Escambia's economic future on The Bluffs


  • November 4, 2015
  • /   Carlton Proctor
  • /   economy

Live Oak Bluff is one of four linked industrial development sites that FloridaWest hopes to develop to accommodate manufacturing and industrial companies. Photo credit: FloridaWest

FloridaWest, Escambia County's lead economic development alliance, has unveiled a bold plan to develop a sprawling 1,760-acre industrial park near the Cantonment community.

It is pitched as a space for as many as 60 manufacturing and industrial tenants that could create as many as 15,000 jobs.

Called "The Bluffs — Northwest Florida's Industrial Campus," the proposed project is a partnership between the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, Ascend Performance Materials, Gulf Power and the University of West Florida.

The proposed industrial park sites would occupy four large parcels of land that lie on either side of Industrial Blvd., east of U.S. 29, south of Becks Lake Road, and north of the UWF campus. All four sites sit along bluffs that follow Escambia Bay and the Escambia River.

{{business_name}}The site map for The Bluffs industrial development.

The site map for The Bluffs industrial development.

Most of the land proposed for the park is owned by Ascend (formerly Solutia) and ECUA, whose Central Water Reclamation Facility is situated on 2,200 acres already zoned for industrial use.

The idea for the project evolved from conversations local economic development officials have had with Ascend executives over the past three years.

The company expressed interest in building out some of its large land holdings, said Scott Luth, CEO of FloridaWest.

"As this project continued to evolve, we realized this location is very unique, and that we've got something very promising here that we really haven't recognized as much as we should have," Luth said.

"So we started doing some more investigation, and we realized early on that our four primary partners — ECUA, Ascend, Gulf Power and UWF — all follow this bluff."

Luth said these four sites are well suited for a large industrial park that, when developed, would give Escambia County a chance to compete with Alabama for high-paying industrial and manufacturing jobs.

"We've got natural gas lines to this area, a CSX rail line, two barge terminals, along with the major utility providers of Gulf Power and ECUA," Luth said.

"So, when you look at it, we've got more than a $1 billion worth of assets and infrastructure that's already in place in this area," Luth said.

The need for a state-of-the-art industrial park in Escambia County has never been greater, said John Hutchinson, a former Gulf Power executive who now is board chairman of FloridaWest.

Escambia County has long been deficient in sites for heavy industry location and expansion, he said.

{{business_name}}The_Bluffs_website_image

This image from The Bluffs website highlights what officials hope will be the environmentally friendly feel of the development.

Hutchinson said the concept of The Bluffs has gained support from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The state authorized a grant to help study the feasibility of the project.

Some preliminary engineering studies have been conducted on the properties, along with surveys of existing wetlands, stormwater runoff potential, and additional road and transportation needs.

Another grant request to fund further engineering and environmental studies will go before the Florida Legislature for consideration early next year.

A marketing plan has been developed, and already is attracting some limited attention from prospective companies, Luth said.

Luth is hesitant to put a dollar figure on the overall project, but development costs could easily reach into the tens of millions of dollars.

The payoff in jobs and economic diversification of Escambia and Northwest Florida's economy could be enormous, Hutchinson said.

“This is a project for our children and our grandchildren,” Hutchinson said.

Luth said the four parks would be designed and built as "environmental showcases," featuring natural trails connecting the parks, along with protection and enhancement of wetlands and other water resources along the bluffs.

Next step in what's expected to be a years-long process, he said, is getting approval in 2016 of a second state grant for $2 million that help will fund further studies and development.

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