In February 2003, City staff presented to the Pensacola City Council a reported titled “Profile of Pensacola: Demographic, Housing and Economic Characteristics.â€
The City Council was John R. Fogg, Mayor; Owen W. Eubanks City Council District 1; J. D. Smith, Deputy Mayor City Council District 2; Mike DeSorbo City Council District 3; Marty Donovan City Council District 4; John Jerralds City Council District 5; Hugh G. King City Council District 6; Ronald Townsend City Council District 7; John W. “Jack†Nobles At-Large 8; and Mike Wiggins At-Large 9
Summary and Recommendations
Pensacola is the cultural, historical, recreational, business and medical center of a region that has a total population of over 412,000, according to the 2000 Census. The Pensacola metropolitan area, consisting of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, is the 100th largest metropolitan area in the country.
Like many other central cities across the nation, Pensacola has witnessed a declining population base, while the outlying areas have seen significant population growth. This growth pattern is commonly referred to as urban sprawl. The movement of people and businesses to the suburbs has contributed to the decline of Pensacola’s inner city area as well as the surrounding unincorporated communities of Brownsville, Goulding, West Pensacola and Warrington. Poverty, unemployment, economic dependency and poor housing conditions continue to plague many areas of the City and region but are particularly prevalent in the Black or African American community.
The City is undergoing a successful renewal, including new office, retail, entertainment, recreation, education and residential development. Numerous redevelopment and revitalization projects have been successfully undertaken in the downtown area, along the Pensacola Bay waterfront and in many of the City’s neighborhoods and business districts. Successful revitalization will result in the reuse of existing infrastructure and buildings that will provide an expanded tax base as well as economic opportunities for new businesses and residents.
Continued urban sprawl will strain financial resources to provide more roads and schools, while the quality of life is diminished through traffic congestion, loss of natural resources, inner city decline and development of land without adequate public facilities and services. To maintain its position as the regional center, the City of Pensacola must continue efforts to expand its population and economic base with particular attention to expanding educational, housing and economic opportunities in the Black or African American community.
The following actions are recommended:
1. Continue to implement and expand neighborhood preservation and revitalization efforts, including residential infill and redevelopment.
2. Continue and expand efforts to attract new residential development into the City limits.
3. Explore opportunities to expand the available housing stock in the downtown area.
4. Develop an annexation plan for contiguous urban areas.
5. Assure the provision of affordable housing units in the City.
6. Expand and improve access to education, job training and small/minority business development opportunities in partnership with the Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce, Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce, EscaRosa Regional Workforce Development Board, West Florida Technical High School, George Stone Vocational School, Pensacola Junior College, the University of West Florida and similar organizations.
7. Implement Enterprise Zone and Brownfields programs to expand economic and redevelopment opportunities in eligible areas.
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We could issue the same report today with the same conclusions, except the population has shrunk even further. Affordable housing is still an issue and the economic disparity for minorities still exists —weakening the city as a regional center.
All this points to why Mayor Hayward’s initiatives on the west side of Pensacola are critical to the future of Pensacola.