A recent guest
editorial and letter to the editor about OLF 8 contained strident opinions presented
as facts and half-truths conflated with misstatements. A letter to the editor in today's PNJ contained the same flawed talking points. Therefore, I feel obliged to add clarity to
this important issue.
The OLF 8 acquisition, master planning, and marketing effort
has been a 25-year evolution.
We’ve recently accepted an all-cash offer for OLF-8,
allowing for the construction of restaurants, retail, a town-center, high-wage
job areas, and other amenities for all Escambia taxpayers.
The bidder I favored--based upon better initially expressed
intentions (Breland)—didn’t show up to the selection meeting held on April 6th. They were aware of the meeting and didn’t
attend.
DR Horton, by contrast, attended the meeting, presented
their plan, and modified their language indicating substantial compliance with
the Board’s Master Plan. They’ll be
teaming with Stirling properties for the commercial/light industrial portions
of the field, and they
upped their offer significantly—to $42 Million Dollars ($7 Million more
than Breland’s highest offer).
Also-Horton/Stirling’s plan indicates a piece of the parcel
for potential sale to the school board for a Beulah High School if that board
wants that. Breland’s rendering had no school site. Horton/Stirling’s plan also has a town center;
the Breland “rendering”has no town center.
Breland’s plan indicates miniscule retail portions, a tiny
portion for job creation (light industrial) and the entire balance of the land
residential. Importantly: Breland’s
plan didn’t reflect the master plan conformity they assured the board in their
initial purchase offer.
The Horton/Stirling plan remains much more strongly aligned with the agreed upon master plan than does Breland’s—look at initial renderings, side by side, below. Judge for yourself.
 |
| DR Horton/Stirling Property OLF 8 Concept plan (Residential in Green) |
.jpg) |
| Breland OLF8 Concept plan (Residential in Yellow) |
Pressure applied on the BCC by some area residents and a few
politically connected special interests, however, pushed aside the original
plan as solely a regional jobs generator.
That’s how we got here.
Over the next 60 days, we’ll hammer out an agreement that’ll
result in between a $20-$27 million dollar “profit” for the taxpayers— proceeds
that will be used county-wide to address legacy deficiencies in infrastructure
and fund quality of life enhancements.
OLF 8 will also generate significant new property tax
revenue for the county and the school board; this added revenue allows us to
ensure FIRST RESPONDERS are paid competitive wages-assisting us with
staffing challenges without raising property tax (millage) rates.
Therefore, I’d caution readers to always be wary in
believing a few voices of discord who want you to believe they represent and speak
for everyone.
Remember: these same voices have deftly transitioned and
recalibrated their opposition as we’ve responsibly advanced this project. “They’ll
never complete this land-swap!” naysayers first howled. “These commissioners are reckless—they’ll
NEVER recoup this investment!” came next. Now it’s “Commissioners only care about the
MONEY.”
It’s very rich how the goal posts move, the attacks change---
but the faces of opposition remain the same.
We’ll never successfully hit the Goldilocks zone for these
folks—where the porridge is “just right,” but we’ve tried. We engaged the community, compromised, and listened.
Now it’s time to act.
I’m upbeat, positive, and optimistic about the impending
OLF8 sale/development.
With integrity and due consideration, we’ll close this deal
to produce a huge win----for everyone!
9 comments:
How many citizens have spoken in favor of the DR Horton plan? Many many more were against. Listen to your constituents and everyone else in the county
I'm one of those who wanted NO residential on this property. Many of us who grew up here have long complained about the minuscule amount of good paying jobs and the inability to offer our children something to keep them from moving away in search of those jobs.
However, there was the capitulation to those wanting something else as Commissioner Bergosh has stated numerous times. Just like the old Rolling Stones tune says "You don't always get what you want." So now there is that being applied to Ms. Blackwell who fought so strenuously to have a Town Center and other amenities. Why then is she willing to forego that which she fought for? Makes no sense to me and those I have discussed this with.
Looking at the two plans here on this blog it is really hard to see how the Breland plan comes anywhere close to the "alternative vision" Ms. Blackwell pitched so feverishly over multiple BOCC meetings and during the Master Plan process. I agree with you, Commissioner, theirs does not reflect the commitment to the Master Plan and is seven million shy of the offer from Horton/Stirling. My vote is to accept their offer and use that money in the interest of ALL county citizens. Because the following line in the song is "But if you try sometime,
You'll find you get what you need!"
In the 21st century we’ve learned that land alone doesn’t create jobs. If it did there would be tons of jobs in those parts of the country with thousands of acres of unused land. The tech park downtown sits empty as does the bluffs. Clicking our heels 👠 together and wishing for jobs to magically appear because we have raw land is both naive and foolish. Companies go to were their employees want to live work and play. Your decision making process is highly flawed and clearly influenced by your campaign supporters instead of your constituents
Nobody in their right mind, who actually cares about quality construction and planning, wanted to see DR Horton get ahold of this thing. In addition to Michael's "You Can't Always Get What You Want" above, there's just as big an element of "Be Careful What You Wish For Here." Even more applicable:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w772GXG5LnE
None of us who were rolling our eyes at Theresa's antics at the podium (at one point, Kevin dubbed her "Yakima Black") were doing so because we didn't understand the vision she was being spoon fed wasn't heavenly, the veritable new pastoral dream.
