Panhandle Development News

[skywade]

Let's go NW FL!

[FloridaFuture]

Big Names coming to bigger Destin Commons
Iconic clock tower will be toppled to make way for expansion
By Patrick Donohue Florida Freedom Newspapers
2008-02-18 09:51:00


Photo by KATHY HARRISON Florida Freedom Newspapers
COMING DOWN: The Destin Commons clock tower will be among the casualties when the second phase of Destin Commons begins construction in the spring. The second phase will include more restaurants, stores and a 192-room hotel.


COMMONS GROUND: Phase Two of Destin Commons includes some “big name” stores, planners say. A list of stores could be released in May.
1 2 NextDESTIN - The future of one of Destin’s most popular retail hubs took shape Thursday night.

Executives from Destin Commons appeared before the Okaloosa County Planning Commission to seek approval for its second phase, expected to break ground this spring. Approval was granted by the commission in less than 20 minutes and recommendations on the development were forwarded to the County Commission which will have final say in issuing the project’s development order.

The second phase of the Commons will see the popular outdoor shopping mall moving southwest toward the intersection of U.S. 98 and Danny Wuerffel Way. Plans include the construction of more than 160,000 square feet of additional retail and restaurant space, a four-story parking garage and a six-story building that will house a 192-room hotel and convention space.

Darin Grigg, general manager of Destin Commons, said the second phase of the project will be anchored by the hotel and four “high profile” restaurants.

Grigg said the names of the restaurants and the hotelier could not be released and added that it could be as late as May before a tenant list for the second phase is released.

He was able to confirm that they were “big names.”

“This is going to be a thrill for all of us to see this take off. It’s going to be a really spectacular presentation,” he said.

The beginning of the expansion will be the end of the road for at least one Commons mainstay.

During a quasi-judicial hearing for the second phase of Harbor Walk Village Monday night, Legendary CEO Peter Bos told the Destin City Council that the Destin Commons clock tower would soon be demolished as the shopping center prepared to begin moving dirt for it’s second phase.

Legendary and Aventura, Fla.-based Turnberry Associates co-developed Destin Commons and opened the shopping center in 2003.

Since that time, the Commons has become one of Destin’s most popular destinations and last year the shopping center saw more than 11 million visitors, Bos said at the hearing. When adjusted for employees and other regular visitors, traffic at the Commons in 2007 was between 6 and 7 million.

If approved by the county commission, construction is expected to begin this spring and Grigg said a large portion of the shopping center’s southernmost parking lots will be permanently closed, bringing into use the shopping center’s brand new multi-deck parking garage which opened late last year.

Grigg said Phase Two is expected to be completed in Fall 2009.

http://community.emeraldcoast.com/on...e=article.html

[FloridaFuture]

Navy Federal leader discusses expansion

Carlton Proctor
cproctor@pnj.com

As the new top executive at Navy Federal Credit Union's Heritage Oaks call center, Debbie Calder joins a select, but growing, group of women leading major Pensacola area companies.

Calder is the former vice president of consumer and credit card lending at Navy Federal's Vienna, Va., headquarters, and arrives in Pensacola in the midst of a $200 million expansion.

When completed sometime in 2010, the four-building Heritage Oaks campus will be home to more than 3,000 employees.

Calder took time from her busy schedule last week to discuss her role as head of Navy Federal's Pensacola operation, her impressions of the community, and the timeline for the company's expansion plans.

Question: What have been your first impressions of Pensacola itself, as well as Navy Federal's call center operations and its employees?

Answer: I was already very familiar with Pensacola and our call center employees because I was the vice president of call center operations in 2003 when we opened for business in Heritage Oaks. My first impressions of Pensacola were very positive.

This community welcomed us with open arms and they continue to provide us with incredible support. I am continually amazed by the enthusiasm and dedication of our employees to our members and Navy Federal.

Q: You've arrived in the midst of a huge capital building project at your Heritage Oaks campus. How far along is Building Three and when will ground be broken for the 265,000-square-foot Building Four?

A: Building Three is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2008 and we hope to break ground on Building Four in April.

Q: How many employees currently are working at Heritage Oaks?

A: We have approximately 1,110 team members working for Navy Federal in the Greater Pensacola area. On the campus, there are approximately 850 at this time.

Q: Navy Federal has been very proactive about incorporating energy efficiencies into Heritage Oaks campus. What are some of those green building elements?

A: Using U.S. Green Building Council's LEED guidelines, Navy Federal incorporated the following key elements into its buildings: energy efficient light fixtures; low-flow restroom fixtures, saving 30 percent in water usage; energy-recovery units in the HVAC system; reclaimed rain water in our ponds used for irrigation of landscaping. And we've diverted nearly 70 percent of all construction waste from going to the landfills.

