Pensacola launches Phase 2 rewrite of land development code, schedules public workshops

Pensacola City Council on Thursday heard a presentation launching Phase 2 of a multi-year rewrite of the city’s Land Development Code, with consultants saying the work will focus first on reorganizing and clarifying the code before pursuing more substantive policy changes.

The presentation, led by Inspire Placemaking Collective planner Pat Tajeski and senior urban designer Leslie Del Monte with support from Planning and Zoning Division Manager Cynthia Cannon, summarized a 2024 assessment and a 268-item matrix that consultants will use to guide the rewrite. Tajeski said the first tasks are reorganization, clarification and implementation of the assessment’s action items.

The matrix, officials said, catalogs comments from staff, stakeholders and the consulting team, identifies recommended responses and records an action column that flags which items can be completed in this phase and which should be deferred. "The main purpose of doing what we're gonna be doing for the next 2 years is to reorganize and clarify this code," Tajeski said.

Why it matters: City staff and the consultant team said a clearer, reorganized code will reduce cross-referencing and inconsistent language that currently forces users — architects, developers, homeowners and staff — to jump between chapters to find rules. The rewrite is intended to make implementation more predictable and to reduce the number of ad-hoc or ambiguous interpretations during project review.

Key elements and issues discussed

• Scope and schedule: Consultants said they will deliver a first internal draft to staff in mid-March, a public draft by the fall, and a third draft by year’s end. The adoption process is expected to begin the following year. Consultants schedule an initial public workshop the night after the council meeting and an open-house session the following morning to gather input and demonstrate online tools.

• Public outreach and tools: The project website and branding are active. The team has created an interactive website with a survey, a map for geolocated comments and an idea wall; consultants said roughly 200 project cards with a QR code have been distributed to promote participation. Consultants also demonstrated a three-dimensional visualization tool (GRYDICS) that can map parcel attributes and show how height or bonus changes would appear in 3D.

• Technical workstreams: The rewrite will reorganize chapters (moving definitions earlier in the code), consolidate repetitive provisions (for example public-notice requirements), produce unified tables of uses across districts, and attempt to standardize dimensional standards where practical. The team noted that some detailed, contentious items will be deferred to future phases to avoid delaying the entire rewrite.

• Policy topics to be addressed: The presentation listed recurring topics the team will examine with staff and the public: urban vs. suburban form (with downtown characterized as compact and walkable), development incentives and bonuses (including how height and density incentives could support affordable housing and structured parking), historic preservation standards, coastal resiliency and FEMA/stormwater constraints, and parking policy (including shared parking and capped parking ratios). "We’ll be looking at what the city wants — mixed use, affordable housing, parking garages — and what it's willing to give in return," Tajeski said.

• Live Local Act and incentives: Council members asked how state-level incentives such as the Live Local Act have been used elsewhere. Tajeski said some Florida communities have adopted height and density bonuses specifically tied to affordable housing or public amenities; uptake varies by market and location and has not produced universal, immediate change.

• Stormwater and coastal resiliency limits: Consultants repeatedly emphasized that some requirements (stormwater, FEMA elevation standards, coastal construction rules) are imposed by external agencies and constrain what local code changes can accomplish. "All we can do is say you have to meet whatever the state requires and lay out options for fulfilling those requirements," Tajeski said in response to council questions about repeated flooding on Davila Street.

• Parking approaches: The team said they will explore alternatives to surface-parking-dependent standards — including structured parking incentives, shared parking agreements, on-street parking credits and possible parking-ratio caps — and that a single parking formula will not fit every part of the city.

• Historic districts and materials: Consultants noted inconsistent use categories and design rules across historic and redevelopment districts and said they will flag differences for staff and neighborhood stakeholders rather than automatically collapsing the distinctions.

Council and public input

Council members asked about neighborhood hubs, incentives for downtown residential development, how to preserve Pensacola’s character and whether redevelopment rules will consider multiple existing plans (strategic plan, CRA redevelopment plans, Maritime Park planning). Several council members emphasized balancing preservation, walkability and parking needs; one resident, Margie McKinnon, asked about branding and logo choices for the website.

Next steps and how to participate

The consultant team will hold the public kickoff workshop in the same chambers the evening after the council meeting (6 to 8 p.m.) and an open-house session the following morning (8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) to accept more detailed, drop-in questions. Staff briefings and internal work sessions are planned in late March. The team encouraged residents, designers and the development community to use the project website’s survey, map and idea wall and to attend public events.

Cannon closed the session by thanking the team and noting the council’s interest in being involved from the start so members can "make informed decisions" throughout the process. The project website listed during the meeting is: www.inspire-engagement.com/pensacola-ldclanddevelopmentcode.

Votes at a glance: No formal motions or votes were taken at the workshop; the meeting consisted of presentation, public comment and council Q&A.