Since 2010, Rev. John Powell has worked to convert the historic Smith Bakery building at the corner of Belmont and Devilliers streets into a community center for youth. Last August, the building – which has suffered significant hurricane damage over the years – was put on the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2022 Florida’s 11 to Save.
According to Mayor D.C. Reeves, Powell may lose the building due to foreclosure later this month. The mayor asked the Community Redevelopment Agency for the authority to meet with Rev. Powell and figure out how to save the building. The CRA approved the mayor offering up to $1.5 million for the property.
On WCOA this morning, Reeves said, “We brought it forward through the CRA yesterday to try to partner with Rev. Powell, who has been certainly a staple in that community and on that block helping our community’s youth there. We did this as an add-on because time is of the essence because there’s potential foreclosure this month.”
The mayor continued, “The action passed 7-0 yesterday; all that action was it gave myself and the administration the ability to try to come up with a partnership that makes sense.”
He believes the building is significant for the city of Pensacola for two reasons. “Number one is the true tangible, historic preservation of some of the historic structure that it is there. We’ve talked about that many times over the years, for better or for worse, so we’re trying to be proactive about that. And second is we know the rich history and importance of the Belmont Devilliers’s intersection and the heart of that neighborhood and how important that is to the fabric of our community.”
In the documentation accompanying the agenda item, the estimated value is between $1,400,000-$1,625,000, according to a broker’s opinion of value from Beck Partners. An offer will be made to Truth for Youth, Inc. for an amount of up to $1.5 million.
The city would like to work with Rev. Powell to use the property for community space and affordable housing.