Q: Does Navy Federal have any plans to expand its Heritage Oaks campus in Beulah beyond the present footprint?

A: At this time, we do not have plans to expand beyond our Heritage Oaks Campus.

Q: What do you most enjoy about your job; what do you like doing during your leisure time?

A: With my job, I like the fact that we are all committed to the same mission — to serve our members. We are passionate about that mission, which creates a very strong bond between us as a staff. During my leisure time, I enjoy playing with my two German shepherds and golden retriever, playing piano and house projects.

I have enjoyed several of the festivals in Pensacola since I arrived in September, including the Great GulfCoast Arts Festival, Greek Festival and Barktoberfest.

http://pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...802180325/1003

[FloridaFuture]

Time for a little catchup:

Destin:
Destin Commons Expansion- 6 story hotel, 192 rooms, 160,000 sq. ft of retail, 6 story parking garage, convention space, APR

Navarre:

Navarre Beach Project- Two hotel towers, 300 hotel rooms, Two condo towers, 150 condos, 40,000 sq. ft. conference center, 40 wet-slip marina, PRP

Pensacola:

Navy Federal Building Three- 4 stories, LEED Gold Certified, completion fall '08, U/C

Navy Federal Building Four- 5 stories, 265,000 sq. ft. office space, LEED Gold Certified, groundbreaking April '08, APR

University of West Florida Science and Technology Building- 4 stories, 92,000 sq. ft., construction to begin April '08, LEED Silver, APR

Crestview:

Crestview Mall- 392,000 sq. ft. of retail, 12 screen movie theater, PRP

[TampaMike]

Hmmm, a 6 story hotel and a 6 story parking garage, I'm guessing the parking garage will also be parking for the retail?

[FloridaFuture]

^I'm not sure but would think so.

[TampaMike]

Originally Posted by FloridaFuture

^I'm not sure but would think so.

Yeah, than have extra space for the Convention space. Nevertheless, great sounding expansion.

[ChuckScraperMiami#1]

Originally Posted by FloridaFuture

Going, going, gone
February, 16, 2008

Demolition Video (at 00:45 is the demolition)- http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...VIDEO/80216018


http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...EWS01/80216017

Florida Future,
Our Tampa bay Master and friend,
That Video was great,
Thanks for sharing that with us,
I'll bet many here loved it,
repeated so many times , too, and in slow motion,
Fantastic, Thanks !!!!

[FloridaFuture]

Crane down
Ed Offley
PANAMA CITY BEACH

Brandon Price and Bob Neely stood guard by the side of Front Beach Road late Thursday afternoon as five fellow workers toiled high overhead.

Wearing hard hats and thick gloves, they stood patiently holding the end of a guide rope that soared several hundred feet into the air where it was tied to the tip of a massive hammerhead crane’s jib boom. Straight overhead, the antlike silhouettes of other workers secured to the crane by safety belts worked to separate a 30-foot section of the hammerhead from the rest of the boom.

A mobile job crane brought in for the task had erected its hydraulic boom up to the same level where lift cables already were fastened to the section.

“Our job is to run across the road with this rope to steer the end clear of the other crane when they knock it loose,” Neely said.

After more than 18 months of lifting concrete forms, braces and other structural elements for the Tropic Winds condominium project, the Morrow Equipment Co.’s Liebherr crane itself was coming down at long last. And when it is finally disassembled and its pieces shipped out on flatbed tractor-trailer trucks this weekend, for the first time in a decade, there will not be a single high-rise construction crane at work on the entire 22-mile gulf beachfront. During the peak of the boom, dozens of cranes perturbed from the sand along Front Beach Road.

Tropic Winds, a planned 164-unit high-rise on the city’s west end, was the last major construction project to get under way as the resort real estate market slipped into a major freeze in 2006, its broker, John L. Skinner, told The News Herald last September. The resort is scheduled to open this summer.

http://www.newsherald.com/headlines/...lay.php?id=940

[FloridaFuture]

Tropic Winds- 23 stories, 164 condos, U/C, completion summer '08

[FloridaFuture]

Downtown Milton revitalization continues

Published - March, 12, 2008

ADAM ZIGLAR
aziglar@pnj.com

As of late, downtown Milton has been buzzing with renewed business activity. New merchants have returned to the historic district and are offering patrons lots of reasons to shop downtown.

From Shabby Schex, a recently opened home décor shop on Willing Street, to the Mudd Pitt, a new coffee shop across the street from the courthouse, the downtown area is reawakening with activity just in time a busy spring and summer festival season.

