What’s New in Developments

by Morgan Cole

It’s no secret that the Pensacola-area Is growIng, and it’s growing fast. As new luxury condos, infill housing and large-scale subdivisions are being developed across the city, median home and rental prices continue to rise. With construction underway on the final phases of the new Palmilla apartments in downtown Pensacola and plans recently announced for a new six-story, 242-unit residential complex in the East Garden District, there’s no sign of things slowing down. Throughout areas of North Pensacola, homebuilders are developing new large-scale subdivisions at every turn. As development continues along the State Road 87 corridor in Central Santa Rosa County, it is quickly changing the face of this once laid back, rural area. Within the past year and half alone, Santa Rosa County has approved at least 17 new subdivisions, bringing an estimated 900 new homes to the area. This number doesn’t include some of the other major projects currently on the table that have yet to receive final approval, such as the 2,700-acre Jubilee project being pursued in Pace. As the population throughout our Northwest Florida communities only continues to increase, inevitably comes more developments and long-term infrastructure projects to support this growth. Although impossible to cover them all, we have brought you details on some of the latest projects to be developed or currently under development throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa Cosa counties.

New Luxury Apartments in Downtown Pensacola Now Available for Rent

Construction is nearly complete on the new set of luxury apartments at 605 W. Garden Street in downtown Pensacola. The 240-unit complex called Palmilla consists of four residential buildings with a two-story parking deck. Each building is four stories with studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Each of the available floor plans feature open layouts with trendy accents, 9-foot ceilings and hardwood-style flooring. All units come equipped with a chef-inspired kitchen, custom cabinets and high-end quartz countertops. Units also include a full-size washer and dryer along with expansive walk-in closets. Palmilla will offer a variety of upscale amenities including a 24hour fitness center and yoga studio, a resort-style saltwater pool with tanning deck, valet trash service and a putting green on the property. The property is currently accepting rental applications for completed units and conducting onsite tours for prospective renters. Rental prices range from $1,703 to $3,358 per month depending on floor plan selection and optional upgrades. Visit palmillaliving.com for complete property details.

New Townhomes Offer Rooftop Terraces & Downtown Living

Construction is complete on a new townhome development in downtown Pensacola. One Spring, located at the corner of Spring and Intendencia streets, consists of 14 three-story townhomes, each with its own private rooftop terrace and garage. The development consists of six three-bedroom units and eight 2-bedroom units, with ten of the units having streetfacing balconies. Ron Ladner and business partner Rimmer Covington are heading up the development project. Ladner and Covington are joint owners of Shaggy’s Restaurants, which has six locations including Pensacola Beach. A majority of the townhomes are complete and the property is now conducting private showings. Developers said that they worked hard to keep the price point of the townhomes as competitive as possible, with units now on the market with prices ranging from mid-$500K to $600K.

Hello DeSoto Brings Modern Living to Heart of North Hill

Hello Desoto, a new single-family home development in downtown Pensacola by local real estate developer Lauren Gund of Helm & Forge is located in the heart of historic North Hill on the 500 block of West DeSoto Street. These four singlefamily residences bring a new look to contemporary housing in the downtown Pensacola area. These custom-designed homes deliver a sophisticated style and timeless modernism in a way that also boasts comfort, convenience and quality. Each of the 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom homes features a spacious 2,400-square-foot floor plan with high ceilings and covered parking areas with storage space. Homes also feature highefficiency tankless water heaters, natural gas, smart home controls, wood tile, custom wood cabinetry with granite countertops, a luxurious upstairs master suite with private balcony and reading nook and covered patios at the front and rear of the property. For complete property details, visit hellodesoto.com.

Bruce Beach Park on Track to be Complete Next Year

The construction of Bruce Beach Park is now heading toward the second phase of development with the park on track to open in 2024. Construction is underway on the $6.3 million first phase of the park. The first phase includes building a central plaza with a walkway, shade structures, two public lawn areas with seat walls, a learning garden with plants and play structures for children and a pedestrian bridge over Washerwoman Creek, connecting the park to Community Maritime Park.

