By: Abigail Hrabar
As Pensacola has experienced explosive growth in tourism in recent years, the city has been forced to respond to this need. The new Three-Mile Bridge, for instance, was one way the city responded to this uptick in visitors. This rise in tourism has resulted in larger companies’ further interest in developing businesses and infrastructure in the area.
Hard Rock International announced they would be building a REVERB by Hard Rock Pensacola hotel downtown. In early August, Pensacola City Council agreed to a 100-year lease for the hotel. The Hard Rock Hotel website states this hotel will feature “more than 125 hotel technology-enhanced rooms, a full-service restaurant, rooftop bar, lobby bar and lounge, quick service restaurant and fitness center”. On top of this, it will have a large space available for conferences and meetings.
Not only will the new construction house the Hard Rock REVERB, but it will also partner with Inspired Communities of Florida, a renowned Pensacola real estate company, to create apartments. These apartments were approved on the basis that a small percentage of the apartments were affordable for those making 80% to 120% the median income of the city of Pensacola; this number is currently around $2000, making it around the average price of apartments downtown regardless.
The hotel and apartment building will be situated right outside the Blue Wahoos stadium in the parking lot of Maritime Park. Conceptual designs were released over the summer, and the initial aesthetic concept for the apartment and hotel combination was recently approved by Pensacola’s Planning Board in mid-March. Some issues remain unresolved, such as the large number of windows facing the north, which is against current regulations, and the possibility that an underground parking garage will not be feasible due to the water table in the area. There were also concerns about the location not being ideal for the aesthetics of the city and the design of the building being too dark compared to the light-coloured Blue Wahoos stadium.
As of right now, these issues must be worked out by the companies involved before they can obtain any permits from the city. The current planned timeframe for the hotel has ground-breaking in 2026 and the completion of the project in 2029. Overall, this project is just another example of the growing infrastructure, modernization, and rebuilding of downtown that has been taking place in the last few years.