest, as they say, is history.
“The study was intriguing to me in its clarity on what was needed to make a downtown vibrant,” recalls Studer. “Specifically and sequentially, you begin by programming events that bring people downtown. Next, you enhance the downtown experience through great restaurants, bars, and shopping. Then, you create great office space for companies that want to locate their businesses downtown. And finally, you achieve a tipping point where people who visit downtown, or work downtown, decide they want to live downtown.”
While those elements in fact became the key components of Studer’s game plan, he refined his strategies by gleaning best practices from world-class experts such as urban planners Shane Phillips of Los Angeles and Ray Gastil of Pittsburgh and Canadian landscape architect Kent Ford. With each step forward, Studer became the Pied Piper, attracting smart builders, developers, landowners and investors to share his dream.
D.C. Reeves is a big proponent of Studer’s work and for seven years, he has served as the chief of staff at Studer Properties. Reeves is also the owner of Perfect Plain Brewery and its
sister establishments The Well, Garden & Grain and Perennial. He is a major downtown developer in his own right and recently became the new Mayorelect of the City of Pensacola.
“We’re clearly on a mission here to make downtown Pensacola one of the truly special places in America,” Reeves said. “I would love to see us recognized for our downtown just as much as Savannah, Greenville and Charleston.”
Among the many people working to make that dream reality is Chad Henderson, the CEO of Catalyst HRE, and the mastermind of what many consider the epicenter of downtown development: the East Garden District (EGD). Since he bought the historic Rhodes Building back in 2015, Henderson has worked to make downtown what he calls an “18-hour environment” where people love to work and play.
Like Studer, his mentor and personal friend, Henderson believes in opening up opportunities for others to thrive.
It’s why he’s committed to the success of all the entrepreneurs he welcomes into the district to the point of making sure all the businesses are complimentary, sustainable and symbiotic. This curation strategy is implemented down to the last detail by Catalyst HRE’s Vice
President of Development, Tosh Belsinger. “Our master plan for the East Garden District (EGD) is set in placemaking,” Belsinger said. “The EGD will be home to a 144-key Hilton Tapestry boutique with a unique rooftop experience, restaurants and retail space, forsale and for-rent residential units and an urban plaza – all carefully planned to maximize synergies within the district and within our community.”
Belsinger cites Reeves’s unique craft brewery as an example of an enterprise that pairs well with other businesses coming into the East Garden District, specifically the Union Public House (owned by Henderson and super chef Blake Rushing) and Papa’s Pizza. Another prominent player downtown is Bobby Switzer who, along with his brother Charlie and a group of investors, are responsible for the development of One Palafox Place. It began with the 2015 purchase of the seven-story Blount Building at the corner of Garden and Palafox Streets and now includes historic buildings, housing, restaurants, shops and offices. For Switzer, downtown development is personal as he is the greatgrandson of F.C. Brent, for whom the venerable Brent Building is named.
Switzer’s new construction and historical restoration projects fall into the capable hands of Amir Fooladi, the owner of ParsCo,
LLC. “It’s truly amazing the impact the Switzer family has had on downtown, especially the repurposing of historic properties,” Fooladi explained. ParsCo won the Associated Building Contractors’ Historic Renovation of the Year in 2018 for the transformation of the threestory, 21,000-square-foot Marston Quina Building into first class office space. “Working with Sam Marshall Architects, we felt we achieved the best of two worlds,” Fooladi explained, “preserving a historic exterior, while creating an open concept on the interior with smart space planning and stateof-the-art technology.”
From a realtor perspective, John David Ellis, local real estate broker and owner of Voyage Real Estate, is bullish on downtown Pensacola. He notes, however, that the rise in mortgage rates above 6 percent and their continued upward trend, may cause the once red-hot downtown housing market to cool down a bit. “We see the housing inventory increasing downtown but with the continued high demand, we are cautiously optimistic that the market will remain strong,” Ellis said.
While millions of dollars have flowed into downtown from the private sector, the public side has played a prominent role in this evolving success story. “The beautification of Jefferson Street is a prime example of a strong private-public partnership,” Henderson said. “It was a $2.2 million project to upgrade the infrastructure and make the street walkable with new landscape and hardscape. The City of Pensacola and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) contributed $1.37 million and private money funded the balance. When you consider the new tax revenue that will be generated by all the new and improved buildings on Jefferson Street, the return on investment for the city will be impressive.”
Downtown developers are quick to tip their caps to Mayor Grover Robinson, City Administrator Kerrith Fiddler and Deputy City Administrator David Forte, for recognizing the need to upgrade the city’s aging infrastructure and investing in the growth of Pensacola. By the same token, home builders Tenpenny and Fooladi note that, while there are unique regulatory challenges building on the city’s small downtown lots, Pensacola’s Chief Building Official Jonathan Bilby and his staff are as accommodating as they can be given the statewide building code and the minimum housing standards. “Jonathan’s been a breath of fresh air,” Tenpenny said. “When there’s a problem, he and his staff help explore solutions, without compromising health and safety.”
It’s a safe bet that publicsector support for downtown development will stay strong when Reeves takes over as Mayor on November 22, 2022, especially given his recent announcement of a new economic development position for the city. “This person will help developers navigate the regulatory challenges of largescale projects,” Reeves said. “In addition to the practical aspect of providing assistance, the position makes a statement about how much we value those who are
willing to invest in downtown.”
While most downtown investors are working to maximize returns, Lauren Gund of Helm and Forge, LLC isn’t motivated solely by the bottom line. With purpose and passion, she plans to build unique homes near North Hill to honor the memory of her hero and mother Linda Keen, who died unexpectedly at age 64.
“My mother was everything to me and when she passed, I was devastated,” Gund said. “I quit climbing the corporate ladder (at a civil engineering firm) and decided to do something that she would be proud of. So, I took a portion of the inheritance she left me and bought land downtown.”
Gund teamed up with one of the area’s finest custom home builders, Thomas Westerheim of Westerheim Properties, to design and build highly customized, amenity-rich homes that are especially attractive to young professionals.
The first offering in the joint venture is a two-story, four bedroom, three bath home featuring a spacious master suite with a private balcony. At 2,412 square feet, the home’s modern appeal includes 10-foot ceilings, custom doors and cabinetry, quartz countertops, wood-like tile, luxury vinyl plank flooring and high-end appliances, including the latest LG refrigerator that
even produces whiskey ice balls.
It speaks volumes that seemingly everyone associated with the new downtown Pensacola is excited about what the future holds.
“Every empty lot in downtown Pensacola is an opportunity waiting to be seized,” Studer said. “Think about it, the infrastructure is already in place and when that lot accommodates a home, better yet four homes, we make housing more affordable. We can’t be afraid of density. Density creates the most property taxes per square foot and helps the environment through the efficient use of land, resources, and energy.”
Tenpenny sees a slightly different future downtown for aDoor Properties. “We’ve looked at the market, noted the rising costs of homeownership, and believe it’s time to produce a townhouse rental project,” he said. “It’s certainly not the total answer to the affordable housing problem, but it’s a start. Our goal is to provide a rental product that still has the aDoor style, quality and all of the perks and amenities that come with living in a home.” Tenpenny’s 32-unit Main Street Crossings is projected to come online in the fall of 2023. Henderson will continue to lead his East Garden District project with placemaking as its
catalyst with hopes to inspire more downtown Pensacola development. “We believe our project is both transformational and unifying for our city,” Henderson said, “and we are excited that the EGD is starting to stimulate conversations about more growth around us.”
Fooladi will continue to play a major role in downtown housing with the completion of the Garden District Cottages. The 26-home project includes six properties produced at belowmarket prices as part of the City of Pensacola’s Home Incentive Buyer program.
Ellis is encouraged by the fact that developers who once considered the west side of downtown to be less desirable are now making major investments there. “Who would have thought that Barrancas Avenue, which has historically been industrial-type properties, would blossom with nice restaurants, new businesses, and new homes?” Ellis said. “The more we activate the west side, the more vibrant downtown becomes.”
And, oh yes, Gund’s dreams for North Hill won’t stop with one home. She and Westerheim’s “Hello Desoto ‘’ series have already begun, with Act II on a corner lot and two more homes to follow in 2023.
By the time he takes his seat as Mayor, Reeves will have visited a majority of the most vibrant downtowns in the South, talking personally to many of their developers, elected officials, and community development directors. “We have the utmost respect for the great cities in this nation,” Reeves said. “But, we believe with all our hearts that Pensacola is a city of destiny and that we are on a path to greatness.”
