First, we had Cordova Park upset about Dollar General building a store at the corner of Spanish Trail and Summit Boulevard. Now North Hill residents are unsettled about the city granting a permit to begin renovations to the old Coca Cola plant on North Palafox for the Florida Department of Corrections to move into the building
WEAR TV picked up the story: “A Pensacola probation and parole office is moving into the Coca Cola Bottling Plant on Palafox Street. That means roughly 3,200 offenders will funnel through the North Hill neighborhood a month.”
The city held a meeting on Monday night about it. One reader sent me this note, “There is a mess brewing in regards to the Old Coke Bottling Building on N. Palafox St and the North Hill Preservation Association. Apparently the City has made a mistake in permitting that site for the current tenant.”
Councilman Charles Bare has added the issue to the agenda for the March 13 Pensacola City Council meeting. According to the WEAR report, Pensacola’s land development code has the coke plant in a C-3 commercial zone, which allows wholesale and limited industry. Community correctional centers are found in M-1 zones, which are light industrial districts. Oops.
Stay tuned.