(PENSACOLA) --- The Westside Redevelopment Board chose safety over beautification on a few proposed projects at the June 17 meeting.
The significant debate on allocating the $1.7 million West Side Tax Increment Financing (TIF) budget in 2027 was the main topic for board members.
Victoria DeAngelo, division manager for the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), told members the preliminary numbers were up for review before the CRA workshop in July.
(Photo: Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Division Manager Victoria DeAngelo, far right, at the June 17 meeting)
“Your feedback will go to their workshop so they can consider it, and then it will ultimately go for a vote that gets recommended to council in September, with our fiscal year starting in October,” DeAngelo said.
The A Street project, which is half Westside and half Urban Core, was listed first. Still, no construction cost is known for the connectivity portion, which would include possible sidewalk replacement, with a proposed budget of $165K.
(Photo: Westside Development Board member Michelle Press at the June 17 meeting)
“I personally would rather focus money on something like the Gibson site or something that's going to be just street beautification, but something that's actually going to help the citizens in the neighborhood,” Board member Michelle Press said. “That’s where I am at.”
Board member Michael Hayes was more concerned with potholes on A Street than sidewalks, saying, “I would focus all the money there.”
DeAngelo clarified that while Press feels “Gibson was a very high priority,” and Hayes notes “A street is its importance,” the discussion will help the CRA “to know where we should focus the funding this year.”
(Photo: Westide Redevelopment Board Priority List)
“If we continue to take little bits of money and put it towards projects, we won't move the needle in getting the projects done,” DeAngelo said. “So we have to be thoughtful and strategic about how we're going to fund them long term.”
Press continued noting while “the city is trying to beautify things; it is on the very edge of the West Side district, and it is not serving the entire West Side community.”
"I want to see actual development projects that will bring in business or jobs or groceries or something like that, versus just making the tip of a street pretty to match Main Street," Press said.
Board member Leah Langford brought up Gregory Street, noting, “It is extremely dangerous” due to the lack of traffic impediments, including stop signs or speed bumps.
(Photo: Westside Redevelopment Board Members Michael Hayes, Leah Langford at the June 17 meeting)
“I would like a little bit more (funds) to go to Gregory Street,” Langford said. “I mean, there's just so much more children and family activity down on that street alone.”
Board member Andrea Greer confirmed stormwater improvements were not part of the A Street allocations, noting that is a concern for her.
“I will say on drainage overall that that is definitely a huge issue for the West Side district and it's a very expensive issue,” DeAngelo confirmed.
Press stayed on point, noting her “top initiatives” are revitalizing Gibson and Baptist to “get jobs and services into the neighborhood and then streets within our sidewalks within the West Side Garden District.”
Board member Joe Lennon confirmed the $1.7 million in TIF could be reallocated if needed.
"So a lot of these recommendations are really kind of the planning and design aspect of the projects, knowing that once we get better estimates, we would then have to strategize whether that's grants or financing or other mechanisms to make that construction work,” DeAngelo said.
(Photo: Westside Redevelopment Board Chair Marcel Davis, Andrea Greer at the June 17 meeting)
Chair Marcel Davis suggested moving some of the $170K for Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) to other areas.
“Can we just relocate that money or a portion of that money, maybe to the Eighth Street project?” Davis asked.
Board members were told there are three pending CIP plans, prompting Press to ask, “How can we allocate this money to help the most people who need the help first, in my opinion, and then work on safety, beautification?”
“We should allocate everything we can to all of these property improvement plans, commercial redevelopment, small business, affordable housing, because we could use that money in one year,” Press said.
During discussions, board members were informed that funding is not the problem as much as staff capacity, given the 4-5-year waitlist for residential property improvement applications.
The nearly hour-long discussion led board members to allocate TIF funds for housing projects and blight removal at Gibson and Baptist, as well as to improve street safety on Gregory Street.
(Photo: Westside Redevelopment Board TIF funding for 2026-2027)
Board members also finalized the Wright Street sidewalk design from A to G Streets, which has been completed and released for bidding.
Lastly, the board received updates from Baptist Hospital Legacy Campus regarding demolition and the approval of a Request for Proposals.
The OpGov.News platform picked up the meeting, summarizing it with Key Takeaways, offering all the action taken at the June 17 meeting.
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