The Pensacola City Council received updated plans for the second phase of Bruce Beach Park that include updated walking paths and a kayak launch location. Designers from firms SCAPE and HDR told the council that they planned on opening a temporary restroom trailer at the park that will serve as the public restroom facilities until the construction of the planned education and historic center is complete. However, the education and historic center are currently a part of the unfunded phase three of the park project.

Engineering plans for phase two are currently 60 percent complete, and the plans are expected to be finished later this year with bids for construction being advertised this summer as phase one construction is set to wrap up. The council has budgeted $674K for phase two of the project. In February, the City Council approved a contract for street improvements on Clubbs Street that will allow for the construction of a small parking area at Bruce Beach. For updates and complete project details, visit cityofpensacola.com.

14 New-Construction Homes Available on West Jackson Street

Kirksey Court is one of Downtown Pensacola’s newest subdivisions. Built by aDoor Properties, the development consists of 14 single-family detached homes located on the 900 block of West Jackson Street near downtown Pensacola. Each two-story Craftsman-style home features a spacious open floor plan, duel covered porches and 8-foot exterior doors. Each home sits at more than 1,700-square-foot and is equipped with modern stainless-steel appliances and black hardware to create a timeless yet modern look. Floorplans feature a spacious first-floor master suite with large walk-in closets and a full bath with double-sink vanity. Upstairs are two additional large bedrooms, a full bathroom, coat closet and large storage closet, as well as a second story covered balcony. Construction is complete and Kirksey Court homes are now listed at $420K and under. For complete property details, visit kirkseycourtinfo.com.

The Retreat at A Street

These new-construction Flynn Built homes located off North A Street in the heart of downtown Pensacola, feature custom two-story 1,600-square-foot (or more) floor plans. Each of the seven homes contains three bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms with 8-foot doors, oversized shaker-style door trims, cased windows and 9-foot ceilings. Kitchen and dining areas are equipped with stainless-steel appliance packages, a custom tile backsplash, quartz countertops, a pantry and large center island. There is also a guest suite and bathroom located on the main floor. Coretec Pro Plus vinyl plank floors have been installed throughout the common areas and bathrooms, with carpeted bedrooms. Each upstairs master suite features a large walk-in closet and luxurious master bathroom with a custom tile shower and freestanding tub, a double vanity sink with quartz countertops and private water closet. On the upper level are two additional bedrooms with large closets. There is also an indoor laundry room located on the second floor of each home. Exterior features include a fully sodded yard, low-E double pane vinyl windows, fabric shield hurricane protected windows, a Taexx pest control system, full irrigation system, tankless gas water heater, wooden privacy fence and storage shed. Some homes are still under construction but are currently for sale starting at around $370,000 and up.

32-Unit Townhome Development Planned for Tanyard Neighborhood

A new 32-unit townhome development is being planned for the Tanyard neighborhood in downtown Pensacola. Pensacola-based aDoor Properties submitted to the Pensacola Planning Board a proposal for a 32-lot development called Main Street Crossing. The project is located at 555 South G Street and is slightly more than 1 1/2 acres. The southern edge of the property fronts Main Street just across the road from the Builders First Source lumber yard. The proposal asks the city to approve the new lot lines for the planned development. Although much of the project is still in the design phase, the company plans to build 32 high-end rental townhomes, which are anticipated to be rented out for around $2.5K per month. aDoor Properties purchased the property in February for $1 million, according to the Escambia County Property Appraiser’s website. For several months, aDoor has had a notice of demolition posted on the 1952 warehouse that currently occupies the site.

