An ambitious, grassroots effort to build a public greenway connecting east and west Pensacola is seeking the community’s input to help design the project’s initial phase. Bluffline, Inc. will host an open house from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on July 30 at the Lexington Terrace Community Center, in West Pensacola.
The Bluffline would knit together existing public parks via neglected rail and utility rights of way to create one continuous, multi-use path stretching from the University of West Florida to “Jackson Lakes” — nearly 70 acres of county-owned land located between Navy Boulevard and Jackson Street that are home to three enormous, freshwater lakes.
The first phase of the Bluffline would focus on the western end of this route and would include constructing a new public park at the lakes and connecting this park to surrounding schools, neighborhoods, and healthcare facilities to the east via a mile-long greenway corridor within the Florida Power & Light rights of way.
Federal Funding in Reach
Bluffline, Inc. was selected to participate in a federal technical assistance program earlier this year, which paired us with New Orleans landscape architects Spackman Mossop Michaels to apply for $10 to $20 million in federal funding through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Community Change Grant Program. Were we to receive the funding, the project would be completed by 2028 at no cost to the county.
Bluffline, Inc. is working closely with Escambia County to develop an interim partnership agreement, which will be crucial for applying for federal funding. A formal agreement is expected to be presented to the county commissioners for a vote in the next several weeks.
A Vision Decades in the Making
The idea of converting Jackson Lakes to a park has been discussed since at least the early 2000’s, when the county purchased the surrounding property. This vision is now a centerpiece of the Warrington Community Redevelopment Area Plan, and connecting Jackson Lakes to surrounding neighborhoods via a multi-use path was also one of the recommendations of the Reimagine Jackson Street Initiative.
“West Pensacola is the cradle of Naval Aviation and the nerve-center of our nation’s cyber defense capabilities — but we haven’t always treated it that way. We envision the Bluffline being a world-class amenity that will catalyze a new era of safety and prosperity for these neighborhoods.” — Jarah Jacquay, Co-founder & President, Bluffline, Inc.
The neighborhoods of Warrington and Brownsville struggle with low educational attainment, high poverty and unemployment rates, legacy pollution, chronic disease, and low life expectancy. The project would directly address issues of blight and transportation safety that were identified as threats to the county’s cybersecurity mission in a military study published earlier this year.
Come Share Your Vision
These ideas have gained renewed momentum in recent years, thanks to the public’s growing desire for healthy, active transportation options and the coincident growth in traffic-related injuries and fatalities on high-speed, car-dominated roadways. The open house is designed to channel that energy into concrete decisions — giving residents an opportunity to weigh in on what the project should prioritize, how it should be designed, and what role the community will play going forward.
“The Bluffline is a grassroots initiative, and we want to ensure that it reflects the hopes and desires of as diverse a cross-section of our neighbors as possible. If you want to help unite our city’s neighborhoods around a shared vision for a safer, healthier, more sustainable and more equitable future, we want you involved.” — Jarah Jacquay, Co-founder & President, Bluffline, Inc.
The open house is free and open to all. Join us July 30 at the Lexington Terrace Community Center, in West Pensacola.
