Pensacola urban core board reviews project list, Hollis T. Williams vision and plan updates

The Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency Urban Core Redevelopment Board on a June meeting reviewed its project and implementation list and heard a 30% design vision for Hollis T. Williams Park, staff said.

The update covered affordable-housing initiatives, the residential property improvement program (RPIP), Bruce Beach Park phases and a proposed cultural building, a two-way conversion study for Martin Luther King and Davis streets tied to an interlocal agreement with Escambia County, and plan language changes required to meet state statutory requirements. Rachel, the CRA urban design planner, presented the Hollis T. Williams 30% vision and described the public-engagement process behind it: "This project is on a very tight timeline due to our grant restraints. So we're moving quickly," she said.

Why it matters: the board must finalize the urban core redevelopment plan and its implementation materials before state legislative changes take effect, staff warned. The updated plan must include required appendices and a statutory compliance table; staff said consultants are finalizing cost estimates and a project-priority list so the CRA can publish the final plan in advance of potential new state limits on CRA authority.

What the board heard

Affordable housing and RPIP: Staff reported affordable-housing initiatives remain the board's top priority. According to Shirley Cromley,…