Mayor DC Reeves Delivers a State of the City Address to Citizens

We work closely with the city on several issues, and three of my counterparts have large swaths of their districts that are also within the city limits.  So, there will always be some synergies and some crossover that requires city/county cooperation.  The homelessness issue and the related problems are a big topic that will require us working together. In addition to this, my employer ESA South is very interested in the happenings in the city so they asked if I would attend this event. So, I made it a point to attend last evening's "State of the City" Civicon event at the Sanders Beach Community Center.

Here are some highlights of his hour and ten-minute presentation.

First, the mayor focused on describing his progress in addressing his initial promised improvements in safety, housing, and jobs.  To illustrate his progress, he utilized data from a UWF Haas study the city commissioned of only city residents, and he also utilized data from the recently completed PYP Quality of Life Survey of area residents (including Escambia County Residents).

Highlights:

--94% of residents rated Pensacola Fire Department Excellent or Very Good

--87% of residents rated Pensacola Police Department Excellent or Very Good

--89% believe the city is heading in the “right direction.”

--new North City Police Substation will be opened at the PSC campus within the next 60 days

--City Fire Service enjoys the Highest ISO Rating, a 1

--$840,000 grant received for the installation of high tech “Shot Spotter” technology that will enable law enforcement to react to gunfire in real time and at the precise location where the gunfire occurred

--He discussed the ongoing efforts and legislative requests this upcoming session for $18 Million for demolition and re-purposing of the 50-acre legacy campus of Baptist Hospital for housing and other city needs.

--He discussed the current effort and #1 legislative ask from the state legislative delegation for a 5-gate expansion at the Pensacola International Airport-from 12 to 17 gates and additional concession options.  The funding necessary for completing this project will be split between the city, the state, and the federal government, according to Reeves.  Initial design is underway.

--Pensacola’s Airport throughput is at a record high already this year, and the projection is that by year’s end we will have had more than 2.65 million enplanements, which represents an 89% increase over enplanements in 2013

He next described what the survey data revealed to be the most desirable features of the city.  Access to

Apartment Construction Catches Neighborhood by Surprise

Residents are concerned about a large apartment complex being constructed in Perdido--questioning whether existing traffic infrastructure can "handle" this influx of traffic

 In October of last year, a large parcel of property at the foot of the Theo Baars  bridge (which at that time was in District 2) was selected for the development of an upscale apartment community by its owner(s).

Paperwork was submitted with development services, and the process to approve the development was commenced.

This parcel, indicated above, was already zoned commercial so no rezoning notifications were necessary, nor was any action by the planning board.

The applicant submitted the appropriate plans, paperwork, and fees in order to receive an approved development order which was granted by the county in early January of 2022 (just a few months after this portion of Escambia County reverted to District 1)

So the neighbors did not see this coming for these reasons, and they--like me--share obvious concerns about traffic in this area that is growing.  Several have called me and/or emailed me with concerns.

So it is really two issues.  First issue is should a large construction project like this --even if a zoning change is not necessary-- be required to notify neighbors?  A case could be made that this could be a way to keep neighbors from being blindsided.  I'm in favor of initiating a standalone apartment ordinance to be added to the LDC as these developments are always, it seems, problematic for an assortment of reasons.

Second issue is traffic.  Can the roads handle the influx?

Part of the development review process looks at the capacity of existing roadways and a formulaic process (based upon existing traffic counts and capacities) determines if the existing roads can handle the estimated new load.  In this instance, it was determined by staff the existing roads could handle this development's impact(s) on the surrounding area.

NOW HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS:

There are a significant number of traffic improvements currently underway and/or slated for this area, to include:

--Roundabout at Johnson's Beach Road at Perdido Key Drive

--Intersection Improvements at Innerarity Point Road/Gulf Beach Hwy

--Multiple safety improvements on Sorrento--to include a light coming at Doug Ford Drive and Sorrento Road

--$2 Million in D1 LOST funding was just approved by the board last regular meeting for the PD&E for 4-lanes on Sorrento Road--which will potentially slice 5 years off of the horizon for completion of this vital project.

Read all about the $12 Million in D1 Infrastructure approved at our last meeting, here. (Big deal)

And if the small county roads that are adjacent to this new development need improvement for functionality--I'll get funding for widening/safety enhancements.

We constantly deal with the competing pressures of not allowing growth juxtaposed with the development community which want to build to address the  supply shortage of housing which leaves some residents with no viable, affordable housing options.  This is a constant struggle, and I know we have to do the best we can on infrastructure, which we will continue to do to the best of our ability.

But meanwhile, according to many experts including the latest PNJ Civicon expert, we in this area have not built enough to keep up with demand over the last decade----and this is the reason for high home prices and our rental rates which are in the stratosphere price-wise.