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ECUA Sells Main Street Property For $5.2 Million, Elects Officers
November 21, 2014
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority approved the sale of the former Main Street sewage treatment plant property at their Thursday yearly organizational meeting. The 19-acre site is being purchased by Quint and Rishy Studer for $5.2 million.
The property has been vacant since 2011 when the sewer plant — known as “Old Stinky” — was demolished in 2011 after it was replaced by the Central Water Reclamation Facility in Cantonment. The plant was first constructed in 1937 and underwent several expansions.
Studer’s offer was less ECUA’s asking price for the property at $8.9 million, and about $2 million less than was offered to a Texas-based developer in a deal that went nowhere in 2013. Studer will reportedly work to add athletic fields, concession areas, restrooms and parking to the property.
Also at Thurday’s meeting, the ECUA board elected officers and made appointments for the upcoming year.
District 2 representative Lois Benson was elected as chairman and District 5 member Larry Walker was elected vice-chair. Elvin McCorvey of District 3 was elected chairman of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee, and Vicki Campbell of District 1 was elected vice-chairman. Deborah Benn, Charles Green, Chuck Kimball, Hurey Smith, Tim Common, Kelley Thompson, and Louise Ritz were unanimously re-appointed to serve as members of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee.
Comments
18 Responses to “ECUA Sells Main Street Property For $5.2 Million, Elects Officers”
Jim,guess we will never know if the money was there.lock it up for six months,not bad seeing they sold it twice that time.another look in a years time.soccer fields? Not likely.
It would be nice if Florida would wise up and pass a gaming license for the panhandle as vacationers take a two hour ride over to Biloxi and take with them millions of dollars for MS. This is a perfect location to do what Biloxi is doing downtown. Melding baseball and casinos in a great entertainment draw. All the criticism of the Greyhound poker room and it has been a great addition to the area. Good people having fun. It is time to legalize some casinos in Florida and certainly one in downtown which would bring the vacationers to downtown Pensacola instead of Biloxi would be a good start. Mr. Studer has done a great job for Pensacola.
@ Alex-You may want to look back on the story about the 7 million dollar offer. The person making the offer wanted to lock up the property for six months and could have then said sorry about that and walked away. When ECUA wanted him to put up some front money he could not come up with it. He did go out and get arrested for DUI (I wonder if he showed up in court). He had an outstanding failure to appear for DUI from south Florida also. There were a few comments he was the front man for some BIG Texas money, they never showed up—I guess the fellow here was just so much smoke. The board acted properly then and has acted properly now. Many thanks to the board.
A Big THANK YOU to the Community Conscious Studer family.
Finally, some use for the poop plant property than growing weeds.
Since the Studer building at the Studer Ball Park has been occupied the parking in the public paved area has been severely restricted. Using the area for parking is highly commendable. A permeable paving surface over a properly prepared subsurface will help prevent runoff and help control flooding in the area.
You are right, without the Studer Influence the downtown area of Pensacola would be like a ghost town from an old western movie.
Rishy and Quint Studer…Thank You for your investment in Pensacola.
If we need somthing other than resturants you should have bought the property yourself and done with it as you pleased. I dont see where the Studer’s have done nothing but good for Pensacola area.
I’m wondering what downtown Pensacola would be like without the Studers. Probably a bunch of dilapidated, vacant buildings.
There was a lot of mistrust initially, and still is with some. But it’s like you said…nobody else is developing the area.
And to think they turned down 7 plus million from an OUTSIDER a year ago
If NFCU has it’s way, so long as one speaks English and is breathing…Pensacolians will have jobs. I have to appreciate them for that much. Concerning “Studerville”…if the guy is making the place better, who cares? Let him buy it up. Better a local businessman than some foreign investor who cares little about the surrounding area. Just my 2¢.
I remember all too well the 70s, when downtown was a ratty looking dead zone. There were strip clubs up and down Palafox, hookers patrolled the sidewalks outside the San Carlos, and businesses couldn’t evacuate fast enough. It was just a sad looking place to be. Today, things are incomparably different and nicer. Mr. and Mrs. Studer have indeed invested a great deal of capital in the city, and we are the beneficiaries of that investment. Whether you go to the baseball field or not, it is clearly a huge improvement over what it was. Oklahoma City had the same renaissance in their downtown area, now known as “Bricktown”, I believe, and it also started with a minor league baseball field. I’m sure the suggestion for putting the jail there wasn’t serious, but could you imagine what a blight that would be? Maybe people feel that one person buying so much property is a bad idea, but where else is the capital for improvement and redevelopment coming from? The Texas developer backed away. I would bet that as downtown continues to improve, we will see more investment coming from more sources. I think the Studers have recognized the potential there and are making it a reality. They may very well make a lot of money on it before it’s over, but as we conservatives believe, the private sector should operate, right?
Mr. Studer is a smart businessman.
I am positive the initial use mentioned in the article is merely something to occupy the space until the economy improves.
Which is a whole lot better then the multitude of abandoned neglected school properties, commercial buildings and overgrow vacant expanses plaguing Pensacola currently.
I cannot believe that my loyal commissioner from district 4 was left off of this committee. What is Pensacola thinking?
Who Cares if the Studers buy all of Pensacola. No one else is developing the area.
I am Proud of the positive changes that the Studers have help move forward, SO maybe our kids will not have to move away to find a Job.
Studerville!
That’s where the county should build the new jail.
Now use some of the monies for infrastructure in the Molino area (from Quintette Rd to hwy 97). If they move the Jail to Molino, then surly the sewer line would follow? Then businesses will follow, maybe even a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Store for starters!! Growth in the community!!!! Jobs!!!
Why not put athletic fields at the old soccer complex? We need something besides restaurants and Studer already has his baseball field.
If the Studers buy all of Pensacola will there be a name change to the city?