Development of the long-vacant Pensacola Technology Campus is expected to take a big step forward Oct. 11.

That’s when Space Florida’s board of directors meets in Orlando to select a firm to design a 70,000 square foot, multiuse office building on the 9-acre park site at Ninth Avenue and Gregory Street.

The outlook for the Tech Park brightened considerably in February when Space Florida, the state’s chief aerospace economic development agency, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Pensacola-Escambia Development Commission, which holds the title to the property.

In the MOU, Space Florida committed to financing construction of the building and lease a portion of its floor space.

Moreover, Space Florida’s board announced it had secured an anchor tenant it described as a “major aerospace industry supplier” that has an existing presence in the Sunshine State.

Space Florida also will be the owner and developer of the proposed building.

“Earlier this year Space Florida sent out RFPs (request for proposals) for the design and costing of the building,” said Scott Luth, senior vice president for economic development for the Greater Pensacola Chamber. “That process of receiving the RFPs will be completed by the end of this month, hopefully.”

Luth said the deadline for submittals was Sept. 5 and Space Florida’s staff is expected to short-list the participants by its Oct. 11 meeting in Orlando.

“I’ll be down there for that and hopefully they (Space Florida’s selection committee) will make a decision that day which firm gets the contract,” Luth said. “If that happens we hope to invite a professional from the winning firm up to Pensacola to meet with the proposed anchor tenant and put harder numbers together on building costs

“It’s a real opportunity to get our first building in the park,” Luth added.

Park’s long wait

Luth said earlier this month once the design firm is selected the project could shift gears and get on a fast track toward bidding and eventual construction.

The Tech Park was constructed in 2010-2011 on land donated by the City of Pensacola and Escambia County.

Financing for the construction of the park’s infrastructure came from a $2 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

The park opened for business in early September 2011, but since then has remained vacant with no firm offers to lease land and construct a first building until Space Florida entered the picture.

Some local firms had expressed mild interest in locating in the Tech Park but backed away from any firm commitment due to numerous problematic issues, including lease fees, parking and height restrictions.

Ever since the park’s opening, the Greater Pensacola Chamber has taken up the cause of finding the first tenant.

In March, Luth said that some of the stipulations on developing the site were eased or made or flexible, which he felt bettered chances of getting tenants.

Wrinkles remain to be worked out

Aside from the PEDC and chamber’s involvement, another major player in the Tech Park’s future is the University of West Florida’s Office of Economic Development and Engagement.

The OEDE’s assistant director, Brice Harris, said Space Florida’s as-yet unnamed anchor tenant is the recipient of a significant grant from the Oil Spill Recovery Act fund.

The $30 million fund was created by the 2011 Florida Legislature to help those eight Panhandle counties most affected economically by the 2010 BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

While not naming the anchor tenant, Harris said the OEDE and UWF’s Small Business Development Center have been mentioned as possible tenants in the new Tech Park building.

Harris did cite some issues with the proposed design and building site that remain to be resolved. They include where to place parking facilities, the height of the building and the height of the ceilings on each floor.

If the Space Florida building ultimately is sited in the northeast portion of property away from Aragon, it can rise to a maximum of 10 stories. However the height, regardless of where sited, will depend on number of tenants and their architectural needs, Luth said.

If the building is sited along the property adjacent Aragon, it is limited to four stories.

Parking arrangements have not been determined and won't be according to Luth until the building is designed and a site selected. A parking garage is the most practical but also the most expensive.

Another option Harris mentioned is utilizing property on Civic Center and building a pedestrian bridge over Chase Street, but that does not seem a particularly viable option.

“There are challenges with this project,” Harris said. “But I’m cautiously optimistic that it will ultimately come through and be built.”

As for the timeline, Luth said the chamber anticipates the building’s construction can move forward rapidly once the design firm is selected.

“Our hope is design can be completed by the end of this year or early in 2015,” Luth said. “Once that happens the project can be put out to bid sometime in the first quarter of next year.

“We hope to get construction going something in 2015,” he added.

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