Pensacola Updates - Page 2

Electrical Porpoise · #21 Posted **Mar 31, 2008, 8:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muskavon

Here is a poor and senseless photo of Perdido Key I took this evening in the smoggy-like conditions. ;-) I'd like to walk up the bridge one day and get a decent pic of the whole wall of condos. But I'm simply too lazy. The Blue Angels buzzed over my head in formation right after I took this shot. That was sorta cool.

Did you take those pictures from Lost Key? Cool picture by the way.

Muskavon · #22 Posted **Mar 31, 2008, 9:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electrical Porpoise

Did you take those pictures from Lost Key? Cool picture by the way.

Porpoise, I was standing in the parking lot of this condo tower (sorry, I didn't pay attention to the name) on old river road just north of Lost Key. So yeah, that's the golf course in front of me in that pic above....

Here was that pic without cropping it down (I suck with a camera, just plain and simple).......

Here are a couple of the several condos around the course (from the same vantage point as the other photos)....

Like what was stated above, Navy Hospital isn't on the main NAS base, but at Corry Field fronting Hwy. 98. I also don't know what problems there are getting in as a civilian.

Electrical Porpoise · #23 Posted **Mar 31, 2008, 10:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muskavon

So yeah, that's the golf course in front of me in that pic above....

That area is really nice and has cleaned up well since Ivan. I go to Lillian's Pizza once a week.

fvcrew22 · #24 Posted **Mar 31, 2008, 11:15 PM**

Good shot of Perdido, glad to see that it's looking good over there. Also, glad to here that the airport expansion is underway.

The latest I've heard about the Maritime Park is that they were recieving proposals from Contractor's for the project. But, that's about it.
I found this picture on the Maritime Park's website, it was in an article from about a week ago. http://www.communitymaritimepark.com/

BigBird9 · #25 Posted **Apr 3, 2008, 3:30 AM**

I can't wait til they get that park underway. That, along with the sewer plant out of downtown will be awesome! Downtown has so much potential!

Muskavon · #26 Posted **Apr 4, 2008, 10:10 AM**

PNJ article on a possible 18-20 story hotel on the beach.

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...3/-1/NEWSFRONT

elb401 · #27 Posted **Apr 4, 2008, 12:15 PM**

I almost got excited for ya'll....I thought it was going to be downtown P-cola. Anyways cool though I hope it works out for ya'll.

BigBird9 · #28 Posted **Apr 7, 2008, 2:04 PM**

Yeah i thought it might of been downtown at first glance too

Oh well, we could use a lot more hotel rooms on the beach, and at 18-20 stories, it could have the potential to be a new tallest for P'cola.

Speaking of buildings and downtown, why is it that we have almost no high rises downtown? There are several 10-12 story buildings that are scheduled to go in, but who knows how long that will take with the housing market the way it is (all of those buildings are condos). Is there a height limit downtown or something? Pensacola is the Gulf Coast's 7th largest metro with about 430,000, but the skyline is really pretty sad compared to cities of similar size. Look at Mobile (about 570,000), or even Tallahassee (about 300,000). Both of those cities have mush more impressive skylines than Pensacola.

elb401 · #29 Posted **Apr 7, 2008, 4:12 PM**

Yeah you would think that pensacola's skyline would be a bit larger. But it might actually be nice to have a low rise skyline. Look at Savannah and Charleston, they are great cities with lowrises.

Muskavon · #30 Posted **Apr 7, 2008, 11:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBird9

Speaking of buildings and downtown, why is it that we have almost no high rises downtown?

Yeah it is pretty frustrating being a skyscraper fan who has lived in P'cola all his life, ha ha. It's sorta sad that I have to live vicariously thru Mobile and Atlanta to get my fix. I think I've heard when the San Carlos was built it was the tallest/largest hotel in the south. Along that time I'd have to think Pensacola was on pace to be one of the taller/denser downtowns around (of course Escambia County was like top 3 in population in the state of Florida back then). But things obviously change.

