Mayor asks Council to reconnect Government Street to 9th Avenue, demolish former Armory near Airport

Continuing his push to create a more walkable downtown and better connect neighborhoods to the waterfront, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward will ask City Council members next week to reopen East Government Street to 9th Avenue near Bayfront Parkway.

The street, which currently dead-ends just west of 9th Avenue, has been disconnected since Phase II of Bayfront Parkway was completed in the 1980s. Its reconnection to 9th Avenue begins to implement another aspect of the 2010 CRA Plan previously approved by the City Council, which recommended a roundabout at the intersection. Because funding for a roundabout is not currently available, the City will employ a “right in, right out” configuration to minimize impact to traffic patterns.

“Dead-ends don’t belong in downtowns,” said Mayor Hayward. “Reopening East Government Street to 9th Avenue will provide another point of access for nearby residents and businesses, as well as new pedestrian connections to the waterfront. The Seville Historic District is one of Pensacola’s oldest and most historic areas, and as America’s first European settlement, we should embrace that history, not barricade it.”

As part of the project, sidewalk will be added on the west side of South 9th Avenue, where it currently terminates one block north near the Aragon neighborhood. The sidewalk will be extended south and connected to existing sidewalks linking Bayfront Parkway and Admiral Mason Park. If approved by Council, construction on the project would commence in early April, with expected completion by mid-May.

The City Council will also consider awarding a bid for demolition of the former National Guard Armory at Pensacola International Airport. The site, which is currently owned by the City, is slated to be sold to the Airport and reused for public parking facilities.

The building on the site was damaged during Hurricane Ivan and was vacated in 2007. Ownership reverted back to the City earlier this year.

“We’re looking at creating around 500 parking spaces, which is important as our Airport continues to grow,” said Airport Director Melinda Crawford. “This site is an integral part of the Airport’s expansion plans.”

Demolition should begin in mid-April and wrap up by the end of June. Completion of a parking lot on the site is slated for November.

The Pensacola City Council will consider both initiatives at its Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, March 19. The meeting begins at 3:15 PM in the Hagler/Mason Conference Room, second floor, City Hall.