On Sunday, the PNJ business section continued the paper’s rosy outlook on the area’s economy and it cites a door-to-door survey that says more people are moving into downtown Pensacola.The Downtown Improvement Board surveyed an area that stretches from A street to Pensacola Bay; surveyors did not go north of Cervantes or into lower East Hill.
The PNJ throws out two statistics that seem to contradict each other. One says that in the past two years there has been a 51% increase in the number of people living downtown, but another says that the increase was only one or two percent.
A little insight into these numbers would have been helpful.
If downtown Pensacola offered retail and restaurant areas, young people would live and spend money they earn at high paying jobs. But the problem is there are not enough money spending opportunities or profitable jobs in downtown Pensacola.
Maybe the area is on the rise; new businesses are opening. There’s a pizza and beer joint called Fogarty’s that will be opening in a few weeks on South Palafox Street. Hopefully, the venture will be successful and more entrepreneurs will head downtown.
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Pensacola still needs to get going on the sewage plant move. Investment in this area is doubtful by outside companies as long as it still fouls the air in this area.
The maritime park needs to have, in large measure, a focus on large conferences and tourism. People expect Pensacola to have a strong waterfront connection and we can’t deliver at this time. The ballpark is a big waste of space and detracts from the waterfront connection.
Once we can attract world-class conferences to Pensacola (10-20,000 attendees per conference 20+ time per year) only then will you see Downtown Pensacola prosper.
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