It's because we saw how she was being used to eventually shoehorn a company town in for Navy Federal, and that in addition to being completely out of her league politically, all of the attention and honors CivicCon and the PNJ were dumping on her worked, and she became quite taken with her prominence in the matter--in other words, just in the place of gullible self-satisfaction they wanted her. (I wonder if I still have a copy of the hand-written note she passed up to "Administrator Gilley or Commissioner Underhill" demanding that if Jeff Bergosh "ran her down" or something to that extent, she be invited by one of them back to the podium.)
People have been surprised that I've spoken words of sincere support here for *something* of the mirage planted in her brain to manifest on that field, being that she was one of the first contributors to plaintiff Edler's "defense" fund to bolster suing me (which the County allowed one of her stooge paramedics to run, counter to about half the County ethics policy book on employee conduct). Because I know now what I knew back then: she really doesn't understand much, politically. I have no doubt that, unlike Jacqueline Rogers and Wendy Underhill, Theresa honestly had no idea what was going on in that suit or in the EMS Department, just as she was led by the nose on entering that opt-out with Rogers against the Westmarks, who had the good grace not to sue the lot of them to smithereens.
At one of the recent meetings, I TRIED to help explain what was going on to her when we bumped into each other in the restroom, but she was so flush and agitated with her re-entry into importance that she could do little more than gape at me glassy-eyed, perhaps waiting for the third eyeball to surface in my forehead.
Earth to Theresa: this sort of time-honored soft-shoe maneuvering completely escapes your grasp, so let me spell it out for you. *BRELAND STEPPED AWAY FROM THE PROJECT*, and you are once again being used to advance a face-saving narrative for everyone but yourself, while people are laughing up their sleeves you're once again being manipulated for some futile BCC-bashing by the puppeteers of the PNJ.
(con.)
Even better, it would seem that Theresa once again has herself so spun up that she hasn't even bothered to delve into the "Town Madison" that has become her new sacred cow.
In reality--WOW--a quick Google search yields that Town Madison has--wait for it--a Panera's. Say it ain't so! The complex also has an Outback (is that a step up from the dreaded Longhorn?), plus Taco Mama's, Panda's, Sushi Express, and much, much more. Not to mention apartment and condo complexes so dense they look like they had to be dropped in via Huey helicopter.
Town Madison restaurants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PQSPCWSeCw
A realtor checking out the digs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kTmUD88vW8
Perhaps instead of continuing to present herself as the face of whatever ends up on OLF8 (a legacy that won't speak well to her grasp of the parameters and players), she could use those Downtown connections she's so proud of to encourage the City to even *attempt* to arise to the dream of well-planned, forward-thinking development pitched by the paid out-of-town hucksters for years now.
Who knows, maybe her cred with some of those folks might actually be useful towards convincing the City to, say, stop allowing sardine can development smack dab on top of Washerwoman Creek. Or maybe she could work with Inspire and Mr. Studer on making Old Stinky a legacy hallmark of CivicCon virtues, and utilize is as a--what a thought!--TOWN CENTER, with tons of recreative green space, a stage for outdoor theater, a place for kids to play, and some well-modelled and *actual* affordable housing to offset the horrendous push-out of lower-income residents that has been systematically ongoing as the gentrification rolls on.
Bonus: she wouldn't even have to worry about the impossible task of saving any trees from developer chainsaws on that property, unlike the rest of the live oak canopy in the Tanyards.
What say you, Theresa? Cut your losses on flubbing OLF8, and start activating what's left of your advocacy group towards some real vision and community-first priorities Downtown?
(Holding my breath...)
Thanks for the info.
Wish some of the you tube comments were links that could be followed.
😃 👋
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ebwhu3nsM8
🎶
*CAN'T ...always get what you want
but if you try sometime *YOU JUST MIGHT find...
😛
6:26 -I suspect you know more than you let on in your post but nevertheless your premise is all wrong. Bluffs are a long play, and that project is moving with fresh appropriations from the legislature yearly building out the infrastructure. The tech park was acquired with grant funding which hog-tied its potential usages to a very narrow band of eligible companies, and when acquired one large, well known local company was poised to build there. That company ran into issues financing the deal due to the recession and subsequntly repurposed a car dealer facility one county over. And your naive premise that we believe "raw land" creates jobs is ridiculous. It is not "raw land" alone that helps to influence decisions to build/locate/relocate large high-wage employers--but it is large parcels of land owned-controlled by local entities (with concomittant financial incentives available), shovel ready, zoned appropriately and near major freeways. Guess what? "Clicking our heels" and hoping for more such parcels won't make that happen--it takes hard work, dedication, and vision by leaders with fortitude to push aside nonsensical, out-of-touch and inaccurate assertions by folks like you. Now I hope you understand what's really going on here. And wiggling your noses side to side like Sabrina from Bewitched won't stop the intelligent in the room from moving forward with the important work with which you are completely disconnected.
As a resident of beulah and employee of navy federal, I disagree with your thoughts Mel. The fact is that the highest and best use for long term value of the land is what DPZ brought to the table with the village plan. This agricultural rooted community could have won awards and been in the same conversation as seaside, Rosemary beach, hampstead, and aly’s beach. The majority of beulah residents supported the village plan. It took a banana republic spearheaded by Bergosh to undermine Beulah residents and DPZ professionals. At no point were beulah residents and navy federal represented fairly. Now we can only hope that the design code and master plan holds up to the compromise plan.
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