Mark O’Brien doesn’t understand how growth works. It’s this statement in his Sunday column that has got me thinking:
The pooh-bahs of Pensacola can promote downtown all they want, but Nine Mile Road and 12th Avenue are both thriving — and they’re doing it without lots of government aid and hand-holding.
First, I’m not sure 12th Avenue is thriving. It has neighborhood stores and restaurants that do a good job of serving those who live around them. Downtown doesn’t have those type of residents.
Second, the growth on Nine Mile Road didn’t pay for the infrastructure that made it worthwhile for those businesses to locate there. For decades, downtown Pensacola provided the tax revenue to pay for most of the services enjoyed by the rest of the county. In fact, city residents pay the same as county residents for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, even though the ECSO rarely makes arrests in the city limits.
The revitalization of 12th Avenue and the emergence of Nine Mile Road are both nice, but they aren’t as important to the overall economy as a vibrant downtown,
Malls, WalMarts, Starbucks and Targets are not the cornerstone of a great city or county.