Planning board grants conceptual approval for Reverb by Hard Rock project; developer to return for final aesthetic review

The City of Pensacola Planning Board on March 11 unanimously approved conceptual aesthetic review for “Reverb by Hard Rock” and an adjacent mass-timber residential building proposed for Lot 5 at Community Maritime Park. The project team said the plan uses Florida’s Live Local Act to achieve increased height and density in exchange for affordable units.

Dennis Pemberton, executive managing director with the Dawson Company (doing business as Inspired Communities in Florida), told the board the residential tower will be roughly the Live Local maximum of about 150 feet measured from the lowest occupiable floor; the team said 40 percent of units would be reserved for households with incomes between 80 and 120 percent of area median income (AMI). Pemberton said the hotel and residential program are being coordinated so the development will work closely with the adjacent Blue Wahoos stadium and Maritime Park activities.

Lester Ewan, design director at Gensler, walked the board…