New construction homes and residential property developments are quickly growing throughout downtown Pensacola. The array of new builds consist of modern apartment complexes, luxury townhomes and lofts, stylish detached single-family residences and resort-style condominiums. If those adjectives didn’t catch your attention already, wait until you read about the available amenities.
Each development proudly highlights various upscale amenities such as roof-top pools, lounges and terrac es, fitness centers, art galleries, dog parks, electric car charging stations, parking decks and private garages, community docks with boat slips and more. The City of Pensacola is clearly entering a new era of downtown living.
The draw to live downtown extends beyond the residen tial developments and into Pensacola’s active approach toward developing a pedestrian-friendly community. Walkability and bikeability are key aspects for a thriv ing downtown community, and Pensacola’s “Hashtag” Connector project includes these two factors in its key priorities. Pensacola will implement more street lights, crosswalks and bike lanes. Pensacola is also focusing on beautification by planting more trees, shrubs and ground cover along the downtown streets with the ad dition of more outdoor seating. While being mindful of these community amenities, Pensacolawill continue to provide a better downtown experience for all.
Downtown Pensacola is filled with shopping, dining and entertainment. The eateries scattered throughout downtown provide an ever-growing list of options for places to dine with friends and family. Palafox Street is lined with shops and is usually the center of the party when it comes to festivals, parades and other exciting community events. It is also the host of the month ly Gallery Night event where a portion of the street is closed off for pedestrians to enjoy art vendors, street musicians, food trucks and more. Whether you enjoy a night out browsing museums and art galleries, or you prefer sitting at a fancy cocktail bar or an Irish Pub sip ping the perfect beverage, downtown Pensacola has it all. With so many ongoing residential developments, downtown living offers an opportunity to reside where others vacation, with only a short walk or bike ride to the city’s central hub.
Let’s take a quick look into the numbers. According to Pensacola’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data from the Pensacola Association of REALTORS®, within the zip codes of 32501 and 32502, there have been a total of 243 residential properties purchased so far this year. Of those sales, 46 were built within 2021 and 2022, with a median sale price of $459,325 and a high sale price of $1.05 million. Currently, within the same zip codes,
there are 103 properties on the market with a median list price of $575,000 and a high list price of $1.825 mil lion. In regard to MLS rental data for the same area, 106 residential properties have been rented this year, with a median monthly rent price of $1,650 and a high monthly rent price of $7,000. Currently, there are a to tal of 21 properties available for rent with a median monthly rent price of $2,400 and a high monthly rent price of $5,700. Note that this data only covers prop erties that have been input into the Pensacola MLS by REALTORS®.
There has been a great need for additional residential housing in downtown Pensacola, and many local de velopers have stepped up to the plate. Their investment into the community has attracted further investments from out-of-town developers from bigger cities like Baton Rougeand Nashville. Developers are seeing the value and commitment for the downtown Pensacola area and they want to be a part of the growth. Although there is still more work to be done and additional res idential housing units to be built, as developments are completed and either sold or rented, it is anticipated that more will follow suit.
The office for the Pensacola Association of REALTORS® proudly sits in the heart of downtown Pensacola, and it is a resource for the community. If you or anyone you know are interested in buying, selling, renting, invest ing or developing property in the area, there are more than 2,500 residential and commercial REALTOR® mem bers, as well as an array of local business partners ready to help. With the amount of available REALTORS® and business partners, you are bound to find the right fit for you. These are professionals who not only work and serve within the local community, but they also shop in the same grocery stores, have children in the same local schools and colleges and most likely live in some of the same neighborhoods as you as your family or friends.
Seaports are an integral component of national and regional economies. With growing complexity in supply chain management, a re-alignment of infrastructure supporting global trade routes is clearly underway. To deliver finished products to users in a cost-effective way, port operations depend heavily on associated landside and deep-water transportation networks as well as the efficiency of intermodal transfers on port. Functional infrastructure, berths and piers are essential to port operations and critical to the overall economy of the Gulf region.
The Port of Pensacola is seeking $53 million in Triumph Gulf Coast - BP oil spill grant funding to complete the first phase of elements 1-3 of its Supply Chain Enhancement Project. This project consists of all aspects of technical assistance, design and construction of the following elements, intended to maximize use of 75 percent of the Port while also achieving goals set forth by the community-supported portside vision plan for the remaining 25 percent. Supported by our tenant partners, this project collaboratively improves ocean transportation efficiency, supports the creation of more effective logistics patterns, resolves outdated infrastructure, attracts investment, brings 210,000 square feet ft of active warehousing and maker’s space online and ultimately increases tonnage and job growth in Northwest Florida.
Highlights from Florida Ports Council’s 2022 Seaport Mission Plan presented to the Florida Legislature include a 118.4 percent year-over-year increase in total tonnage (inbound and outbound)
for Florida’s 15 deep-water ports. The Port of Pensacola handles more than 420,000 tons of cargo while providing industrial facilities and support services to its family of 23 companies. The Port’s tenant companies make significant contributions to the Blue Economy, whether through investment in job growth for our region, movement of goods to consumers, research and development, aquaculture or other throughput in the maritime sector. Essential port investments will provide the Port of Pensacola the opportunity to connect more commerce and continue to strengthen both regional and state economies.
Due to the Port of Pensacola’s current footprint and proximity to the downtown area, the goal is not to become a port solely focused on increasing containerized cargo, but to continue to grow its core services with an emphasis on expanding break bulk and non-containerized special projects as well as oversized cargo tonnage. A 60 percent incremental increase in cargo tonnage supporting job growth is anticipated with completion of Elements 1-3 of the plan. In addition, buildout of the remaining acreage on 25 percent of the Port’s property will advance its competitive position and assist with its resiliency and recovery efforts from Hurricane Sally.
Maritime Operations Modernization accelerates on-Port infrastructure improvements in support of freight investment and waterway improvements to help better align roadways and infrastructure with market-driven opportunities. It also substantially enhances egress/ingress to the Port supporting larger, heavier cargo with increasing tonnage and arrival
frequency while passenger and pedestrian traffic from Port truck movements. These improvements create efficiencies that increase stability in supply chains leading to faster transit times, allowing for volume increases and ultimately, the Port’s growth.
Completion of the Berth #6 Infrastructure project will restore the Port of Pensacola to full operational capability and restore the economic benefits a deep-water seaport brings to the Gulf region while supporting increased investment from private users like CEMEX. Tonnage increases cannot occur without berth infrastructure repairs. CEMEX is partnering with the Port to enhance the existing infrastructure, ultimately helping to attract more cargo to the Port. Costs include replacement of the piling supported berth decking, piling and road repairs, rail rehabilitation, utilities, drainage, offloading equipment and other related engineering services.
Internal Heavy Load Roadway, Project Cargo Working Area Reinforcement and Upland Cargo Improvements advance ingress/egress both to and on port facilitating heavy load cargo mobility. The project develops approximately 3.5 acres of the northern part of the port as a laydown and working area specifically for oversized or heavy cargo such as GE Wind Energy nacelles and other components and reinforces the roadway in support of heavy specialized cargo. Construction of outside cargo staging yards, including site work, drainage, paving, fencing, lighting and related engineering services will provide more horizontal collaboration between transport companies and logistics service providers.
Dredging and restoring depth at Berths 1 and 2 will result in increased vessel calls and dockage days. At maximum capacity, restored Berths could support an additional 365 vessel dockage
days, increasing economic impact each year over the 40+-year life of the asset. With the recent departure of Blue Origin’s former RoRo ship, the Jacklyn, restoring depth at all berths, but specifically at berths 1 and 2 where the vessel moored for three years, will result in new opportunities for the port and its tenants in the Marine Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MMRO) sector.
The Maritime Center of Excellence and Light Manufacturing Complex supports build-out of approximately 10 acres of the north-east quadrant and, excluding the existing dredge spoils area, brings on-line more than 210,000 square feet of covered operational and dry storage space supporting existing and new tenants, boat building, ocean sciences and maritime technologies research and development, marine industry training, flexible maker’s space (light manufacturing, fabrication and/or assembly) and a small boat testing facility, in addition to supporting two-acres of improved laydown area for large GE cargo.
