The Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) was created to address conditions of blight and to rehabilitate, conserve, and redevelop specific inner-city areas located within the City of Pensacola. These areas include the Westside, Eastside, and Urban Core CRA districts. The CRA utilizes Tax Increment Financing (TIF), to supply revenues for its redevelopment activities. TIF offers a strategy for “self-financing” without having to raise or impose new taxes or utilize tax revenues from areas outside of the redevelopment area. It captures a portion of revenues generated within the district boundaries and reinvests them into the district to meet the goals and objectives outlined in that district’s redevelopment plan. The CRA is responsible for initiating planning efforts and projects that address public realm improvements, community connectivity, and attainable housing, as well as programs that support businesses and property owners.

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The Community Redevelopment Plans for the Eastside, Westside, and Urban Core CRA Districts were completed in 2004, 2007, and 2010. Per best practices, the Community Redevelopment Plans need to be updated every 5 years to remain current and represent community values. The Pensacola CRA department has hired a team of Urban Design professionals to conduct a comprehensive community engagement and community analysis effort to update the Community Redevelopment Plans for each district. The first step in this process is to meet with community members, local business owners, and stakeholders to understand community strengths and challenges and to receive suggestions about neighborhood improvements. The Community Redevelopment Plans are meant to outline future community improvement and be used as the basis for obtaining funding for specific projects.

The Urban Core Community Redevelopment Plan (Volumes I and II) were last updated in 2010. Key initiatives of this plan included:

• Completing the City’s vision for the West Main Master Plan
• Completing the City’s vision for the Port of Pensacola
• Completing the City’s vision for the East Garden District redevelopment
• Implementing a complete street of road diet project for the waterfront bicycle and pedestrian access along Bayfront Parkway
• Focusing on affordable and attainable housing in neighborhoods such as Belmont-DeVilliers, Tanyard, and Old East Hill

Click here to access the plan.

The Westside Community Redevelopment Area Plan was last updated in 2007. Key initiatives of this plan included:

• Implementing a complete street corridor along West Main Street connecting to downtown
• Improving the Jackson Street bicycle and pedestrian corridor parallel to West Cervantes Street
• Providing a complete street option for the Pace Boulevard Corridor
• Studying affordable and attainable housing options for the vacant Baptist Hospital site
• Exploring a road diet for West Cervantes Road
• Completing the Gonzalez Street Shareway demonstration project with Bike Pensacol

Click here to access the plan.

The Eastside Neighborhood Plan was last updated in 2004. Key initiatives of this plan included:

• Implementing the two-way conversion of Davis Highway and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive/Alcaniz Street
• Increasing on-street parking
• Creating bicycle corridor linkages to downtown
• Implementing the East-West two-way conversion of Maxwell and Jordan Street corridor
• Creating/improving the Hollice T. Williams Stormwater Park

Click here to access the plan.