D.R. Horton, Inc. has offered $33 million for Outlying Landing Field-8. The homebuilder will put $1 million in escrow and ask for a year before the full execution of the agreement. It will have the right to terminate the contract for any reason and receive a full refund of the refundable portions of the earnest
D.R. Horton. is headquartered in Arlington, Tex. and has been the largest homebuilder by volume in the United States since 2002, with several projects in south Alabama and our area. In January 2019, Hemmer Consulting of Pensacola, 68 Ventures of Spanish Fort, AL, and their affiliated companies have offered $18 million for the 500 acres. The commissioners turned it down and made a commitment to use the site for economic development.
In the proposal, the homebuilder recognizes that the site has a master plan that includes residential, light industrial, office and retail uses. D.R. intends to incorporate multiple commercial and residential uses into its future master plan – which may be different than the OLF-8 Master Plan that Navy Federal Credit Union helped the county fund.
D.R Horton says it “intends to cooperate with Escambia County in meeting the requirements contained in Grant Award Agreement.”
Triumph Gulf Coast sees OLF-8 as a site to create high-paying jobs. Its grant will pay for $14.2 million to build infrastructure for industrial portions of OLF 8, with Escambia County fronting the first $3 million of the $14.2 million. According to the grant application, the county has a potential tenant, under the name “Operation Sapphire,” that will invest $40 million in its facility.
The county must repay all or a portion of the Triumph grant if Project Sapphire doesn’t create 338 new jobs. Operation Sapphire is projected to bring those new jobs with average wages of $53,556 to a new manufacturing/warehouse located on 43 acres of OLF 8, according to the application.
Commissioner Jeff Bergosh, whose district includes OLF-8, will be my guest on WCOA at 7 a.m. on Monday.
Check out – Nine Mile 540 AC – Letter of Intent.