The things that the Independent News has been reporting for much of the past decade:shortage of affordable housing, racial disparities, substandard education and poverty. The Dawson Group told the Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee essentially the same thing.
Press Release: URAC OBTAINS PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF PENSACOLA FROM THE DAWSON COMPANY
Pensacola’s Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee (URAC) has commissioned an informational briefing from The Dawson Company, a renowned Atlanta-based real estate development firm.
Founded in 1969, The Dawson Company is one of the nation’s leading developers in mixed-use, public-private community development and specializes in real estate solutions, from design and construction to corporate financing and facilities management. The firm boasts a development portfolio exceeding $1 billion in high-profile projects in Atlanta, Baltimore and Cincinnati, as well as international operations in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Dawson Company’s approach involves a transformative growth strategy for community development designed to bring about generational change. Dawson’s initial assessment of Pensacola revealed many assets, including vibrant tourism and a burgeoning downtown, and identified numerous challenges that need to be addressed before the City can meet the needs of residents and businesses alike.
Dawson’s preliminary analysis cited a shortage of affordable and workforce housing, socio-economic and racial disparities, and substandard education and median incomes as impediments to URAC’s vision to create an authentic, sustainable community where local people can live, work, gather and play.
URAC was established to assist the Mayor, the City Council, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and Community Maritime Park Associates (CMPA) in implementing the redevelopment of downtown Pensacola. Led by a broad-based group of highly-qualified local professionals, URAC is tasked with capitalizing on the significant investments already made and creating additional opportunities for economic growth and community development.