"I've seen a growth pattern, a revitalization happening," said Kim Macarthy, president of Main Street Milton, a nonprofit group devoted to revitalizing, promoting and improving economic development within the downtown area. "It's a bit of a slow start but I see it gaining momentum."

In addition to new businesses such as Shabby Schex and the Mudd Pitt, Gary and Deb Pruitt who own the Liberty Cafe and Polka Dots toy store on Willing Street, are planning to open the Blackwater Grill, which will offer wood-fired steaks and seafood. Cassandra Sharp, owner of Mainstreet Cafe, recently reopened after being closed for the winter season. The cafe offers extended hours and a New Orleans-style menu. Sharp also plans to open a "supper club" style dining establishment in the old post office building across the street from the cafe.

Other momentum is revolving around the Exchange Hotel. Owned by Milton attorney Paul Fitzgerald and business partner John Ducker, the stately building, which was built in 1914, has recently undergone renovations and is for sale. While it contains new carpet and other up-to-date amenities, the building's rustic charm remains in tact.

Macarthy and others hope whoever buys the building considers using it as a bed and breakfast.

"A bed and breakfast would be an ideal fit to attract people to that location," she said. "It's been one before."

On April 9, Main Street Milton and the Santa Rosa Historical Society will host a workshop on opening a bed and breakfast. The workshop will be at the Imogene Theatre and will include a tour of the Exchange Hotel. The guest speaker will be Pattie Detwiler, president of the Florida Bed and Breakfast Inns Association. She is the Innkeeper of The Quilter's Inn in Wauchula.

Dian Schexnayder opened her home décor business, Shabby Schex, on March 8, just in time for Riverwalk Arts Festival.

Her business offers customers a variety of items, including hand painted porcelain, lamps, custom made oriental rugs, handbags, stationary and French linens, among other items.

Schexnayder says the public has been eager to find out more about her store.

"The feedback has been awesome," she said. "For the last several days before we were open we've had people knocking on the window to find out more."

Since she has been preparing to open the business, she has seen more activity in the downtown area.

"We're just looking at all sorts of exciting things to come to Milton," she said. "It's beautiful down here on the river."

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...03/1011/NEWS05

[SDK4]

Well I did have pictures from Tallahassee to post about a week ago but then my laptop crashed and I lost everything. So I'll try and get out next week after spring break and get some more photos.

[ChuckScraperMiami#1]

Originally Posted by SDK4

Well I did have pictures from Tallahassee to post about a week ago but then my laptop crashed and I lost everything. So I'll try and get out next week after spring break and get some more photos.

wow SDK4 ,
Our Tallahassee student friend,
sorry to hear that,
I hope you get a new computer soon , and We'll wait for your Pictures,
Happy Spring Break Our Friend !!!

[FloridaFuture]

Tallahassee:

Aloft Hotel Tallahassee- 5 stories, 165-room hotel, set to open 2009

[SDK4]

Thanks Chuck. It seems like every city is getting an aLoft hotel these days.

[Dale]

Originally Posted by FloridaFuture

Downtown Milton revitalization continues

Published - March, 12, 2008

ADAM ZIGLAR
aziglar@pnj.com

As of late, downtown Milton has been buzzing with renewed business activity. New merchants have returned to the historic district and are offering patrons lots of reasons to shop downtown.

From Shabby Schex, a recently opened home décor shop on Willing Street, to the Mudd Pitt, a new coffee shop across the street from the courthouse, the downtown area is reawakening with activity just in time a busy spring and summer festival season.

"I've seen a growth pattern, a revitalization happening," said Kim Macarthy, president of Main Street Milton, a nonprofit group devoted to revitalizing, promoting and improving economic development within the downtown area. "It's a bit of a slow start but I see it gaining momentum."

In addition to new businesses such as Shabby Schex and the Mudd Pitt, Gary and Deb Pruitt who own the Liberty Cafe and Polka Dots toy store on Willing Street, are planning to open the Blackwater Grill, which will offer wood-fired steaks and seafood. Cassandra Sharp, owner of Mainstreet Cafe, recently reopened after being closed for the winter season. The cafe offers extended hours and a New Orleans-style menu. Sharp also plans to open a "supper club" style dining establishment in the old post office building across the street from the cafe.

Other momentum is revolving around the Exchange Hotel. Owned by Milton attorney Paul Fitzgerald and business partner John Ducker, the stately building, which was built in 1914, has recently undergone renovations and is for sale. While it contains new carpet and other up-to-date amenities, the building's rustic charm remains in tact.