A small boat launch facility supports multiple tenants and facilitates testing and development of small crafts (26 to 50-foot center console boats) as well as competitive boatbuilding research and development. The intermodal cargo transfer warehouse adds 100,000 square feet of on-Port facility space and related intermodal components to facilitate cargo throughput, raw material sourcing, assembly and dry storage prior to distribution, which serve as important components of supply chain management.
Existing above-ground utilities running through the Port’s main landside access need to be relocated to promote truck and rail moves in support of GE and other oversized bulk and specialized cargo handling. As tenant cargo, particularly GE’s cargo, gets larger and heavier, changes are needed to accommodate efficient truck and rail moves. Burying utilities in support of larger cargo handling and movement, especially for the northern part of the Port via the Heavy Load Roadway Project as well as construction of internal service roads and additional rail infrastructure, including switches and related rail engineering is needed to modernize port operations. Funding will assist with the port’s railroad modernization initiative since several of the port’s railroad systems are approaching their design life and need to be rebuilt. In addition, Hurricane Sally impacted the port in September 2020, further decreasing the remaining life of structural supporting soils and ballast of railroad track.
Port-related traffic from existing customers continues to rise, increasing pressure on connecting roadways. That, combined with the port’s location in an urban environment and pending development/redevelopment of underutilized port property that will be facilitated with the Port Vision Plan Phase II work, requires that the City employ modern urban core traffic calming and congestion mitigation concepts along Main Street to the west and Bayfront Parkway to the east of the Port’s primary entrance at Barracks Street. These improvements, which have completed 100 percent design and are shovel-ready, will minimize potential conflict points across and between various modes of transportation while enhancing movement of cargo flowing through the Port.
The Port has played a pivotal role in attracting manufacturers such as American Magic, Streamline Boats, Cemex, Offshore Inland and others to the region. In turn, these companies have invested in their facilities and
Maritime Center of Excellence Maker's Space for new and existing tenants to conduct light manufacturing, fabrication and assembly projects.
supported hundreds of high-wage jobs over many years. With this project, the Port is setting the table to attract new manufacturing to the region, while supporting the emerging marine maintenance, repair and overhaul sector as well as new growth in ocean sciences research and development, boat building and competitive sailing. Together, these activities and build-out of the northeast quadrant will provide significant long-term economic benefits to Northwest Florida.
Flexible space for maritime exhibits and events.
THE FISH HOUSE: Dockside dining overlooking beautiful Pensacola Bay just steps away from historic Seville Square. Full bar. Late night menu. Brunch on Sundays. Dine inside or out. Features a menu of inventive handpicked wines, and their world-famous Grits à Ya Ya. fresh-seafood selections, house-smoked steaks, sushi,
ATLAS OYSTER HOUSE: Great waterfront view. Dine inside or out. Full bar, including sixteen beers on tap and wines by the glass. Relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. Sunday Brunch, burgers, steaks, beer, and oysters—raw, baked, or steamed. Steamed shrimp and crab. Or start with the gumbo, then move on to sushi. Weekly specials.
JACKSON’S STEAKHOUSE: Recognized nationally for its award-winning, Southern-influenced steaks and seafood paired with impeccable service. Reservations can be made online. The menu highlights wet-aged, grain-fed beef from the heartland of America. A consummate dining experience in historic downtown Pensacola.
FIVE SISTERS BLUES CAFÉ: Southern favorites in historic Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood of downtown Pensacola. A harmonic blend of southern flavors and soulful music featuring all of the southern comfort favorites with a kick of Creole and Caribbean flair. Fried chicken, cornbread, collards, and more!
ANGELENA'S RISTORANTE ITALIANO: Angelena’s menu brings creative, Southern touches to classic Italian cuisine. Handmade pastas, thoughtfully prepared vegetable dishes are served alongside an abundance of Gulf seafood. The wood-fired oven lends flavor to everything from Neapolitan-style pizzas to meatballs and desserts.
by Morgan Cole
Our once-sleepy community continues to grow more vibrant with the welcoming of new residents, businesses and housing developments. The city is also preparing to welcome D.C. Reeves as the new Mayor of Pensacola.
Mayor-Elect D.C. Reeves is an entrepreneur, community builder and native Pensacolian who moved home in 2015 to make a difference in the town he grew up in and that he proudly calls home. Reeves is the founder of Perfect Plain Brewing Company, which opened in 2017, and has grown to become a staple of downtown Pensacola, expanding to four different locations and more than 40 employees. Reeves recently sold Perfect Plain in order to focus on his duties as mayor. Reeves currently serves as the Chief Entrepreneur Officer at The Spring Entrepreneur Hub, which operates as the foundational front door and advocate for aspiring small businesses in the Pensacola community.
He spent six years serving as the Chief of Staff for entrepreneur and community volunteer Quint Studer and in 2018, he led the effort to bring an appointed superintendent to lead Escambia County schools; a referendum that had lost convincingly in Escambia County five times in the past 60 years.
In 2019, Reeves also authored The Microbrewery Handbook, a how-to guide to understanding the business of opening a brewery. Reeves has also served as chairman of the board for Visit Pensacola and was named 2021 Emerging Leader of the Year by the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce.
We had a chance to sit down with Reeves to learn more about what he has planned for his first 100 days in office and get his perspective on some of the important issues affecting downtown Pensacola before he officially steps into his role as the new Mayor of Pensacola in January 2023.
community—and we know that downtown is the economic driver for the City of Pensacola, so we will continue that push to shoot for bigger and better things.
D.C. REEVES: Our focus is going to be on continuing to grow our vibrancy with an increased focus on opening the funnel of opportunity for young talented people to stay here in Pensacola or move back here. I look at that, really, as version 2.0. The last decade, we've all seen what's happened downtown, and its vibrancy, and certainly, I've been personally invested and emotionally invested in that myself. We've seen such great things. I think the next chapter for us is to provide more opportunity so it’s not just a place young people WANT to live and work in, but that they CAN move home to and live in. From job growth to attainable housing, there's a lot of different ways we're going to attack that. That is what is front and center for us—really growing the vibrancy of our
Something else that we are currently working on, and maybe even shifting our focus to, is not just on first time homebuyer programs, but to advocate for more rentals or rental properties in the Pensacola area, and specifically in downtown. Right now, we have such an issue with attainable housing. Let’s start with step one and increase someone's ability to be able to live in our city. Then, we can kind of spend a little more time focusing on phase two, which is home ownership. As interest rates continue to rise, this is only going to become harder and harder. I don't want to miss an opportunity with attainable housing, and say, ‘Oh, well, it's either the American dream of owning a home or nothing.’ Let's solve this. We are
BC: How will your administration differ from the previous administration?
all aware that interest rates are rising, we don't have enough units in our city, and we've got to start offering opportunities for people to live here, period. After that, then we can begin working on phase two.
I use the word ‘attainable’ because ‘affordable’ housing is all relative, in my opinion. Affordable housing to a millionaire is different from affordable housing to someone living below the poverty line. So, there's been a little change in calling it attainable housing, because what we're saying is, compared to what the average wages are here, can people find somewhere to live?
those straight initiatives that go to help those certain areas, but we need them both in order to really be successful.
D.C. REEVES: One of the ways to solve the housing issues is to have more housing, period. Whether it be luxury or short term rentals, we need more. The data shows that for every 100 market rate units, a community creates 45 openings in affordable or attainable housing. So, if we just snap our fingers today, and 100 units open anywhere in the city, it will migrate a total of five times. What this means is, that if someone rents a place on the market for $2,500 a month and the house they left was $2,000 per month, then someone rents that and in turn, leaves their other house behind that was $1,500 per month, and then so on and so forth, that fifth migration between two and three years, is was takes that 100 market rate units and creates 45 openings in affordable or attainable housing. Think how much money it would take the city to build 45 units on that scale in two years. Look at what kind of investment that would be for us. It's not just building solely shortsightedly attainable housing, it's becoming a better place to invest in that has more units, helps plateau rent amounts and creates opportunity for people to have a broad mobility within housing.
Right now, one of our choke points is that we don't have enough available units here, and we're not unique in that. We had someone come in town from LA, who studies this stuff and said, “I've looked through all of your data, you're not building enough.” So, we just end up arguing, especially sometimes at the city government level, about what color the shutters should be, when in reality, we should be focused solely on knowing that any unit coming into our community is a good one right now. If it's in the form of attainable housing, great, we should have initiatives for that, or if it's $5 million condos that pay property tax that help pay our police and our fire, that’s great too. We've spent a lot of time as a community arguing over what kind of housing we should have, when, if somebody was looking at it from a data driven perspective, they'd say that we should take any housing we can get, period. This is what I’ve been talking about while campaigning about the attainable housing issue and I've always said it's a two part process.