Plans Submitted for Six-Story Residential Building in East Garden District

A new six-story, 242-unit residential building could be coming to downtown Pensacola. According to development documents submitted to the city of Pensacola, STOA Group, a Louisiana-based development group, is proposing to build a new mixed-use development at 110 E. Garden Street called The Heights At East Garden District. The proposed development would sit adjacent to the new East Garden District, which will also host the new location of the Union Public House restaurant and a new, 150-room Tapestry Collection hotel by Hilton. The building plans feature a twostory parking deck with four stories of residential units. Plans also include 12 thousand square feet of street-level retail space as well as other amenities on the second level. STOA Group is working in collaboration with Catalyst HRE to match the project to the planned East Garden District. The project lies in the footprint of four buildings that will have to be demolished. One of the buildings is owned by Catalyst HRE, and under the original East Garden District plan, the building was slated to be new retail, restaurant or bar space. Last November, developers sought the approval of the Pensacola Architectural Review Board (ARB) for demolition of the four buildings and conceptual approval of the project. The ARB approved the demolition request but denied the initial conceptual approval, noting the board was supportive of the project but wanted to see changes to the way the building interacts with the street and the way the parking deck is hidden from view. The developers will still need to win final approval of the project from the ARB before demolition can begin.

Waverly Developers Request $1.5 Million Contribution From City of Pensacola

In February, developers from 200 West Garden Inc. asked the City of Pensacola to contribute nearly $1.5 million in infrastructure improvements for their downtown development project, The Waverly. The project is planned to include 328 residential rental units, 54 for-purchase condominium units, 37,000 square feet of grocery retail space with a seven-level parking structure in the center. John Buzzell, representing 200 West Garden, told CRA members they are hoping to enter a public-private partnership with the city to facilitate streetscape improvements along Spring Street from Garden to Romana streets. The city would be asked to contribute $1.48 million for right of way improvements, and would be responsible for maintaining the public streets, sidewalks, streetlights, utilities and stormwater drainage around the project site. 200 West Garden LLC would cover the remaining $889K in streetscape improvements, including maintaining the public right of way, landscaping and an access road for grocery store delivery trucks. The landscaping would include reducing the amount of impervious surface on the lot from 59,029 square feet to around 42,140 square feet. The amount of pervious surface would increase from 4,531 square feet to 21,420 square feet, and the number of trees on the property would climb from 14 to 60. Buzzell said the proposed cost split, which would see the city covering about 62.5 percent of the streetscaping construction costs, was comparable to other public-private partnerships the city has entered. Along with questions about its share of the funding, several CRA members asked for an analysis of how much tax revenue the city is expected to recoup on the project. CRA members questioned how the development would impact parking and traffic. Although the number of on-street parking spaces will be reduced from 42 to 35 under the current plan, the on-site parking structure will include 746 total spaces, with 172 “open” parking spaces on the first two levels for grocery store customers and general public use.

Baptist Hospital Affordable Housing Project

Two proposed affordable housing developments planned for the old Baptist Hospital campus failed to win approval for federal affordable housing tax credits. Earlier this year, Baptist Hospital announced it had selected The Paces Foundation and Soho Housing Partners to redevelop 10 acres of the 51-acre campus into affordable housing projects. The projects were contingent on receiving federal affordable housing tax credits through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. However, a selection committee met in February, and the two Paces Foundation projects were not among those selected for the tax program. The Paces Foundation was initially seeking to build two developments on the 10 acres, which included a 112 affordable multi-family units called Avery Place that was seeking a 4 percent lowincome housing tax credit and a 102-unit affordable senior housing development called Kupfrian Manor that was seeking a 9 percent low-income housing tax credit. Pensacola had backed both projects with the financial support of $37,500 for the Avery Place project and a much higher $460K for the Kupfrian Manor project, which required a vote of the City Council. The funds would only be spent if the developments were awarded the tax credit. Pensacola Mayor, D.C. Reeves said the city is assessing what the next step will be and if the funding has to be reallocated for future affordable housing applications.

