Mayor Reeves discusses LDC, Housing, Bay Center’s future -

This morning, Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves announced the city will hold its first public workshop on updating the Land Development Code (LDC) on Feb. 26 at City Hall, marking a significant step in addressing what he calls the “number one public policy issue” facing U.S. cities – the housing crisis.

“There’s no better brushstroke of trying to attack this problem than looking at the codes that prohibit or limit our ability to thicken neighborhoods,” Reeves said during his weekly press conference.

The workshop, scheduled for 6-8 p.m., will be followed by an open house from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb 27 to collect additional public feedback. The initiative comes after a year-long LDC audit that gathered expert recommendations on potential changes.

TOP PRIORITY NATIONWIDE

The initiative comes as housing tops both the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ priority list and Pensacola’s own strategic plan based on resident feedback. According to Reeves, previous attempts to update the code were hampered by a lack of “political will” – something he says won’t be an issue under his administration given the current housing situation.

Reeves acknowledged that updating the code, which hasn’t seen comprehensive changes in nearly two decades, will involve “difficult conversations” with the community. He emphasized that increasing density in neighborhoods will likely be a point of contention.

“We are never going to solve this housing crisis building, putting one person or two people per 10,000 square feet in our town consistently,” Reeves said, noting that current R-1 AAA zoning requires quarter-acre lots for single homes in parts of the city.

The mayor pointed to historical precedents for higher-density housing in Pensacola’s established neighborhoods. “Some of the most beautiful ornate quadplexes in our city are in North Hill that were built in the 1940s,” he said. “There were people building multifamily type establishments in many of our historic neighborhoods… This is not new.”

When questioned about form-based code and development regulations, Reeves acknowledged the delicate balance between protecting historic neighborhood character and enabling affordable housing construction. “What we have right now is not meeting the need for our housing crisis,” Reeves stated, noting that even major developments like Pensacola Motor Lodge and Baptist Hospital wouldn’t be sufficient under current regulations.

The mayor explained that existing rules often limit development, though he maintained an open mind about specific solutions, deferring to community experts for detailed recommendations.

Addressing concerns about resilience and building codes, Reeves used an upcoming Pew research study about fire codes as an example of how regulations can unintentionally impact development costs. He explained that layered regulations over decades can add 10-12% to project costs – often the difference between a viable and non-viable development.

“This will not be solved by the government alone,” Reeves emphasized, stating that the city aims to empower private investment and the development community to participate in solutions. He stressed the importance of reviewing all aspects of permitting, water management, and other regulations that might make projects financially unfeasible while maintaining essential safety and environmental standards.

Reeves emphasized that the code update process will take approximately two years and involve extensive public input. He stressed that changes won’t be universal across the city, saying, “Doesn’t mean every code change is going to be for the entire city. There’s lots of nuances and hundreds and hundreds of pages of documents and things to review.”

The mayor encouraged broad participation from residents, architects, builders, and developers, particularly those who may have encountered obstacles with current regulations. “We strongly encourage everybody, whether you feel like there’s a project that the city didn’t let you build to good ideas, and we want your feedback.”

Residents and property owners can review the project on the city’s website at cityofpensacola.com. The mayor emphasized that the goal is to ensure “the new rules of the city, of how we develop, how we build housing in the city, reflect what we want in the community.”

BAY CENTER REDEVELOPMENT PLANS

In addition to housing concerns, Reeves addressed ongoing discussions about the future of the Pensacola Bay Center, acknowledging that the facility needs significant upgrades or replacement. The mayor indicated the city is considering hiring consultants to help develop a vision for the project.

“This is a community issue that we’re going to be dealing with. It doesn’t matter who operates the building, it doesn’t matter that the soil is in the city versus the county. This is a community issue, and we have to approach it that way,” Reeves said.

The mayor outlined a two-pronged approach to studying the facility’s future: “Deliverable one is what we think the community wants… deliverable two is pretend we don’t know what we’re talking about… pretend we know nothing and give us both of those options.”

Recent discussions at the county level have included proposals from ASM Global, which operates the facility, that could exceed $100 million to make a world-class facility. The mayor emphasized the need to carefully consider the financial viability of any plans.

“If those things were wildly profitable for municipalities, why wouldn’t every single person have one? It’s a huge capital expense,” Reeves noted, adding that the market for sports facilities has become increasingly competitive, with many venues now having to pay to attract tournaments rather than the other way around.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Cell Phone Lot @ Airport: The work on the new cell phone lot is expected to be completed this week. “Once that’s open, it’ll get people a place to wait. We’re kind of behind the times with how we handle people being picked up and dropped off. We haven’t really pressed that issue with our users of the airport because we haven’t given them a viable alternative. But now, with the cell phone lot, we should have a viable alternative that will allow us to be able to have a little more stricter enforcement on standing too long in that normal pickup are and keep vehicles moving.”

Tree-trimming: FPL has trimming trees in downtown Pensacola and the Sanders Beach area, something that happens “about every three years or so to keep the trees about eight to 12 feet off of those lines.” The mayor added, “Obviously, it is in FPL’s purview to do that and to be able to provide electricity to everybody.”

Mayor Reeves discusses LDC, Housing, Bay Center’s future

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