I'm not sure how to assign all the reasons. One is just the natural flow of people to South Florida for decades. Another that all towns dealt with (but seems to have hit P'cola really hard) was the car-centric sprawl with flight of practically all business out of the core. Especially retail. Then there is really no business headquarters of any size in the area with the need for that kind of office space. All you really have are banks (but not HQ's), lawyers and health care stuff that need piles of office space. The health care part is obviously spread all over town where the customers are, leaving only banks and lawyers who found DT still an attractive place to call home.

But the trump card is poor leadership/vision throughout that time (citizens fault as much as the leaders they elected) that I think was satisfied that the Navy would be around forever propping up everything and they could just not bother to attract, and in fact run off economic opportunities for decades so they could continue to hold the DT power and play good ole boy games. Shockingly to me though is, for such a supposed economically conservative base of voters, they seem to have always been happy running off any economic development/progress which seems to fly in the face of their stated free market beliefs. So I will blame us citizens for the leaders that have brought us to the almost dead, inner-circle downtown of modern times.

I wish some of those projects listed on the first page woulda got out of the ground (successfully) before the collapse. But, in keeping with usual, we caught on at the tail end of the boom and now it would be surprising to see any of them rise. Will something take off here at the beginning of the next boom? Or will we miss that one too?

Muskavon · #31 Posted **Apr 7, 2008, 11:51 PM**

BTW, I don't think there is a stated height-limit per se. But there is a "don't do anything too big or changing anywhere near us" limit in the minds of most citizens and the officials who represent them. Hypothetical example to illustrate: neighborhood stand alone grocery store in middle of DT? Yes! 25-story Microsoft regional HQ's with 500 people making 120k per year with grocery store in base? Acchhhh! No!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol.

Muskavon · #32 Posted **Apr 8, 2008, 11:53 PM**

"ceremonial groundbreaking" of the $302 million relocating the sewer plant out of downtown and next to Solutia is set for Friday.

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...NTPAGECAROUSEL

BigBird9 · #33 Posted **Apr 9, 2008, 3:36 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by elb401

Yeah you would think that pensacola's skyline would be a bit larger. But it might actually be nice to have a low rise skyline. Look at Savannah and Charleston, they are great cities with lowrises.

That's true. I'm not asking for a 500 foote or anythin lol. In fact, if the buildings proposed downtown actually go up, I think it will make a huge impact on the skyline. And those are only in the 8-12 story range.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muskavon

Yeah it is pretty frustrating being a skyscraper fan who has lived in P'cola all his life, ha ha. It's sorta sad that I have to live vicariously thru Mobile and Atlanta to get my fix. I think I've heard when the San Carlos was built it was the tallest/largest hotel in the south. Along that time I'd have to think Pensacola was on pace to be one of the taller/denser downtowns around (of course Escambia County was like top 3 in population in the state of Florida back then). But things obviously change.

I'm not sure how to assign all the reasons. One is just the natural flow of people to South Florida for decades. Another that all towns dealt with (but seems to have hit P'cola really hard) was the car-centric sprawl with flight of practically all business out of the core. Especially retail. Then there is really no business headquarters of any size in the area with the need for that kind of office space. All you really have are banks (but not HQ's), lawyers and health care stuff that need piles of office space. The health care part is obviously spread all over town where the customers are, leaving only banks and lawyers who found DT still an attractive place to call home.

But the trump card is poor leadership/vision throughout that time (citizens fault as much as the leaders they elected) that I think was satisfied that the Navy would be around forever propping up everything and they could just not bother to attract, and in fact run off economic opportunities for decades so they could continue to hold the DT power and play good ole boy games. Shockingly to me though is, for such a supposed economically conservative base of voters, they seem to have always been happy running off any economic development/progress which seems to fly in the face of their stated free market beliefs. So I will blame us citizens for the leaders that have brought us to the almost dead, inner-circle downtown of modern times.