New Baptist Hospital Campus on Track to Open in Fall

The new 57-acre Baptist Health Care Campus located at the corner of Interstate 110 and Brent Lane in Pensacola is on track to open this fall, and progress continues at a fast pace. With most of the work well underway in the main hospital, construction crews are now working to complete the new Bear Family Foundation Health Center with interior finishes such as painting, flooring, door and cabinet hardware and wall graphics to serve as wayfinders. The framing, sheathing and waterproofing of the exterior walls of the Behavioral Health Unit are nearly complete, and the interior buildout has begun. Campus-wide, final work on sidewalks, curbs and pavers is nearly complete. The irrigation system has been installed in The Town Square and landscape planting has also begun. The $650 million hospital project has generated significant opportunities for local vendors, contractors and their supporting economy, creating 4,261 construction jobs and nearly $201 million in direct construction labor. Each day, there are more than 600 individuals onsite working to have the health care campus completed for its official opening this fall. For complete project details and to follow the construction progress, visit ebaptisthealthcare.org/ transforming-baptist.

Hawkshaw Developers Back in Negotiations with Pensacola CRA

The Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency and the Hawkshaw Development Group are back in negotiations 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 Montgomery in 2018 for $1.6 million. Developers missed a deadline to file construction permits under the agreement in May and had to pay the CRA a $100K penalty fee. Earlier this year, Brian Spencer, a former City Council member who joined the development 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. The new proposal calls for a 54-unit condominium development with three buildings covering 172,651 square feet. Although there is no retail option, there is 9 thousand square feet of space dedicated to 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 included 39 condo units at 102,417 square feet. Spencer also said the new development will generate more than $170K a year in tax revenue which will go directly to the CRA. In April 2022, City staff began negotiations with the development group and brought back a revised agreement to the Pensacola CRA for approval. The agreement has been approved pending monthly updates from the developer.

Pensacola’s First Boutique Lodging House Celebrates Grand Opening

From a Baptist Church to an underground punk venue and finally onto Pensacola’s Seven to Save list—revitalized and reborn as Lily Hall. After more than a year of transforming the former Mount Olive Baptist Church from the ground up into a chic, boutique lodging house, Lily Hall celebrated its ribbon cutting February 15 at 415 Alcaniz Street in downtown Pensacola. Breathing new life into the structure that once housed the historic Old Mount Olive Baptist Church, the property is independently owned and operated by Nashvillebased Stahlman Hospitality Group. Lily Hall offers guests 15 boutique suites to choose from, a grassy garden sitting area, library parlor, signature restaurant, main bar and an intimate, prohibition-era speakeasy among several other unique hangout areas. “We hope that people will notice the little things when they come here,” Nathan Weinburg, founding partner said. “We even have a signature scent at Lily Hall. The little touches like specialty coffees or little treats down in the restaurant, they all make this place pretty unique for Pensacola. We’re really proud of it,” he explained. The property features a speakeasy-style bar called Sister Hen as well as a spanish-inspired restaurant with head chef and recent Chopped TV show champion, Darian Hernandez. For rates and complete property details, visit lilyhall.com.

Escambia County to Consider OLF-8 Proposals in April

Escambia County is set to consider offers for OLF-8 at an April 6 public meeting. There are currently two offers on the table for the 540-acre county-owned property located on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola. Breland Companies of Huntsville, Alabama had previously made a $53 million cash offer for the property. Breland is a nearly 50-year old real estate development firm that has developed more than 500 residential communities with more than 30 thousand units, in addition to multi-family, office and numerous retail developments. These developments have been anchored by companies that include BJ’s Wholesale, Starbucks, Chipotle, Outback Steakhouse?, Duluth Trading and others. Homebuilder D.R. Horton also made a $33 million proposal, but then upped it to $38 million after Breland’s aggressive offer. A third company has expressed interest in submitting a proposal; however, the last report had not indicated that an official offer had been submitted. The commission has set and approved a master design plan for the property, which includes a combination of commerce, residentials and amenities. Breland said in their proposal that they would follow the master plan, while D.R. Horton said they would write a master plan of their own. The commission has formally acknowledged receipt of the offers and directed the county administrator and attorney to have non-exclusive negotiations with both parties and any other company that makes an offer.

