USPS Publication Number 16300
T h i s C om mu n it y Ne w s p a p e r i s a p u bl i c a t ion of E s c a m b i a-S a nt a Ro s a B a r A s s o c i a t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icia l Ci rcu it Section A, Page 1
Vol. 21, No. 52
V isit T he S ummation W eekly O nline : SummationWeekly.com
December 29, 2021
1 Section, 8 Pages
A RE IMAGINE D WATE RFRONT THE URBAN CORE REDEVELOPMENT ARE A
D
by Morgan Cole
espite many unprecedented challenges that impacted not only our local economy but our community as a whole in 2020, the Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has continued its work toward the vision for the City’s rede- district, which include the velopment areas, especially within the “Hashtag” Waterfront Connector, Bruce Beach Improvements, a Urban Core district.
The Urban Core comprises a 256-block, 1,308-acre area that encompasses the City south of Cervantes Street, bounded to the west by A Street and to the east by 17th Avenue. It accounts for about 8.7 percent of the City’s total land area. Since its establishment in 1984, the district has experienced exponential growth. The 2010 Community Redevelopment Plan serves as the guide for all projects undertaken by the CRA. In 2020 alone, the Urban Core district saw significant progress and growth, with a total of 28 projects that were either started, underway or have been completed, ranging from small-scale residential property improvements to largerscale public-private partnership ventures. A total of $5.5 million was invested by the CRA to support projects within the Urban Core with a permitted value of $11.5 million. “Over the years, the CRA has worked to update the 2010 Community Redevelopment Plan for the Urban Core district to ensure the plan meets the changing needs of the growing downtown area,” Pensacola CRA Administrator, Helen Gibson said. Some of the significant and most current projects identified in the 2010 Urban Core Pan include community policing, affordable housing, infill development, targeted residential rehabilitation assistance, commercial facade improvements and park and waterfront access initiatives. Although the Urban Core has experienced many positive changes over the years, the CRA continues to work on more projects to help remove neighborhood blight and prevent its return through a series of initiatives which foster a diverse, inclusive and economically sustainable downtown district.
The CRA’s Urban Core Plan identifies a multitude of strategic improvement projects aimed at preserving and enhancing the district’s neighborhoods, fostering a productive urban environment and maximizing public access to the waterfront. Major initiatives include waterfront accessibility projects, complete streets redevelopment, implementation of recently adopted urban design standards and affordable housing. More recently, a bond refinancing plan was set-forth and approved by the CRA and City Council in order to gain additional revenue to support some of the larger projects outlined in the CRA’s 2010 Community Redevelopment Plan, specifically within the City’s Urban Core. “What we did was refinance some of the outstanding bonds that we had for the downtown area,” CRA Administrator, Helen Gibson explained. “Because at this point, we had them for a while and we wanted to get a better interest rate. Once approved, we were able to not only get a better interest rate on what we already had, but it also allowed us to gain additional money because the new rates were so low.” The CRA used the additional revenue gained from the approved Series 2019 bond issue, to do several projects that were identified in the original 2010 plan that hadn’t yet been done, according to Gibson. “Having a downtown that’s focused on being walkable with the proper amenities here, I think has the ability to be an economic engine, not just for Escambia County, but really for all of Northwest Florida,” Pensacola Mayor, Grover Robinson said. The additional revenue gained from the Series 2019 bond issue, provided a total of $17.8 million to fund four catalytic projects within the City’s Urban Core
new day marina at the Community Maritime Park and the East Garden District-Jefferson Street Road Diet (sidewalk and streetscape). In 2019, the City quickly signed onto the project and hired landscape architecture and urban design firm SCAPE, as well as the engineering firms HDR and Dewberry, to help make the concept a reality. “Hashtag” Waterfront Connector
Continuous Waterfront Trail System The “Hashtag” Waterfront Connector is an important multiphased project that carries out a key component of the Continuous Waterfront Trail envisioned in the Urban Core Community Redevelopment Plan. This project was named for the “hashtag” shape drawn by the concerning streets, Main and Cedar Streets connecting east to west and intersecting with Palafox and Jefferson Streets connecting north and south. The first phase of the project focuses on improvements to Main Street between South Alcaniz Street to South Baylen Street, including adding pedestrian connections, bike lanes, landscaping and protected lanes for businesses to receive deliveries without impeding traffic. The next two phases, which haven’t yet been approved and funded, would focus on making improvements to Cedar Street, and then working on Palafox and Jefferson streets. The key project priorities are to create a walkable, bikeable and safe environment, connect people to the waterfront, acknowledge and celebrate historic significance and encourage infill development and retail along Main Street. The project is expected to begin construction at the beginning of 2022 and be completed by the end of 2023.
A Bright Future for Bruce Beach
Bruce Beach Park Improvement Project Another catalyst project scheduled to break ground this year within the City’s Urban Core is the Bruce Beach Park improvement project. Bruce Beach is an area that once played an important role in Pensacola’s maritime industry in the early 1900s and has been an integral part of the City’s history over the last century. In the 1950s, after the Pensacola Shipyard closed, Bruce Beach was one of the few recreational areas open to black residents under segregation making the area a beloved gathering place for members of the black community. Along with park amenities like picnic areas, nature trails, early learning, interactive play features and green space, SCAPE also called for ecological efforts like habitat restoration and new stormwater treatment features, as well as historic plaques and other markers denoting the area’s rich history and importance in the black community. The project design plans also include a grand entry plaza, cultural exhibits, kayaking facilities and more. Key project priorities are to connect people to the water, restore and enhance local ecology, mark and commemorate African American history and heritage at the site and to create a cultural and educational destination at the Bay’s edge. A Day Use Marina
Coming to Community Maritime Park The development of the Community Maritime Park as a visitor attraction plays a significant role in the revitalization of the City’s Urban Core district. The third major catalytic project scheduled to take place within the City’s Urban Core this year as outlined in the Urban Core Redevelopment Plan, is the installation of a new day use marina at
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the Community Maritime Park in downtown Pensacola. As rooted in the Urban Core Redevelopment Plan, the Community Maritime Park Day Use Marina project will provide waterfront access points for boasters, kayakers and water taxi services. The project ties into several other strategic components called for by the plan and conceptualized in recent public and private master planning initiatives, according to CRA Administrator Helen Gibson. East Garden District Streetscape
Jefferson Street Road Diet The fourth catalytic project scheduled to break ground this year within the City’s urban Core district will be the East Garden District Streetscape. This project constitutes an extension of the Jefferson Street Road Diet project called for by the Urban Core Redevelopment Plan to provide connectivity to the waterfront at its southernmost terminus, adjacent to the Plaza de Luna Park. East Garden District is a master-planned redevelopment project bordered to the west and east by Palafox and Tarragona Streets, and to the north and east by Chase Street. The name and vision for the project pays homage to a redevelopment plan dating back to 1764, developed by British military officer and civil engineer Elias Durnford, that featured residential and commercial development lots located from the south of Garden Street down to the waterfront. The sale of each lot included a companion garden lot located to the north of Garden Street down to the waterfront. The sale of each lot included a companion garden lot located to the north of Garden Street that would be tended and harvested to create a steady supply of food for local families. The East Garden District project is located where a portion of the garden lots used to stand back in 1764.
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