Quick cash vs. long-term planning: Residents need answers on OLF 8 offer | Guestview

Jarah V. Jacquay
·3 min read

Editor's note: Since the publication of this guestview, at least one other developer has also expressed interest in purchasing the property.

D.R. Horton, Inc., the largest homebuilder by volume in the United States, submitted a "Letter of Intent" on Feb. 10 expressing their desire to acquire the Escambia County-owned OLF-8 property on 9 Mile Road for $33 million. The Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to publicly discuss this offer for the first time on Thursday at their regular 9 a.m. meeting.

Jarah V. Jacquay
Jarah V. Jacquay

I have followed the ups and downs and twists and turns of the often controversial OLF-8 story for quite some time, and believe that the disposition of the remaining 540 acres of this publicly-owned parcel acquired in a land swap with the United States Navy in 2019 for over $18 million represents a critical juncture for our county and region. Will we "follow the data," learn from the urban planning successes and failures of other communities, and steward this property in a way that strengthens and diversifies our private-sector economic base, shores up our public finances by maximizing taxable value capture, increases housing supply and diversity, provides missing retail, commercial, recreational and civic functions, and improves the quality of life, health and social connectivity of the Beulah community? Or will we rush the process, settle for a quick infusion of cash, and keep our fingers crossed that D.R. Horton has the best interests of Escambia County citizens and taxpayers at heart?

Offer on OLF 8:D.R. Horton offers Escambia County $33 million for OLF 8

Bidding war: Escambia County gets multiple multi-million-dollar offers on OLF 8

Related:Escambia County looks to find master developer for OLF-8 as quickly as possible

Before our board of county commissioners makes a decision about how to respond to D.R. Horton's offer, I believe that we need answers to the following crucial questions:

  • If the county were to accept this offer, what would become of the $1 million OLF-8 Master Plan that was funded by Navy Federal Credit Union and adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in 2021 after an extensive public input process, many months of negotiation, and hundreds (if not thousands) of man hours of careful research, analysis and design work by one of the world's leading planning firms, DPZ?  Would adherence to the OLF-8 Master Plan be a condition of sale, or has D.R. Horton indicated they would like to be released from these land development and zoning requirements?

  • Would acceptance of this offer be a de facto rejection of the $14.2 million Triumph Gulf Coast OLF-8 Infrastructure Grant that was awarded in December 2022 to bring "high paying jobs" to the industrial portion of OLF-8? If not, why would a public entity, Triumph Gulf Coast, pay for site-improvements to increase the value of privately held land?

  • How much of the $1 million to be held in escrow during the inspection period is refundable if D.R. Horton decides not to close on the property? How much will it cost Escambia County to maintain this property for another full year, and what are the opportunity costs of agreeing to "not solicit, initiate, pursue, entertain offers, or otherwise consider or accept any other offers" during this period of due diligence? Would an option agreement with a non-refundable deposit and a shorter inspection period better protect the interests of county taxpayers and citizens?

  • Would D.R. Horton be willing to consider purchasing a smaller portion(s) of the OLF-8 property − the areas zoned Z1- Neighborhood Core, Z2- Neighborhood Center, Z3- Commerce, and Z5- Neighborhood General, for example − while preserving Escambia County's ownership of the Z4 - Light Industrial, CZ- Civic Zone, and Civic Open Space districts? Does D.R. Horton, a company not known for mixed-use or commercial development, intend to sell off the non-residential parcels to another corporate entity?

Escambia County residents deserve these questions to be discussed and answered in full before commissioners take irreversible and costly steps on this offer.

Jarah V. Jacquay is a resident of Escambia County District 4.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: OLF 8 offer by D.R. Horton raises more questions in Escambia County