One is to make our city more investment-ready in order to be able to take on more houses. And second, is to light a little bit more of a tactical, strategic fire on workforce housing, such as
D.C. REEVES: The first thing I always say is that solve is not a word that I would ever be using in the short term, because we all know much like housing, this is something that's affecting communities across our country at different levels. So, how I look at this issue is that, I do feel that we should have a compassionate heart for people who want a hand up. And what I mean is, people with unfortunate circumstances that have caused them to lose their home that have a family to take care of—the types of people looking to get out of those situations and work to get back on their feet. We are a charitable loving community and I think that we've proven that, especially with how many nonprofits we lift up and support and what we do for the people in our community. So, for people like that, who want a hand up, I fully support and will continue to engage in those conversations. But there's a very clear line for me, between that and people looking for handouts. What I always say is that we will not give up the vibrancy for 55,000 taxpaying citizens of this community, for the sake of a small number of people who do not want help. So, with that separation comes tough decisions and certainly, we're going to explore options to continue to accentuate our ability to help people who want it and to continue to keep our community safe, vibrant and welcoming. As with a lot of decisions as mayor, those are difficult ones and so, with whatever decisions we end up making, some might consider it to be inhumane or say that we don’t care about people, that’s just simply not true. I've been on and I've seen both sides of this situation. My mother, Connie Bookman, is the leader of the homeless reduction task force for the City of Pensacola. Growing up, she was a social worker and she started the women's program at the Waterfront Mission, so I spent a lot of time there after school as a kid. I've been around this issue on the periphery for a long time, but I've also been a downtown business owner. I understand the frustrations I heard on the campaign trail, about how it hurts our downtown and how it affects our city. I'm grateful to have this wellbalanced understanding of people who need the help and people who are taking advantage of the systems that don’t always filter out the difference between people who need help and the people who don't. So I wouldn't say at the moment, this early on, that we have a specific tactic we would tackle on day one, but we will be aggressive in our ability to create that fork in the road where we we lift up the people who truly need it and want it and we start to separate ourselves as a community from people who are not here for any help whatsoever.
BC: What is your approach to ensuring that our developing infrastructure is sufficient enough to support our growing population? Specifically, in terms of things like streets improvements, parking, traffic, etc.
D.C. REEVES: Number one is smart growth. This should always be our strategy. We’re not going to run away from growth, we're not going to generalize being stagnant because of some perceived inconvenience like increased traffic or parking. Here’s the reality, 48 percent of the revenue of the City of Pensacola general fund is generated by people living here. What I mean is that 34 percent of that is property tax and 14 percent of that is franchise fees. So half of our revenue comes from this one product, which is people living here. This means that we have to be looking for opportunities to make it more seamless for people to invest here and to be able to do things like turn that permit a little bit faster so someone can get on the property tax rolls a little quicker. Those are opportunities we need to seize within that. I'm a big believer in urban infill, and what I mean is, how we will best accentuate and best grow within the infrastructure grid that we already have. We all know about the stormwater infrastructure issues, just to pick one thing as an example. It would cost over $150 million to fix our key issues in stormwater and we don't have that money. When people built roads 30, 40 or 50 years ago, they didn't sock money away for when it may need to be replaced. So, I'm not a big believer in sprawl, and building new roads, new fire hydrants or new gas lines. I'm always thinking of the best primary growth opportunities within the grid and within the infrastructure that we already have. As a matter of fact, when you look at Garden Street, Cervantes or Palafox Street, these roads are actually built for significantly more traffic than what they are handling right now. Now, they would take modifications, of course, as we continue to grow, and we'll always be cognizant of that but we can’t run from our ability to grow and prosper and be able to have more police, have more firefighters and attract more jobs here because of a perceived inconvenience. You know, a better way to put it is that, instead of worrying about what may be an inconvenience, let’s look at this as a great problem to have because this means that we have so many people investing here and moving here and young, talented people wanting to work here. When the time comes and if infrastructure updates are needed, I promise you, we'll get right on it. But first, give me that problem. We are not going to we are not going to undercut our ability to intelligently grow, not just any growth, intelligently grow this community based on what may or may not happen because of that positive growth.
BC: Can you tell me a little about your views on the VEO stand-up scooters downtown?
D.C. REEVES: I fully support Mayor Robinson’s change to the seated scooters from the standing scooters that are no longer permitted in the city. A seated scooter is treated more like a vehicle and it feels like you should drive it in the street, as opposed to something that might be like a toy that you would play with in your driveway and is treated as such. When all of this came about and I was asked about the scooters, I said I think I would support a pilot program, but one thing I did know is that we don't have the infrastructure at this moment to support it. When I went to Denver, right before
BC: What are your plans for addressing affordable housing in Pensacola, specifically in the downtown area?
we approved ours, I rode scooters around the entire town. Now, they had protected bike lanes and designated places where you clearly knew where it was safe to ride them. With that being said, I wouldn't want to hinder trying something new like this. To that end, I fully support the idea of going to a seated model only, that's more like a vehicle that represents something that you should drive in the street and does not litter the streets with equipment everywhere. So, we'll see this through and see how this goes. The scooters are not a requirement to have for the city, there has to be mutual benefit to our citizens and our tourists, as well as the people who live here. We are always going to balance those things in any decision that we make, but sometimes one side of that coin will be a little happier than the other. It was a pilot for a reason and we've learned from that pilot and we've adapted to the seated version only. I don’t know what the exact numbers are, but since making the change to the seated scooters only, I know that City Hall has received significantly less emails, phone calls and overall complaints about the scooters in the streets. There was ambiguity about where to park the standing scooters and where to ride them, so overall this change has been positive and I think we’re going in the right direction with the program. We will continue to play this out and see where we stand here in the next several months.
BC: What project are you most excited to get started on as you take the seat as the new Mayor of Pensacola?
D.C. REEVES: That’s a good question. You know, I've got a pretty good list of what I’d call short term projects and certainly my longterm projects as well. I don't know that I have just one in particular, or one that ranks highest at this point, but I will give you a couple of the short term goals we will get started on right away.
The first thing is that we're going to establish a grants office for the City of Pensacola. We have unprecedented infrastructure dollars coming
down from the federal government; dollars at a rate we haven't seen before. We have to put our best foot forward and have someone waking up every single morning in the City of Pensacola wondering how we get those dollars here. We don't have a grants office at this moment. This is something that each department has had to handle on their own [seek their own funding]. On top of that, these department heads have to manage people and the day-to-day operations. We need someone waking up every day, figuring out how to get those dollars in the city. So that is a day one decision.
Second, in terms of the downtown area, is the gradual reopening of Plaza Ferdinand. That doesn't mean opening it to host any type of event on any given day, but for things like an extension of the Palafox Market, something government or quasi government, or possibly university events. We have this beautiful, historic space that has been in a little bit of a lockdown for a number of years and I think it's time to reactivate that space.
A third thing is to refocus on economic development within our city limits. That means not only continuing to accentuate what's already in place to attract jobs and attract businesses here, but by also helping with that effort at the city level. But additionally, that is someone that can truly serve as the liaison to developers with large scale development projects in our city. So that when someone knocks on our door and wants to invest $50 million in a project, we have someone designated to help them get across that finish line. Sometimes we may figure out, it doesn't work, but we still need someone there so thank them for wanting to instest in the City of Pensacola and we are going to do our best to show them that we number one, appreciate you and number two, that you know we'll go with you to zoning, fire and to permit inspections. There needs to be someone with the City to help those developers through this process and show them how valuable their investment is to us and our community.
The establishment of a City of Pensacola grant office, the gradual re-opening of Plaza Ferdinand and an increased focus on the City’s economic development efforts are the top three things that come to mind and that we will be focusing on in the first 100 days of entering office.
BC: What will you need to accomplish during your four years in office to consider yourself a successful mayor?
