pensacola beach, rip

pensacola Beach Public Core Development Proposal by
Chris Shearman, Alcon Associates, Inc.

This proposal was presented to the Santa Rosa Island Authority Board at their June 24 Committee Meeting.
Parking Deck No. 1, Quietwater Beach: New parking deck with ground level and three elevated parking decks parking for 600 additional cars and trucks.

Parking Deck No. 2, Sound View Building and Flounders:Additional parking deck with ground level and three elevated parking levels with parking for 200 additional cars and trucks. Constructed after the Sound View Building.

Parking Deck No. 3, Casino Parking Garage, Phase 1:New parking deck constructed over the existing lot with two new levels. Approximately 1200 new parking spaces.

Sound View Building No. 4: Four story new building with 18,000 square feet per floor housing the Circle K on the first floor along with other retail space, second floor housing the Santa Rosa Island Authority and the Visitors Center. The remaining two floor sold to developers as mixed use.

Casino Building No. 5: New Casino building built by others to house mixed use restaurants, shops, and meeting rooms. 120,000 square feet of space with 20,000 public space.

Hotel Site No. 6: SRIA current site sold for 140 room hotel.

North Casino Parking Deck No. 7: New parking deck added in 2012 for approximately 400 cars and trucks.

Covered Elevated Access to Parking Deck No. 8

Core Area Development Conceptual Drawing as Proposed by Chris Shearman June 24, 2008



i haven't followed sria politics in a long time. once the county commissioners took away their power in the mid-90s, there really wasn't much to follow. since i was just there on the island last year, i can say that what was once quite a special place isn't any more & all of the above is just one more nail in the coffin. it didn't take a hurricane to do it either.

i always took it as portentous that the summer after bobo died, p'beach got hit w/not one but two hurricanes(each coming from the opposite direction). the island hadn't been hit for over 70 years at the time. bobo was dead & i was living in virginia(the first summer i'd lived out of the state in my life).

that island almost killed me. it's the only reason i can think of to go to pensacola but it nearly killed me. i take no pleasure in what's happening to it. i'm conflicted. can you tell?