Pensacola Bay Bridge Project Nears Completion

All six lanes on the Pensacola Bay Bridge are now officially open to traffic, following the opening of the third travel lane on the eastbound structure last month. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, each bridge structure consists of three, 12-foot travel lanes flanked by 10-foot shoulders. While all six travel lanes on the bridge are now open, additional work remains to complete the project. Tasks will include painting, work on the bridge’s aesthetic lighting system, completion of the wayside park area in Gulf Breeze and completion of the shared-use path on the westbound bridge. These activities will, at times, require intermittent nighttime lane closures. Completion of the project is currently estimated for later this spring.

With a construction cost of approximately $440 million, the Pensacola Bay Bridge replacement project serves as the largest transportation initiative in Northwest Florida history. More than 55 thousand drivers travel the bridge daily between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze. The modern, six-lane structure replaces a four-lane bridge that opened in 1960. The original bridge across the bay was a two-lane drawbridge that opened back in 1931. Construction of the new structure began in 2017 and was delayed by eight months in 2020 when Skanska-owned construction barges became unmoored during Hurricane Sally, which severely damaged the bridge as well as other public and private structures. Skanska has been the target of numerous lawsuits related to the damage and financial losses stemming from the bridge outage.

Mayor D.C. Reeves Open to Proposals for Community Maritime Park Development

Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said this week that he is open to other proposals from developers for Community Maritime Park. In November, Inspired Communities of Florida sent the city a letter that said its proposed project for parcels 4 and 5 at Community Maritime Park had become “financially infeasible” and asked the city to consider extending its lease option until the market conditions improve. The developer, along with its partner EJ Smith Enterprises, owned by famed NFL running back and Pensacola native Emmitt Smith, had proposed to build up to 600 apartment units, a 900-space parking garage and up to 50 thousand square feet of retail space on the two key Maritime Park lots.

The company owns a lease option on the two lots that expire in February 2024, giving it the exclusive right to develop the properties. When asked about the project during his press conference in March, Reeves said the city had communicated with Inspired Communities, who were “amicable” to the idea of another developer putting forward a proposal for the properties.

According to Reeves, there are others interested in the property, but also said that the lease options limit the city to informal conversations about what it can do to market the properties at this point. Reeves also said that he remains optimistic about seeing the Community Maritime Park developed under the West Main Master Plan, but said there are economic factors outside the city’s, or any developer’s, control that could delay the project.

Pensacola’s First Skatepark Set to Open May 2

It’s been eight years in the making and now, the Blake Doyle Skatepark is nearly complete. The new amenity will occupy one city block at the end of the new Hollice T. Williams Park beneath the Interstate 110 overpass. Bear General Contractors LLC, who are building the skate park, are still in the process of completing landscaping, sidewalks, artificial turf and a few other tasks — about three weeks’ worth of work before they hand the space over to the city. The nearly $2.2 million skate park broke ground on Aug. 2 of last year between Jackson and La Rua streets next to From The Ground Up Community Garden. It will be part of the first phase of the $25 million Hollice T. Williams Stormwater Park, connecting the neighborhood around the I-110 overpass with downtown.

The skate park will be modeled similarly to the iconic West L.A. Courthouse Skate Plaza in Los Angeles that became a popular spot for skaters because its ledges were perfect for skateboarders to grind and slide on. It will also include a beginner area for those new to skateboarding, a multi-level skate plaza, two skate bowls and sidewalks going around the skate area. It will be a walkable, bikeable and skateable corridor for the entire community to connect and enjoy activities while leading into the downtown and waterfront areas. The skate park is scheduled to have its grand opening on May 2 at 3 pm. For more information about Upward Intuition and future events, visit upwardintuition.org

Pace

Work Continues on $8.8 Million Pea Ridge Connecter

Work continues on the Pea Ridge Connector, and Santa Rosa commissioners are trying to decide on an official name before it’s completed. Crews broke ground for the 1.7 mile road in 2020. The goal is to alleviate traffic on Highway 90 between Milton and Pace. The road is scheduled to be finished in the spring of 2024.