D.C. REEVES: I think the first step is for us to become a more data-driven city. I’m talking in terms of data with measurable performance. I think taking that step would be a big one for us. Growing our population at a faster rate than the surrounding counties that we are behind. I think that is a good indicator of success. Fortunately, between the survey on the quality of life in our community that we have benchmarks from since 2008, we also have an employee engagement survey that's been going on for three years, which is something I'm very familiar with, as Quint Studer’s Chief of Staff. And with that, we will continue. I think it's the mayor's job to have happy employees that love to show up to work every day and have happy people living in the city in which they lead. If we get those two things right — if our 800 plus city employees love to show up to work every day and citizens believe that their quality of life is high in the city of Pensacola— everything else works itself out. That means people want to invest here, that means our young people want to move home, it means that there are more dollars coming into our community and it means we have a safer place to live because we can afford to equip our police with what they need to keep us safe. So, the true pebble hitting the pond is happy employees and happy citizens in which we are able to prove by measurement and then, as I said, everything else and all the blood that comes with those two things, I truly think that can take care of themselves.
BC: Is there anything else that you would like to add or that you think readers should know?
D.C. REEVES: You know, I've been asked so many times, “Why do you want to run for mayor?” I say the same thing every time, which is that we are on the precipice of such amazing things here and I ran for mayor because I want someone waking up passionate and energetic every day about taking the city where we all know it can be, and so I'm excited to get started. The sole campaign promise I’ve made to anybody is that I'll give you everything I've got to make this the best Pensacola that we all know it can be. We all make decisions with head and with heart and you'll agree with some and you'll disagree with others, but at the end of the day, we are going to put everything that we have, all of the passion that all of us have for this place, all the energy that I've got to take Pensacola to the next level. So, I'm so excited for that and humbled by the opportunity. I'm really ready to go for these next four years.
With the recent influx of housing developments, new businesses and revitalization projects occurring throughout the downtown area, it’s evident that Pensacola is becoming an increasingly popular and desirable place to live.
From luxury condos boasting private rooftop terraces and newly-constructed single-family homes in the Tanyard District to the historic Bruce Beach revitalization project and a new community skatepark, the economy and housing market in downtown Pensacola are thriv ing.
For this Issue of NW Florida's Business Climate Magazine, we have brought you details on the latest residential developments that have broken ground this year, as well as updates on some of the on-going and future development projects happening across the city.
Anticipation has been building since spring for the opening of downtown Pensacola’s newest lodging house and speakeasy-style bar, Lily Hall. With its grand opening day just a month away, developers have been busy bringing the renderings of the building to life.
Lily Hall, positioned in Pensacola’s Old East Hill neighborhood at 415 N. Alcaniz Street, will offer guests 15 boutique suites to choose from, a breezy garden sitting area, a library parlor, a Spanish-inspired restau rant and main bar and an intimate, Prohibi tion-era speakeasy, among several other unique hangout areas.
Lily Hall is geared toward giving guests that one-of-a-kind stay, encouraging guests to “choose their own adventure” and giving back the control to guests of how they would like to spend their time. Nashville development partners from Stahlman Hospitality paid close attention to trends on the rise in the lodging industry when in the blueprint stages for Lily Hall, such as guests wanting a more “hands-off” experience when checking into a hotel. They wanted freedom to show up when they wanted and know exactly what they were getting when they arrived. The lure of the lodging house is to transport guests into a whimsical world of wonder, with nooks and crannies hidden throughout the 10,560-square-foot lodging house for guests to explore. Think secret passage ways, leather-bound books, authentic Old Fashioned cocktails, candlelight and fiction alized letters from dead authors.
Lily Hall rooms will be operated under a virtual concierge system, Mabee said, that allows guests to check in at their leisure and explore where they want in the lodg ing house, while still being able to contact someone for help at any given time.
Other rising trends in the hotel industry, such as lobbies being designed as social hubs, unique dining experiences, paperless checkins and digital room selections, all were incorporated into the Lily Hall model.
The Pensacola landmark dates back to 1928, where it was built to function as a congregation hall for the Old Mount Olive Baptist Church. With a place on Pensacola’s “Seven to Save” list of endangered build ings, the spacious and airy place of fellow ship needed major revitalization to have a chance at second life.
The building has been vacant since 2004 after being damaged by Hurricane Ivan, deeming the space uninhabitable.
Terry Raley is leading the food and bever age offerings at the Lily House, giving each hub a unique brand and identity that merges Pensacola’s past with the present.
As guests meander through the halls of the lodging house, they will pick up aromas cus tom-made for Lily Hall and be serenaded by a handpicked Lily Hall playlist with hypnotic tunes like “This Must Be the Place” by the Talking Heads.
Guests can spin records from the library on their room’s record player or assemble a custom Lily Hall cocktail designed for the guest rooms. The finishing touches through out the lodging hall are intended to give guests a specific sense of “place”.
One potential complaint Weinberg did address is the lack of parking in the residen tial area that surrounds Lily Hall, with only 12 parking spaces exclusive to the lodging house. However, he said, the team has already found creative solutions, such as us ing valet parking in partnership with owners of nearby lots.
The hall’s main restaurant, Brother Fox, will be Span ish-inspired, a nod to the original Spanish settlers of Pensacola. The restaurant’s name, however, comes from a former pastor of the origi nal church.
Some of the main dishes will include a sharable carne asada, along with woodfired seafood, premium vegetables and several varieties of tartare. Drinks on the main bar’s menu will be based on light, refreshing, citrus-based beverages.
Raley said each restaurant has involved an open fire pit, and Brother Fox will be no different.
Attached to the restaurant will be a smaller speakeasy,
fitting only about two dozen people lined across the bar. Meant to be a counterpart to the restaurant, Sister Hen, abbreviated with the acro nym “sh” implying a secret, will allow priority seating for patrons of the restaurant to skip the line to enter the bar through a passageway inside. Those not eating at Brother Fox but who want to get a drink can enter a line from the outside.
Raley said the concept for Sister Hen alludes to the finer hospitality of the bar scene in the 1920s to 1940s era, some of which has since been lost in the modern-day bar scene. He said the prohi bition theme will be less of a gimmick and more of a way of life, such as bringing back
dress code and house rules in the bar.
The speakeasy will follow a similar design to Holland House, a Nashville speak easy that Raley also de signed in the early 2000s, but that has since closed. The restaurant was praised by the Nashville Scene for its laid back atmosphere and more than 50 classic and contemporary cocktails, such as a rye Manhattan with house-made maraschi no cherries and a Village Re serve bourbon infused with back and Olive & Sinclair chocolate, according to the Nashville Scene.
Bartenders will be dressed up for the occasion, with a focus on tending to guests, crafting drinks with the utmost care, Raley said. The room will be composed primarily of dark walnut tones and the lighting will be primarily generated by
candlelight to provide the “genuine, old-school” expe rience that people associate with the prohibition era.
The bar will cater to what
Raley refers to as the canon of cocktails, along with spe cialty drinks that match the classic vibe.
The seating for the small bar will start out on a first-come, first-serve basis, with po tential for an online waitlist system to be added on.
The restaurant manager has been hired for Lily Hall’s restaurant, Brother Fox, and will soon start to fill about 30 open positions for servers, kitchen staff and other roles. More updates can be found on the Lily Hall Facebook page.
Vision for $40 Million Downtown Redevelopment Project Coming to Life
With the completion of the City's Jefferson Street Revitalization project, the vision for downtown’s more than $40 million East Garden District redevel opment project is now coming to life.
The East Garden District development aims to make the one block area of East Garden, East Jef ferson and Chase streets into a downtown Pensac ola destination complete with bars, restaurants, and mixed-use spaces.
In late April, the old Reynalds Music House building on Garden Street was demolished as part of the East Garden District development. A new build ing will go up in its place inspired by the beloved music shop that will be the new location of the Union Public House restaurant. The building was ap proved for renovation to become Union Public House’s new restaurant lo cation, but after significant damage in Hurricane Sally, the developers gained approval to tear it down and start again.
The development team recently announced the East Garden District would soon be home to a 144-room Hilton Tapestry boutique hotel. The hotel will have a bar and restau rant on the first floor, event space, as well as a rooftop bar and deck.
East Garden District devel opers also confirmed that they are also working on two additional mixed-use buildings which would house a mix of restaurants, light retail and gallery spaces on the first floors. Adjoining that will be a 250-space parking deck that will have a shared parking model for the busi nesses surrounding it and the potential for a public pay-to-park model outside of regular business hours.
Tosh Belsinger, with the East Garden District development group, said he expects construction on the new Union Public House restaurant to begin within the coming months.
The entire East Garden District development project, including the new hotel, is anticipated to be complete by late 2023.