Macarthy and others hope whoever buys the building considers using it as a bed and breakfast.

"A bed and breakfast would be an ideal fit to attract people to that location," she said. "It's been one before."

On April 9, Main Street Milton and the Santa Rosa Historical Society will host a workshop on opening a bed and breakfast. The workshop will be at the Imogene Theatre and will include a tour of the Exchange Hotel. The guest speaker will be Pattie Detwiler, president of the Florida Bed and Breakfast Inns Association. She is the Innkeeper of The Quilter's Inn in Wauchula.

Dian Schexnayder opened her home décor business, Shabby Schex, on March 8, just in time for Riverwalk Arts Festival.

Her business offers customers a variety of items, including hand painted porcelain, lamps, custom made oriental rugs, handbags, stationary and French linens, among other items.

Schexnayder says the public has been eager to find out more about her store.

"The feedback has been awesome," she said. "For the last several days before we were open we've had people knocking on the window to find out more."

Since she has been preparing to open the business, she has seen more activity in the downtown area.

"We're just looking at all sorts of exciting things to come to Milton," she said. "It's beautiful down here on the river."

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...03/1011/NEWS05

Milton is the next Dubai!

[FloridaFuture]

Leader lays groundwork to transform downtown Pensacola
Carlton Proctor • cproctor@pnj.com • March 17, 2008

Revitalizing downtown Pensacola's retail environment and attracting more upscale stores are among the goals outlined in a new retail strategy.

Kim Kimbrough, executive director of the Downtown Improvement Board, which commissioned the study and formally adopted it last month, said the strategy is starting to show results.

Long term, Kimbrough said he is optimistic the strategy will pay big dividends for the downtown area if merchants, landlords and local government stay focused and committed to the plan.

Kimbrough talked about the near and long-term potential of the retail strategy during a recent interview with the News Journal.

Question: What is the downtown retail strategy, and why is it important to downtown Pensacola?

Answer: The downtown retail strategy is really a comprehensive blueprint or road map for achieving the type of downtown retail environment and quality offerings that many have wanted for years. It was developed over a nine-month period by some of the most accomplished, experienced and proven retail consultants in the world. It assigns responsibility for a series of specific action items primarily to four stakeholders: existing retailers, retail property owners, the City of Pensacola/Community Redevelopment Agency, and the Downtown Improvement Board.

The recommended strategy is focused on helping expand market reach, visibility, customer base, employment and sustainability. This detailed strategy lays out the way for us to fundamentally change the way we view the retail component of downtown Pensacola.

Q: What will be the first steps taken to put the plan into effect, and when can we expect to see some results?

A: The first step was to meet collectively with the current downtown retailers and retail property owners to make sure they understood what actions they were being asked to undertake. The response has been very encouraging and supportive.

Additionally, the city and the Downtown Improvement Board have established a joint implementation task force to craft specific processes and timetables for advancing various activities assigned to the two public entities.

I think the public will be able to see some initial results from these efforts before the end of this year.

Q: What are some of the developments coming to downtown and how will they fit into the overall retail strategy plans?

A: I hope everyone read the News Journal article a couple of Sundays ago about the new Will Call Sports Grill coming to Palafox Place. This establishment represents the type of quality retailer that we expect to see even more of downtown.

Some of our existing quality retail establishments have expansion plans that will also be announced soon. In addition, we are working with a handful of retail entities that have expressed an interest in entering the Pensacola market.

Moving dirt at the Community Maritime Park will likewise help bring several other potential private developments that have been doing development planning in for more than the last year

Q: Beyond the retail strategy implementation, what are the main goals of the DIB for 2008?

A: Increasing visits to downtown by tourists and non-resident visitors, increasing residential offerings and occupancy and increasing community awareness about the value of downtown to the greater community.

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...803170322/1003

[FloridaFuture]

Tallahassee:

Making Gaines
'It's time to turn some dirt'
Originally published January 23, 2008

The 22nd floor of the Florida Capitol was an appropriate setting for
Tuesday's announcement that the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
is giving a $375,000 grant — $150,000 more than requested — to help
Tallahassee transform Gaines Street from mundane to, in time, magnificent.
The breathtaking panoramic view from the Capitol's top floor gives one a
strong sense of our community's beauty as well as its potential, including that
run-down district a few blocks south called the Gaines Street Corridor. The
ongoing effort to remake Gaines is, in fact, all about possibilities.

Visionaries for years
have dreamed that
Gaines could be a
funky arts and
entertainment district
where artists, urban
dwellers and others
could live and work,
and that could become
an incubator for local
arts-related
businesses.
But big dreams like this
one become reality only
with a lot of hard work,
persistence and big
bucks — not only
actual dollars contributed, as in the case of the Knight Foundation grant, but
also "in-kind" contributions of expertise.