Plans Updated for Widening of Woodbine Road in Pace

In late 2022, officials announced updated plans regarding the future of widening Woodbine Road in Pace. At a meeting of the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners, a representative from engineering firm Mott MacDonald presented the company’s plans to improve two locations along Woodbine Road: one at the intersection with U.S. Highway 90 and another at the Five Points intersection.

The improvement plan at the intersection of Woodbine Road and U.S. Highway 90 includes a dedicated right-turn lane, a four-lane section with median and sidewalks. The Five Points intersection improvements include four lanes from Vinewood Lane to the Pace Athletic and Recreation Association Sports Plex, mast arm traffic signals and sidewalks. These plans are schematic designs, with the expectation that the final designs would be finished in April 2023 for the U.S. 90 intersection and December 2023 for Five Points, with construction to begin on the U.S. 90 intersection next summer.

Santa Rosa County’s Newest K-8 School Plans to Open by Fall

Santa Rosa County’s second kindergarten through eighthgrade school, Wallace Lake, is preparing to open up in Pace for the 2023-24 school year. The school broke ground in October 2021 and is estimated to be completed by August, just in time for teachers to move in. Wallace Lake K-8, located on a 33-acre site at 3354 Wallace Lake Road in Pace, will serve 1,182 students at full capacity. It is intended to relieve overcrowding at S.S. Dixon Primary, S.S. Dixon Intermediate and Sims Middle schools, all of which are currently over 89 percent capacity.

According to the district’s approved rezoning plan, 800 students will be pulled from Dixon Intermediate, Dixon Primary and Sims Middle School, with a small number of students pulled from surrounding schools, such as Central School and Chumuckla Elementary School. The transfer period for students within the county interested in Wallace Lake K-8 opens up April 3, then administrators will open the school up to outside applicants in mid-May. The school will be modeled after the district’s East Bay K-8 in Navarre, which follows a similar kid-friendly design including a school library as a central hub, an atrium, learning stage and an upper balcony.

The two-story school building will include 45 classrooms — 25 primary classrooms and 20 intermediate classrooms — and a covered physical education building. The cost for the new school is about $39.4 million, with a little less than $26.4 million of that coming from LOST revenue.

Jubilee Project

The preliminary plat of the first phase on the Jubilee project in Pace has been approved by county engineering. This segment includes 260 homes on 318 acres. The Jubilee development is a roughly 2,700-acre project planned to include housing, schools, a medical campus, commercial areas and more. It will sit north of Pace, mainly between Willard Norris and Luther Fowler roads.

Developers say the project draws inspiration from the picturesque town of Seaside in Walton County and from Celebration, a master-planned community south of Orlando founded by the Walt Disney Company. County officials and staff have said this phase earned this early approval because it meets standard county code. The next steps will involve the county reviewing a final plat and construction plans. In early 2022, the first phase’s preliminary plat made its way to the county’s hands. A phased development plan indicates the Jubilee project will take about a decade to fully build out.

In all, the developer’s estimated infrastructure construction cost for the project sits just under $177 million. The plan for Jubilee includes a large number of green spaces and walking paths and a large emphasis has been placed on making the community well connected and pedestrian friendly. Previous discussions also included turning the project into a community development district (CDD) however, in late September 2022, Santa Rosa County Commissioners voted unanimously to deny Jubilee’s Community Development District. As of now, Jubilee can still develop one house per acre on the property and commissioners have reported that just over 1,500 acres are zoned for homes at this time. For updates and complete project details, visit jubileefl.com.

Camelot

Plans were submitted for a new 190lot subdivision south of Avalon Middle School and Bennett Russell Elementary School in Pace. According to documents from the Northwest Florida Water Management District, the project, called Camelot subdivision, will sit on 47.5 acres between Mulat Road and Avalon Boulevard and back up to the CSX railroad tracks. Thus far, the development group has not requested any zoning changes and are working within what is already permissible through the parcel’s zoning status, which allows for up to four lots per acre.