Wow!!! Big News. Who would have thought this would happen?

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I guessed they would block access and view of the bay... lol.

This is great news. The community will have a cash cow and a wonderful OPEN waterfront owned by the public. The view to the west will be blocked, but south and east....wide open. Another home run. With residential will come further downtown business development and with the ferries a great magnet of activity. Cannot wait to they announce what will happen with Old Stinky.

http://pensacolatoday.com/2015/01/65-million-answer-maritime-park/

I cannot believe they pulled this off within five years. Amazing with the condition of the economy. With the Ferries it will become a hub of activity and pump dollars into downtown. The key is going to be the old stinky and how it is built out. If I was well, I would lining up to get one of those small 700 foot units.....perfect for two old people and a dog.....but I am certain they will fill them up quicker than they can build them. Walking distance to downtown banks, courts, and other regional services......what a beautiful whipped cream with a cherry. The southern view will always remain open.

Where did you see the Ferry terminal?

Hallmarkgard wrote:"Losers.......Ricks Blog
CMPA Board
The most important word in the Community Maritime Park was “community.” In 2006, the Pensacola City Council and the park’s organizers committed that the park would be a community park that would connect the city with Pensacola Bay. Budget woes forced the University of West Florida to withdraw its plans for a conference center and maritime museum, but the community aspect remained. On Jan. 28, the CMPA Board voted to give the remaining waterfront parcels to a Miami developers for 99 years to build 200 luxury apartments. Sigh."

Dont worry I will not stay long.  Just wanted to pass on the good news...

I posted about the Condo's on the PNJ forum years ago.  What hasn't come out, yet........private boat slips for Condo owners.

You are correct Joanimaroni. They are ready to let a bid for a breakwater, but they have to find away to remove all the debris for the old pier before they can get boats in. It is all going to plan. Lots of Kool-aid still left to drink..

I think Studer is upset that in December they said NO to his lease proposal on two small lots where he wanted a day care, and a training facility for the ball team. The Hotel is great. The condos are great. This park is going to be putting money in the taxpayer pockets for the next fifty years, and the public owns the waterfront. I have sat along the broad southern expanse of sidewalk and enjoyed the views of the bay......it is a beautiful and great vision which has actually happened despite the economy and the usual suspects.

The BP money has approved the ferry from down town to SR island. I have not seen the approved connections.

2seaoat wrote: Cannot wait to they announce what will happen with Old Stinky.  

It's been sold to Quint and Rishy Studer. But the last I heard they haven't decided what to do with it.

I knew the Studers owned it, but I am wondering where the legalized casino gambling bill is in the legislature. Almost certain that is what will happen with this parcel. With the ferries to the beach and the hotel and condos, this is going to look like the area around the Bea Rivage in Biloxi, and what a cash machine the casino would be.......this has even exceeded my expectations, certainly I thought it would be another two or three years before they snagged a hotel. Home run.

2seaoat wrote:I knew the Studers owned it, but I am wondering where the legalized casino gambling bill is in the legislature.  Almost certain that is what will happen with this parcel.  With the ferries to the beach and the hotel and condos, this is going to look like the area around the Bea Rivage in Biloxi, and what a cash machine the casino would be.......this has even exceeded my expectations, certainly I thought it would be another two or three years before they snagged a hotel.  Home run.

Seaoat, what's your connection to Pensacola. Not being catty...just wondering.

I own property in Santa Rosa and for thirty years my connections to Navarre have been strong.  I fell in love with Downtown Pensacola and was trying to sell our house in Santa Rosa which I had just built hoping to buy something near downtown, but then the market crashed around 2007 and I had my upper left lung lobe removed with tumor in 2008, and then 2012 it spread to the liver and I had a choice of Tampa at the Moffit Center or Illinois at Northwestern and we owned some property in Illinois about two and a half hours from Northwestern.  My mother's family was from Opelika since the Civil War, and I always felt at home in the Panhandle, and had been visiting Pensacola and Panama City since the fifties.

I had been posting on the PNJ since early 2004, and I quit reading all other papers.  I used to read three newspapers a day and I had found a home in the PNJ and Pensacola.  Your home is where your mind is.  We all have fond memories of our childhood homes, and I had created the same.

I think downtown has come a long way. I love seeing it grow. Would rather have a beautiful aquarium down on the bay rather than a casino. Biloxi has that market. I'd rather see something family oriented.

