The recent University of West Florida Haas Center study of OLF-8 must embarrass the Pensacola News Journal, the paper’s monthly columnist Theresa Blackwell and consultant DPZ CoDesign. The study found that developing 46 of the 271 acres set aside for light industrial use would generate an economic impact of $1.3 billion over five years for the local economy, local tax revenue of $10.8 million, 1,550 direct, indirect and induced jobs, and $445.5 million in total personal income.
- In 2020, DPZ, News Journal and Blackwell tried to convince the county commission and the public that the best use of OLF-8 was a town center with residential, retail and public parks. According to the RFP, DPZ had been tasked to “determine and balance the highest and best economic use for the property with uses that enhance the quality of life for those who live or work in Beulah, while maximizing the creation of jobs with wages higher than the Escambia County median income.”
BACKGROUND: In September 2020, DPZ had Weitzman Associates present to the county commission its market research study, which was pessimistic about OLF-8’s potential as a commerce park. The study favored retail that catered to Navy Federal’s employees and more housing—specifically, 900 new traditional rental units, 200 loft rental apartments, 400 for-sale townhomes, 100 for-sale patio homes, 100 for-sale cottages and 200 for-sale traditional single-family homes built over four phases.
Weitzman underestimated the need for a light industrial commerce park, concluding that 100 acres for the commerce park would be sufficient to create 2,000 jobs but would likely only succeed if built along with a “compelling mixed-use program.” The Haas Center study shows 1,550 jobs created on only 46 acres.
- DPZ said that locals led by Blackwell, under the guise of the Beulah Coalition, wanted its Village Plan. This hybrid design devoted 286 acres to open space or farms, 170 acres to multi-family and low-density residential, 72 acres to a commerce park and nine acres to retail and other commercial uses.
CONSPIRACY: Inweekly requested DPZ’s emails and found that the consultant had a special relationship with Navy Federal, PNJ and Blackwell, giving them copies of their report before anyone else.
DPZ leaders instructed Blackwell and Navy Federal how to fight against a commerce park. Read email. I wrote about all the emails here.
- The debate over OLF-8 sparked the daily newspaper’s editorial attacks on the county commission. Read DPZ CoDesign playing BCC, PNJ. And, of course, County Administrator Janice Gilley gleefully sat quietly on the sidelines.
COMMON SENSE: Yesterday, I met with Haas Center director Nicole Gislason. She said it is common sense that light manufacturing jobs are more impactful than retail ones.
She said, “If you take one manufacturing job and compare it to one retail job, the amount of personal wealth you build from that manufacturing job’s always going to outpace that of a retail one.”
Why didn’t DPZ and the News Journal see this?