This is where Minneapolis-based Artspace Projects, the nationwide nonprofit
real -estate agent for the arts, comes in. Artspace, in partnership with the
Knight Foundation, the Council on Culture & Arts (COCA), local and state
governments and two state universities, could finally be the straw that stirs
Gaines Street's drink — and the community's.

From dream to done deal

Tuesday's announcement was an important step toward converting "could"
to "will." The Knight Foundation money is going specifically for "pre -
development" of the Arts on Gaines project, several years in the works by
local arts advocates.

As Democrat Staff Writer Julian Pecquet reported Monday, Arts on Gaines is
envisioned as a mixed-use development where artists live, work and hold
exhibits; where organizations and businesses devoted to the arts share
space and ideas, an incubator for arts-related commerce and creativity; and
where an eclectic collection of restaurants and retail stores serves a bustling
clientele.

A model of neighborhood revitalization.
But the dream extends beyond bricks and mortar. Remaking Gaines Street
could be a catalyst for remaking Tallahassee in ways that many for years
have openly hoped for.

An important gateway from the airport. A bridge to downtown and state
government. A bridge, almost literally, between Florida A&M and Florida
State universities. A "perfect connection" in so many ways, as Mike Pate, the
Knight Foundation's local program manager and former Tallahassee
Democrat publisher, described Tuesday.

Those connections were illustrated by the presence of representatives from
COCA (Executive Director Peggy Brady); the city (Mayor John Marks); the
county (Commissioner Bryan Desloge); the state (Secretary of State Kurt
Browning); FAMU (Pharmacy Dean Henry Lewis III); and FSU (Vice
President for University Relations Lee Hinkle).

Mr. Marks praised the project's potential for enhancing the arts, but said it
was particularly important to the economic health of the community. "It's time
to turn some dirt," the mayor said in his public remarks.

Like a puzzle

After Tuesday's news conference, Mr. Marks described investment interest in
Gaines as "about to pop," adding that he hoped private development and
public- private partnerships like the one with Artspace could "fit together."
That's crucial because one location, at Gaines and Gay streets, already has
been identified as the preferred site for Arts on Gaines. A residential
developer is offering $4.1 million for that same 4.5-acre parcel, so it's
important to note that project supporters haven't excluded other potential
sites.

"All our eggs were not put into that basket," said Greg Handberg, Artspace's
vice president for properties.

There's still a lot that needs to happen before the Gaines Street Corridor,
and perhaps our community along with it, are truly transformed. But the
process just took a great leap forward.

http://www.cocanet.org/news/docs/dem...rial_12308.pdf

[FloridaFuture]

Rendering of the Artspace project, which on Gaines:



The project will contain affordable live-work units and space for theatres, art and such.

[FloridaFuture]

City Council votes to demolish historic building downtown
Jamie Page • jepage@pnj.com • March 28, 2008


The Pensacola City Council has voted to demolish this building, at 719 and 721 S. Palafox Street. Razing the building carries the risk of damaging an adjoining structure on its south side.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A hurricane-damaged historic building on South Palafox Street will be torn down soon.

The Pensacola City Council Thursday voted unanimously to have the two-story building at 719 and 721 S. Palafox demolished because it has been declared unsafe by city building official Bill Weeks.

"I saw what happened with two or three buildings that collapsed in that area after Hurricane Ivan. This one didn't, but from what I've seen and heard about it, this is an unsafe structure," Councilman Marty Donovan said.

Built in 1885, the structure has been vacant since being badly damaged by Ivan. It was last used as office space for a legal firm.

It has significance in Pensacola's nautical heritage, having a ship chandler and a sail maker as some of its early tenants, said Sherry Morris, the city's planning services administrator.

But the property owner, Katherine Petrelis, who will pay for the demolition, agrees that it should come down because it's too cost prohibitive to repair.

Petrelis has submitted documentation to the city verifying the need for demolition from the architectural, engineering and general contracting firms that inspected the building, said City Manager Tom Bonfield.

There is risk involved. Adjoining on the south side is another building that could be damaged during demolition, Weeks said. That would be Petrelis' responsibility, he said.

The city normally encourages preservation of historic buildings, especially in the South Palafox Business District like this one, Morris said.

"But they do want to build back a very similar building to match the look of downtown," said Logan DeVries, representing the owner.

Petrelis has submitted drawings to the city of a two-story brick building with historic features.

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art.../1135/NEWS0807