Pensacola City Council members had tough questions over the $10.7 million “Reimagine Palafox” project that they’ll be voting whether to approve next week.
Four council members—which is a majority of the council—expressed concerns with the project during a Nov. 4 special workshop to go over the details of the project. The project would require the iconic street to be closed to vehicles for at least five months to add pedestrian and infrastructure improvements that are meant to last for decades.
Sidewalks will remain open with a minimum width of six feet of space left between buildings and the construction zone fencing
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves has faced criticism over the project from some downtown business owners over fears the closure will hurt their business and maybe put them out of business altogether.
Reeves has defended the project, arguing that the street was going to have to be closed for at least two months to repair the street after Florida Power and Light upgraded the downtown electric grid, and it’s wiser to do needed stormwater and pedestrian safety improvements while the street is already shut down.
He also asked downtown landlords to offer rent relief to Palafox businesses during the construction.
What is the “Reimagine Palafox” project?
The “Reimagine Palafox Street” project will cover Palafox Street from Garden Street to Main Street with wider sidewalks, crosswalks, brick pavers and better drainage. The large-scale project will require essentially rebuilding the road from the dirt up, and the street will have to be completely closed for several months, though sidewalks and storefronts will still be accessible.
The project will also upgrade the stormwater system under South Palafox Street to add 93,000 gallons of capacity to the existing drainage system and pervious surfaces that allow water to drain directly into the soil underneath.
The project will also add more trees and other amenities like bike racks, trash cans and benches.
Is Pensacola an ‘old town’ or Disney Springs?
Two of the four council members who expressed concerns with the project attended the two presentations on the project last week given to business and property owners.
Councilman Charles Bare had expressed support for the project following the two meetings, but at the workshop, he said his view had changed after one-on-one conversations with business owners.
“I can say I was really hyped after the property owner meeting, and I got brought back down to earth when I met with the business owners,” Bare said.
Councilman Jennifer Brahier had several concerns with the design choices of the project and felt like the council backed itself into a corner by not addressing the issue before it went out to bid.
“I’m going to be real honest, when I look at these from above, I see Disney Springs,” Brahier said. “It looks like a modern pretense of an old town instead of an old town, and it bothers me.”
Councilwoman Teniadé Broughton also raised concerns with the impact on downtown businesses and recalled a trip to Savanah, Georgia, where a downtown street was undergoing a large construction project.
“It looked awful, like Broad Street, I think was the name, and it was just all tore up,” Broughton said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, I would hate it if Palafox went through something like this,’ but you can tell it was affecting the businesses.”
Councilwoman Allison Patton, whose district includes downtown Pensacola, had several concerns about the project from the business impact, the cost, the loss of parking and future maintenance.
“I think it’s a beautiful project. We can debate whether circles in the street is the best design or not. I don’t know if it would be what I would have picked, but it’s very, I think, appealing visually from a paver standpoint, in terms of just tying it all together,” Patton said. “But I also have concerns. Obviously, the cost is a whole other issue in terms of do we want to spend this much money on this one segment of our downtown that definitely needs some help, but whether or not it needs this much is a different question.”
Mayor says it’s the council’s choice
Adrianne Walker, city strategic initiatives project officer, presented the council with information on the project and responded to the council’s concerns.
She noted that the construction fencing has well-designed images that will advertise the business and provide information about the project. As the strategic initiatives project officer, she will be the lead person in the mayor’s office to handle concerns and answer questions from business owners.
“I’m happy to take feedback from anybody at any time,” Walker said. “I will eat, sleep and breathe on Palafox, and drink a lot of coffee throughout this project there. So I think that’s important, that there is a formal city contact.”
Reeves also pushed back on the idea that the city hasn’t thought the project through and is going with the most expensive version.
“The idea that this started at ‘spare no expense,’ and then this is just what is presented and how that’s being propagated publicly, is absolutely not the case,” Reeves said.
Reeves added that the reason the city was pushing to begin construction in January is feedback from a majority of the business owners said that it’d be the best time, while also doing the needed improvements to Palafox for the future. He said there’s no denying it will be painful for businesses, but the city is doing everything it can to address it.
Reeves has asked property owners to offer their tenants on Palafox Street at least $10,000 in rent relief. There is also a bonus of up to approximately $760,000, for the contractor if it finishes the project ahead of schedule, and Reeves said if the contractor misses the bonus, that money will be handed over to the Downtown Improvement Board to administer as some kind of rent relief program for businesses that lease their property.
“We’ve got this one shot to try to do this generationally and knock out all of these vital infrastructure pieces all at the same time, where, yes, the gap (of time the street is closed) becomes wider,” Reeves said. “And again, I guess that’s the decision that’s before you guys.”
The council will take the first of two required votes at its Community Redevelopment Agency board meeting on Nov. 10 at 3:30 p.m. The second vote will happen at its regular meeting on Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Council concerned about cost, consequences of $10.7M Reimagine Palafox project
Reporting by Jim Little, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