I wish some of those projects listed on the first page woulda got out of the ground (successfully) before the collapse. But, in keeping with usual, we caught on at the tail end of the boom and now it would be surprising to see any of them rise. Will something take off here at the beginning of the next boom? Or will we miss that one too?

I think you hit the nail on the head. I am a big supporter of Pensacola, but having lived all over the U.S., i must say that it is the crapiest town I've lived in. What kills me is that it has so much potential, but it is squashed by the leadership in the county. A lot of the area seems to have a redneck and proud attitude, and any possible development is a spawn of satan to them. It's just hard to believe that roughly 300,000 people live in Escambia county for how small it seems.

But hey, I'm happy to hear the sewer plant is moving out!

I hope it spurs a renovation boom of downtwon! I wonder what will happen to the old site?

Florida'sFuture · #34 Posted **Apr 9, 2008, 9:47 PM**

The whole Panhandle part of Florida has lots going on. I'll post updates as I get them.

Muskavon · #35 Posted **Apr 9, 2008, 10:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Florida'sFuture

The whole Panhandle part of Florida has lots going on. I'll post updates as I get them.

Great, please do.

I wouldn't mind seeing continuing progress info/photos as far away as on Panama City's international airport construction....even if I'm not so happy that we don't stick one somwhere between Mobile and P'cola.

BigBird9 · #36 Posted **Apr 15, 2008, 11:10 PM**

Just as a quick note, I was driving past the Wal-Mart on Blue Angel and the new Target is underway across the street. Does anyone know of anything else that may go in with it? I haven't heard anything, but I would think that a food place or something would be going in along with it...

fvcrew22 · #37 Posted **Apr 21, 2008, 11:52 PM**

It's good to see a project like this approved on Pensacola beach..

Santa Rosa Island Authority OKs Palace hotel concept
BY LISA NEWELL Gulf Breeze News lisa@gulfbreezenews.com

At the April board meeting, members of the Santa Rosa Island Authority gave the go ahead to A&CH Properties for a 20-story hotel with restaurant and retail space and two stories of parking on the site of the former Palace retail shop.
"It fits all the criteria that we spend eight months doing," said John Peacock of the plan. "I couldn't endorse staff's recommendation (to approve the plan) any more."

Each hotel room will have 612-640 square feet. "This is a true hotel room," Matt Mooneyham, SRIA staffer, told the board. Currently, the project doesn't have a hotel chain flag associated with it.

Additionally, the board discussed issuing a nationwide request for proposals for developing the land where the Santa Rosa Island Authority office sits, on the condition the proposal includes a parking garage and new accommodations for the SRIA. Dave Hemphill showed a proposal that included a hotel on the site.

http://www.gulfbreezenews.com/news/2..._news/057.html

Muskavon · #38 Posted **Apr 22, 2008, 10:43 PM**

Not suprisingly, an article regarding this hotel in the PNJ garnered nothing but negative responses from its readership. Drives me nuts.

Muskavon · #39 Posted **May 5, 2008, 12:10 AM**

Here is a Pensacola News Journal snippet that I guess coulda been in the Mobile thread or the VW thread, or no thread at all.

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...NESS/805040322

Basically Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine drumming up support for the tanker deal, etc by pointing out the potential benifits to NW Florida. An interesting part for the VW watchers was his mention of a site near Atmore that VW is considering. I guess that was already known by many around here but I'd never seen anything in print from any conventional "source" before this.

SouthSky · #40 Posted **May 5, 2008, 12:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muskavon

Here is a Pensacola News Journal snippet that I guess coulda been in the Mobile thread or the VW thread, or no thread at all.

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...NESS/805040322

Basically Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine drumming up support for the tanker deal, etc by pointing out the potential benifits to NW Florida. An interesting part for the VW watchers was his mention of a site near Atmore that VW is considering. I guess that was already known by many around here but I'd never seen anything in print from any conventional "source" before this.

Thanks for this! This plant will truly be a boon for all the central Gulf Coast.

I love the tidbit at the end of the article about VW.