The casino would be for the tourists mostly. Now they hop on the bus or drive over to Biloxi for one day during a week vacation. Tens of millions of tourist dollars going to Biloxi when Pensacola could capture the same. The problem with Maritime's reality and the misguided naysayers was this idea that the concept plan was going to be the park. I can say with certainty that the hotels announcement and concept plan will not be what is there in ten years. Development is evolving and final as builts are rarely the same as what was dreamed. An Aquarium has to be self sufficient. In a tourist town, it most certainly will be an attraction that people would come to.......but I have gone to one of the world's best aquariums in the Shedd, and I can tell you that it took a huge endowment for it to sustain its operations. There will never be an endowment in Pensacola, and the commercial aquariums are not doing that well for one to relocate to Pensacola, especially with the animal rights folks asking serious questions about the abuse of animals in aquariums.

I think Moody Gardens in Galveston and the Aquarium in Chattanooga are good examples of what would work well.

Maybe I'm behind the times on that.

I would love to see an aquarium. Unless there is a deep pocketed benefactor, it will not happen without complete community support and willingness to put tax dollars into the same. Unfortunately, that will not happen. A casino could easily have the bucks to have and adjacent aquarium as part of the theme of that casino, but that also is a very long shot.

by SheWrites Today at 12:23 pm
I think Moody Gardens in Galveston and the Aquarium in Chattanooga are good examples of what would work well.

Maybe I'm behind the times on that.
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Chattanooga has more to offer and is close to Dollywood and Gatlinburg which are far more appealing than Pensacola

Pensacola draws from the entire center of the country where families can take a family vacation and only drive a few hours. You have to add another 10 hours for those families to visit beaches in central and southern Florida. Pensacola has just skimmed the surface of boom when the babyboomers who are now retiring look for a location with a favorable cost of living index and the amenities of Pensacola's culture and beaches.

The beauty of Maritime Park is the multipliers. They continue to bring jobs to Escambia County. There are few cities during the last eight years who have been so successful in revitalizing the downtown district and creating so many jobs. I was a lone voice to the obvious success of this park, and argued 10 years ago that all that has happened would happen......a minor league team with a major league affilitation........mass ridicule on the PNJ telling me it was impossible. I argued 300k people in attendance.......mass ridicule on the PNJ telling me it would be no more than 45K attendance. Arguing that the concessions should remain in control of the Public......mass ridicule that concessions would not make money......Arguing that condos and hotels would locate in the park......mass ridicule that nobody was going to locate there. It has been fun living long enough to see Mr. Studer's good name redeemed, and to see a vibrant beautiful park exceeding all expectations and a park which will bank money for the public......which when I said the same about the Kane County Cougars.....mass ridicule........no ridicule now. crickets.

KarlRove wrote:
by SheWrites Today at 12:23 pm
I think Moody Gardens in Galveston and the Aquarium in Chattanooga are good examples of what would work well.

Maybe I'm behind the times on that.
-----
Chattanooga has more to offer and is close to Dollywood and Gatlinburg which are far more appealing than Pensacola

Wow, you should take a fresh approach to Pensacola and enjoy the bay side, historical areas, great restaurants, brewery, ball park, and speciality shopping.

Dollywood and Gatlinburg more appealing? I don't see that. At all.

Dollywood and Gatlinburg more appealing? I don't see that. At all.


Pensacola has it all, but the historic, Naval Museum, the best beaches in Florida, and an urbane downtown culture.......priceless. I think the figure published last year was 4000 new jobs in Escambia County. All the criticism of elected public officials......well the local elected officials followed a dream, and did not cave to the naysayers......they and Mr. Studer are the real heroes. Pensacola is very fortunate to have the quality of people involved in this Park and the vision which took a decade to realize.

My biggest dream once Biloxi finishes their stadium is to get one to two weeks of spring training from the majors in Pensacola, Mobile, and Biloxi. The weather those two last weeks are closer to what the players will face in the first week of April. Too often they spring train in 80 degree weather, and then come to forty to fifty degree games which they have not played or prepared. The Gulf league would be a great transition for major league ball, and it would have sellouts in each of the stadiums as families from major league teams would have a mass migration to watch their teams for those two weeks. St. Louis, Cincy, Cubs, Sox, Cleveland, Kansas City, and Milwaukee would see fans driving in mass to watch spring training during spring break.........Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi need to make it attractive, but all three venues have beach vacation accomodations, history, and plenty of hotel rooms.