Developers have broken ground to make way for a new private waterfront community with high-end amenities in Sanders Beach called Amanacer. The gated upscale com munity will be home to seven different waterfront homes, three waterfront townhomes and four detached single-fam ily homes. Amanacer residents will also enjoy a variety of amenities like a waterfront community pool with an oversized sun deck and dock with the option to purchase boat slips.
The 2,400-square-foot residential, detached single-family homes feature 4 bedrooms and three full baths and start at $840,000. The 2,200-square-foot inland townhomes are listed with a starting price of $1.1 million, with the 2,500-square-foot water
front townhomes starting at $1.6 million. Both the inland and waterfront townhome units feature four bedrooms and three full baths.
All residences will offer modern, open floor plans with ample natural light and come equipped with energy efficient tank less gas water heaters, Energy-rated HVACs and appliances and all win dows are hurricane-rated. Buyers are also offered an allowance to choose the finishes and appli ances, allowing them to customize the interiors of their homes.
Amanacer is scheduled to be completed by early 2023 and there are cur rently four units remain ing. For complete proper ty details, contact Realtor, Jimmy O’Donovan with Kuhn Realty or visit amanacerpensacola.com.
Developers Focus on 54 Condo Units and Abandon Ideas of Retail Space
The Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency and the Hawkshaw Development Group are back in negotia tions to reduce the project to a 54-unit condo development with no retail or commercial space.
The City Council, sitting as the CRA, voted 4-2 to reopen negotiations on a deed covenant that serves as the development agreement for the property. It will be the sixth time the agreement has been changed since CRA agreed to sell the property to developer Robert Montgom ery in 2018 for $1.6 million.
Developers missed a dead line to file construction per mits under the agreement in May and had to pay a penalty fee of $100,000 to the CRA. Earlier this year, Brian Spen cer, who joined the devel opment group in 2019, said developers were looking to go back to a mixed-use concept with approximately 80 condo units and possibly a retail space. However, at the last meeting, Spencer
said the downtown commer cial and retail property market had become oversaturated. The latest proposal now calls for a 54-unit condominium development with three buildings covering 172,651 square feet. Although there is no retail option, there is 9,000 square feet of space dedicated to other types of residential amenities like a gym, rooftop terrace and bike, kayak or paddleboard storage.
Councilwoman Sherri Myers said she felt the new design goes back to the original concept the CRA had in mind when it first approved the project in 2017. However, the 2017 proposal only consisted of 39 condo units and 102,417 feet.
Spencer also reported that the development will gen erate more than $170,000 a year in tax revenue which would go directly to the CRA. Other council members dis agreed and expressed their frustration with the entire project.
Located in the highly de sirable Seville Warehouse District, the townhome development will consist of six high-end villas with private rooftop living areas.
Developer David Richbourg, project manager J.J. Zielinski and architect Scott Campbell drew design inspiration from Miami and Chicago while also embracing the ware house-style of the Seville Historic District.
Terraces at Tarragona fea tures sustainable architecture and technology with environ mentally friendly ICF con struction, impact-rated glass, underground utilities and a discrete generator, which will be located in the courtyard of each unit.
Each of the 3,300-squarefoot, 4-bedroom and 3.5-
bath townhomes will feature high-end finishes, a third-level great room boasting 13-foot ceilings with built-in-bookshelves, a full wet bar, wine cooler and stately gas fire place. Kitchens will come equipped with premium appliances and feature an attractive galley-style layout with large waterfall quartz countertops and open concept dining area.
In addition to ample indoor entertaining space, each townhome unit will include its own private ground-level courtyard and 1,439-squarefoot rooftop terrace featuring a covered outdoor kitchen with walk-in pantry, double sinks, a refrigerator and gas cooktop stove and with a separate bar-style entertain ment area.
Councilwoman Teniadé Broughton, who is CRA president, said Myers was the only council member still on the board who approved the original project. Broughton said she believes that the revised plans for the develop ment do not take into account the site’s history as part of what was once a predomi nantly Black neighborhood. Broughton also said she had taken comfort in the fact there was a chance for retail space to come back into the
project so all members of the public would be able to get use out of the site, but without that aspect, she could no longer support it.
Councilman Delarian Wiggins and Broughton voted against reopening negotiations.
The City said they would begin negotiations with the development group and bring back an updated agree ment by as soon as October. For updates, visit cityofpensacola.com
The ground level of each unit has been designed to serve as a self-contained suite with a separate kitchenette and full bath, ready for utiliza tion as a private guest suite, professional office or direct income generation for private long term or short term rental revenue.
The designs were unani mously approved by the City’s Architectural Review Board in April 2021 and are now un dergoing structural engineer ing plans. The townhomes are expected to start at around $1.8 million and are anticipat ed to be completed in 2023.
Construction Underway on 240-Unit Luxury Apartment Complex Downtown
A new set of luxury apart ments are currently under construction at 51 S. Coyle Street called Palmilla. The 240-unit complex will consist of four residential buildings with a two story parking deck. Each of the residential build ings will be four stories with studio, one-, two- and three bedroom apartments and townhomes available for rent.
Each of the available floor plans feature open layouts with trendy accents, 9-foot ceilings and hardwood-style flooring. Apartment and Town homes have chef-inspired kitchens with custom cabinets and high-end quartz coun tertops. All residences are also equipped with a full-size washer and dryer and have expansive walk-in closets. Palmilla will also offer a variety of upscale amenities, such as a 24-hour fitness center
and yoga studio with Echelon bikes, a resort-style saltwater pool with tanning deck and a putting green on the property. Other amenities include a resident lounge with cafe bar, an outdoor kitchen area with gas grills, valet trash service and more.
Developers broke ground in October 2021 and according to Kore, LLC partner Patrick Jackson, the complex is expected to be complete by mid-2023.
Current rental prices range from $1,703 to $3,288 permonth depending on floor plan selection and optional upgrades. The Palmilla is now accepting online rental applications for its studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.
A new townhome develop ment is almost complete in downtown Pensacola. One Spring, located at the corner of Spring and Intendencia streets, will have 14 townho mes, each with private rooftop terraces that overlook down town Pensacola.
The One Spring development will offer six three-bedroom units and eight two-bedroom units. Ten of the units have street-facing balconies, and the rooftop terraces will in clude gardens.
Ron Ladner and his business partner Rimmer Covington are heading up the development project. In August, Ladner con firmed that 11 of the units were already under sales contracts.
Ladner and Covington are joint owners of Shaggy's Restaurants, which has six locations including Pensacola Beach.
Ladner said that it was import ant for him and his business partner to develop a project downtown featuring luxury amenities and features that you don’t have to be a mil lionaire to enjoy. They worked hard to keep the price point as competitive as possible, with units ranging from the mid-$500,000 to $600,000.
The entire project is expect ed to be complete with units ready for move-in by the end of October.
New Homes in Historic Tanyard District Now Complete
Located in the historic Tanyard Neighborhood of downtown Pensacola—where the Bartel’s Family Restaurant and Winery provided a lively atmosphere beginning in the 1930s—The Block at Bartels preserves and brings to life Pensacola’s history and heritage in one of downtown’s newest neighbor hoods.
Developed by aDoor Proper ties, The Blocks at Bartel con sists of 18 two-story single-fam ily homes with both 3- and 4-bedroom floor plans ranging from 1,674 to 1,903-square-feet. There are six different floor plans to choose from with a variety of layouts and optional upgrades.
Each home features Americana themes and color palettes. Additional amenities such as
garage apartments, covered patios, porches, balconies, courtyards and breezeways are also available with select floor plans.
Each of the classically-de signed Craftsman-style homes features modern amenities like custom cabinets, luxury vinyl plank flooring, quartz counter tops and a full stainless steel appliance package.
The Blocks at Bartel is now complete and homes are listed on the market with an average starting price of $542,000. The model home is available for viewing during the open house events, which are held Thurs day through Saturday from 12 pm to 3 pm at 110 South I Street in downtown Pensacola.
54-Unit Luxury Condominium Complex
Coming to Spring Street
Construction for the 54-unit lux ury condominium complex, The Waverly, is set to commence this fall. Located at 97 S. Spring Street in downtown Pensacola, the seven-story building will feature luxe 2- and 3-bedroom condominiums with elevated resort-style amenities. Each unit will feature 10-foot high-rise ceilings, panoramic living room views with marble bathroom backsplashes in the two- and three-bedroom units. Residences also come equipped with motorized roller shades, hurricane-proof windows and Wolf and Sub-Ze ro appliances in the kitchens. Upscale amenities will include a rooftop pool, pet park and clubroom.
The Waverly is planned to be the first phase of a larger vision
that will eventually include a grocery store and parking ga rage with reserved spaces for Waverly residents.
The property will feature a club-quality fitness center and expansive courtyard area. Residents will also enjoy easy access entry and dedicated parking. The Waverly will also have an in-house concierge service to assist residents with their needs, including laundry, grocery and maintenance services.
Development of The Waverly has been several years in the making and not without push back from the community. The former site was that of a World War II-era vocation school and the local USO. One of the build ings on the property was also the Escambia County School
District headquarters, which was named after Dr. Vernon McDaniel, the first Black School Board president. The building was eventually approved for demolition.
Bearing Point Properties, a real estate development company out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana will be heading the project.
Once construction begins, the project is anticipated to take somewhere from 18 to 24 to complete. Units at The Waverly start in the $900,000 range and go up in price according to size. For project details, visit waverlypensacola.com.
The City of Pensacola celebrated the start of construction on the Bruce Beach Revitalization Project at a groundbreaking event held July 26. This project will serve as a catalyst for connecting and activating Pensacola’s waterfront.
Bruce Beach is one of several locations along the Continuous Waterfront Trail envisioned in the Urban Core Community Redevel opment Plan, as further conceptualized in the Pensacola Waterfront Framework Plan.
Improvements through Phase I of the project include a restored beachfront and shoreline area with scenic views, trails, history exhibits, a learning garden and picnic area. Phase I will also add a pedestrian bridge to Community Maritime Park, a plaza to pro mote the site’s history, a lawn/play area, shade structures, and lush landscaping for the community to enjoy. The project plans have accounted for protection of protected trees along with wetland areas at Bruce Beach.
The Bruce Beach Revitalization Project aims to create a new rec reational and educational destination as part of a more connected public realm along the city’s waterfront.
The project was designed by the planning and engineering firm HDR, with consistency review from SCAPE and input from the pub lic. The City of Pensacola awarded a contract to Biggs Construction Inc. for construction of Phase I the Bruce Beach Revitalization Proj ect, which will be managed by the city’s Public Works and Facilities Engineering Division.
Bruce Beach will be closed to the public beginning Wednesday, July 27 for the duration of the project. Construction is expected to be completed by fall 2023, weather permitting. For more informa tion about the Bruce Beach Revitalization Project, visit cityofpensacola.com.
Highly-Anticipated Downtown Skatepark Becomes a Reality
The City of Pensacola celebrated the start of construction on the Blake Doyle Skatepark at Hollice T. Williams Park with a groundbreaking event August 2, kicking off a highly anticipated project for the Pensaco la skate community.
The groundbreaking event was held at the future skatepark location at Hollice T. Williams Park, under Interstate 110 along North Hayne Street between Jackson and La Rua streets.
The Pensacola community joined Mayor Grover Robinsons, the City of Pensacola and Upward Intuition to celebrate this exciting project, which will include approximately 25,000 square feet of skateable surface area for skaters of all ages and skill levels. The skatepark will feature a beginner area, multi-level skate plaza and two skate bowls, along with an additional 5,700 square feet of surrounding sidewalk and gathering areas.
Additional improvements through the project will include stadium seating, sidewalks, concrete gathering areas and artificial turf areas, benches, multi-colored concrete, trash cans and a small stage area.
Construction of the Blake Doyle Skatepark is anticipated to be com plete by summer 2023, weather permitting. The City of Pensacola awarded the construction contract for the skatepark to Bear Construc tion and the skatepark will be managed by the City’s Public Works Department.
The project was funded by the City of Pensacola’s Local Option Sales Tax, Community Redevelopment Agency, private donors and the Amer ican Rescue Plan Act. The project design was funded by an Escambia County RESTORE Direct Component Grant. HDR Engineering and Kim ley-Horn were selected to perform the design of the overall park and the skatepark with the assistance of American Ramp Company.
The skatepark is part of the overall transformation of Hollice T. Williams Park through a joint project with the City of Pensacola and Escambia County, which will ultimately create a place for community members of all ages to connect and enjoy activities in the heart of the city.
Financing in Place for Construction of Public Restrooms
Financing is in place and design plans are underway for the construc tion of two public restrooms at the south and north end of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza on North Palafox Street. The public facilities are a joint project of the City of Pensacola and the Downtown Improvement Board (DIB).
The proposed MLK Plaza restrooms will be maintained by the City’s Parks and Recreation Department. The estimated cost for the construc tion of both restroom facilities is $500,000, with half of the cost being funded by the City and remainder, under a three-year financing deal backed by revenue from the Palafox Market vendors.
DIB Chairman Michael Carro says construction should be underway by early 2023.
Carro said that the restrooms are designed to be easily maintained and cleaned. The exterior of the two restroom facilities will also be aes thetically pleasing and blend into the overall architectural look of the downtown district.
Planning is well underway as Baptist Health care looks to find another use for its facility on Moreno Street once the new hospital campus opens in less than one year.
According to Baptist Health Care vice pres ident Brett Aldridge, planning for the old hospital campus began back when plans were being made for a new facility. Aldridge also explained that the plan for the existing campus was made in June 2019 — and continues to run concurrently with construction of the new hospital at Brent Lane and Interstate 110. A community advisory council of more than 70 people from various industry sectors and walks of life helped the Baptist administration develop the plan.
The hospital's redevelopment plan centers on the creation of new housing opportunities for both renters and home buyers. The hospital wants to find developers willing to build rent able midrise, multi-family homes.
According to Jennifer Grove, Baptist Hospital's vice president of external relations, within just nine acres of the old campus' 51-acre space, there is the potential to build three entire build ings of mixed-income housing or workforce housing.
Baptist Hospital plans to sell its old campus to developers who will commit to building mixeduse developments of multi- and single-family
homes as well as spaces for restaurants, retail ers and social services. The plan also calls for the city to reopen old streets that were closed when the hospital was built in the 1950s, and create a new 2.5-acre city park that will center around the historic Kupfrian Home.
With a total of 51 acres, there are myriad options, and a number of contractors around the nation with experience in large-scale campuses that have been consulted. Overall, there could be up to or over 500 units of such housing included within a final redevelopment plan.
Work on the interior finishes in the new Baptist Hospital and the Bear Family Foundation Health Center is fully underway.
Paint, tile, vinyl flooring and cabinets are bring ing the buildings to life for when the doors open at the new Brent Lane campus location in the fall of 2023.
Painting is already underway in the main hos pital building, with some floors already having the cabinetry and tile installed.
Work on the hospital’s Bear Family Foundation Health Center is also well underway, with the drywall installation complete on multiple
floors. Crews have also begun installing cabinetry, tile and plumbing fixtures in the new health center building.
Construction has also begun on the new Behavioral Health Unit, which will also be part of the new campus. The building pad is now complete and a majority of the site utilities have already been installed, with site preparation for foundation work ongoing. The concrete sidewalks in the town square are also complete. The installation of decorative colored concrete sidewalks is ongoing and crews are now installing light poles across the campus.
While there’s a hard deadline for completion of the new Baptist Hospital for the fall of 2023, a timeline has yet to be developed for renovat ing the old campus. Shovels won’t go into the ground until after the new campus opens.
At this point, the cost of renovation is not known. Baptist administration says that they will send out a request for proposals from de velopers willing and able to work with Baptist’s vision.
• More than 800 workers are on site on any given day.
• $16.7 million has been paid in construction wages to the local economy since January 2021
• More than half of the workforce is local or minority
• Efforts to recruit more local and minority workers continue
Keep up with the progress of the new campus project and check out videos and photos of the construction site at ebaptisthealthcare.org
You probably know, I travel a lot. I mean, like the world over. So let me ask you a question: Do you think I could do this job if I had to fly commercial? Hell no! The big guys could never get me to all of my destinations without endless hours spent in endless lines at the airports. Sure, I’m a jolly old elf, but after 20 minutes waiting for baggage, even I can become a Karen.
So that’s why, when it’s time to work in the Southeast, I call Captain Eric at Southeast Air Shuttle, your No-Line Airline to fly me around. There are no lines for boarding, no lines for seats, no lines for baggage. Simply walk out to the plane with Captain Eric and take off.
When we land, I go do my thing and when I’m done, he’s ready to take me to the next stop. It’s really that easy.
So, if you’re tired of waiting in lines and you really want to be productive, give Captain Eric a call and he’ll take good care of you.
Peace,
no secret that downtown Pensacola continues to flourish with redevelopment. Every day it seems a new restaurant, shop or office is opening along Palafox Street. Recent months have seen a handful of new busi nesses open their doors in the downtown core. We’ve compiled a roundup of downtown Pensacola’s newest restaurants, eateries and businesses.
The old South Market location on Main Street is now home to Kitty Mitchell, an eclectic tapas and cocktail bar created by South Market owner Hol ly Hays. Kitty Mitchell had its soft opening in July 2022 and officially opened its doors in August 2022. The restaurant is run by Chef Jason Brewer, who is also the chef of Kitty Mitchell’s sister restaurant, Bar515 Cock tail & Tapas in Pace. Despite Bar515 and Kitty Mitchell both being tapas and cocktail bars, the two spots feature different
menu offerings. The vibe inside of Kitty Mitchell is also quite different from Bar515, featur ing a feminine interior inspired by the 1800s. Hays decided to implement this decor element to pay homage to the story behind the name Kitty Mitchell. The restaurant’s name is inspired by an 1870s folklore about Kitty Mitchell, a woman who is supposedly the first restaurant owner in Pensacola and whom the Kitty Mitchell Grouper was named after.
Zaytouna Greek and Lebanese Restaurant is downtown’s latest restaurant dishing up authentic Greek and Lebanese food. The restaurant’s owner, Mazin Mus tafa, is no stranger to the cuisine or the business, as he has been operating a small Greek and Leb anese restaurant chain—called Albasha Greek and Lebanese Restaurant—in Louisiana since the early 1990s. In September 2022, Mustafa officially extended his popular Greek and Lebanese chain to Pensacola, but under a
different name– Zaytouna Greek and Lebanese Restaurant. Pen sacola’s new Zaytouna Greek and Lebanese Restaurant features the same menu favorites as Musta fa’s Louisiana chain, such as the gyros and shawarma piled with freshly-prepared meats like lamb, chicken and beef. Also popular at the restaurant are Greek and Lebanese staples such as falafel and humus. Zaytouna Greek and Lebanese Restaurant is located at 440 E. Chase Street.
E. Chase StreetIf you grew up in Pensacola or lived in the area in the 80s or 90s, you more than likely re member the staple of the city’s underground music scene, The Handlebar. The Handlebar was first opened in 1983 and slowly became home to a flourishing punk scene. For most of its life, the local dive was owned and operated by Pensacola-natives, Sue and Jimmy Lamar III. After years of operation, The Handle
bar eventually closed its doors in November 2018. When The Handlebar hit the market, it caught the attention of Kathy Sandstrom and her husband, Chris McKean who are now co-owners of the new space. The couple purchased the space and revamped the old dive while keeping its historic ele ments. The Handlebar officially reopened in August 2022 and has been booming ever since.
Popular downtown eatery, South Market, moved into a new location at 905 East Greg ory Street earlier this year. Pre viously located in the Pensacola Historic Village at 232 E. Main Street, South Market celebrated the soft opening of its new loca tion in May 2022. The Gregory Street location was formerly home to Saltgrass Steakhouse. South Market’s new space is large, allowing for more guests and shorter wait times. With
so much more square footage, South Market owner Holly Hays saw the move to the new location as an opportunity to expand the menu in addition to expanding the seating. Local chef Keith Pardue was hired on to help with expanding the menu. Pardue helped shape an improved menu, with new items like Gulf seafood, fresh oysters and prime steaks, as well as all of the South Market menu sta ples, but with an elevated twist.
Pensacola Beach favorite, café NOLA, recently expanded to a second location, Restaurant NOLA. Cy Whitney, the owner of café NOLA, announced the new restaurant in May 2022. Restaurant NOLA moved into a prime spot for downtown dining– the former Franco’s building at 523 East Gregory Street. This location is much bigger than café NOLA’s spot on the beach and features a
larger kitchen, allowing for an expanded menu. Restaurant NOLA serves up all of the café NOLA favorites such as gumbo, oysters and po’boys, as well as new menu items like new pasta dishes, seafood and steak en trees. After five years of serving Pensacola Beach, Whitney has been dishing up his delectable Cajun and Creole-inspired of ferings to the downtown crowd since early October 2022.
Bavaria is downtown Pensaco la’s first authentic German eat ery. Opened in August 2022, Bavaria took over what was the previous location of the now closed restaurant, The Joint, at 10 S Palafox Street. Bavar ia is serving the downtown crowd with all of Germany’s finest foods and brews. The restaurant has a menu crafted by German chefs and includes popular German dishes such as spätzle, schnitzel and sausages. Bavaria also features a full bar
and a great variety of German beer, both on tap and by the bottle. Shortly after the open ing of Bavaria, a pizza napo letana restaurant called Dieci Pensacola opened up inside the German restaurant. That’s right, you can order Italian and German food all in one place. Dieci Pensacola specializes in authentic Neapolitan pizza that is cooked in a 900F brick oven to get that beautiful crust. Dieci Pensacola opened in September 2022.
Parlor Doughnuts is a craft doughnut and coffee franchise known for its variety of gour met layered doughnuts. In July 2022, Parlor Doughnuts opened up its Pensacola location at 120 Palafox Pl. Parlor Doughnuts was founded by Darrick Hayden and Josh Tudela in February 2019 when the two launched their first location in Evansville, IN. Since then, their delicious doughnuts have spread across the country, with 40 locations throughout the US. Parlor Doughnuts’ signature item
is, of course, doughnuts. The doughnuts are “layered” which offer the texture of a croissant and donut combined. Parlor can accommodate those with allergies or special diets, offer ing vegan, gluten-free and keto doughnuts. In addition to their doughnuts, Parlor serves other food items such as breakfast ta cos, sandwiches, acai bowls and more. On the beverage side of things, Parlor offers a variety of specialty coffees, teas, juices and milkshakes (which can be made dairy free, too).
The historic Rex Theatre and its beautiful Art-Deco style archi tecture is an iconic downtown Pensacola building. The theatre also houses Generation Church, and most recently, The Rex Café. The Rex Café held its soft opening event in April, followed by its grand opening in June. This European-style café began with Generation Church’s Lead Pastor, Roger Hirth, who dreamt of sharing his love of coffee with
the church community by pro viding them with a welcoming place to gather throughout the week outside of regular church services. Hirth’s dream was finally brought to life with the opening of Generation Church’s nonprofit coffee shop, aptly named The Rex Cafe. Since its opening, The Rex Café had been bustling with coffee lovers from all over the city.
South Florida based business, Aluma Designs, recently opened its first loca tion in downtown Pensacola on Tarragona Street. Aluma Designs provides modern art framing and display solutions to a variety of customers across the country. Aluma Designs began as an art framing com pany, founded by husband and wife co-owners David and Carri Keigley. The couple began Alu ma in Miami in 2003 and it has grown to become much more
than just an art framing compa ny. Aluma Designs specializes in corporate signage, printing, graphics, displays, and framing. The Keigley’s decided to move their business back to their home, Pensacola, with their new location opening up in May 2022. Aluma Designs is proudly serving the Pensacola area and their work can be seen in busi nesses throughout the city, such as Navy Federal Credit Union and The Handlebar.
The America’s First Settlement Trail (A1S Trail) is a three-mile marked path through downtown Pensacola and the Pensacola Historic District. The trail was created by local realtor Michael Carro in partnership with the City of Pensacola and Visit Pensacola. The team wanted to offer new opportu nities for residents and visitors alike to explore Pensacola’s rich history. The trail was completed and made available to walk and
explore in June 2022. The A1S Trail begins with marker one at Plaza Ferdinand and ends with marker 20 at 223 South Palafox, the 1887 Customs House that now houses Artel Gallery. Trail guests can walk this painted path and scan QR code markers to learn more about the city’s history and landmarks. The trail highlights more than 260 years of Pensacola history, with 20 stops and 70 points of interest.
The Andrews Way provides the highest level of patient care and outcomes available in orthopaedics and sports medicine.
Catalyst Healthcare Real Estate announces its partnership with Dr. James Andrews as the real estate developer for Andrews Medicine and their new Centers of Excellence.
