Medical park, hotel coming
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Gulf Breeze is getting a new medical park built by Sacred Heart. Navarre is getting a very large Home Depot, a Hampton Inn - and maybe a lot more soon.

That was just some of the information reported by Santa Rosa County's Asst. Planning Director Bill Dubois at last week's Navarre Board of Realtors' seminar.

Dubois said in the 1,100 square miles of Santa Rosa County, there are an estimated 146,600 people right now, with more being added daily. He said the census of 2000 showed 117,743 people here, and the 2006 census showed 141,400 plus people. "With the average growth rate being figured at 3.7percent a year, we figure population is now right at 146,630," Dubois said.

Among the businesses Dubois said are on the drawing board with the Planning division are:

A Sacred Heart medical plaza in Tiger Point, similar to the Baptist Health Care plaza in Navarre. Dubois said it is being built east of Lowe's in Tiger Point, near the light at the intersection of Hwy. 98 and Tiger Lake Blvd.

A 'big box' store and retail center immediately east of Lowe's in Tiger Point is being built by Grand Isle Resorts, Dubois said. It will offer about 350,000 to 400,000 square feet of retail space on that 50 acres.

Down the highway, in The Marketplace plaza on Hwy. 98, which now is home to the Boater's World, Dubois said national restaurant is going to be added soon. "We just are not sure yet which one is coming in," Dubois said.

Home Depot is building a 140,000 square foot store in Navarre, east of Navarre Beach Bridge on the 19 acres that had been slated to be the Boardwalk of Navarre development.

"We have the final construction plans in our office from Home Depot right now, and we are reviewing them. It is definitely going to be a Home Depot. Their biggest challenge will be the traffic problems dealing with Hwy. 98, but they are dealing with that. There will be a couple out parcels with that store, too - usually they bring in a national chain restaurant," Dubois told the seminar crowd.

A Hampton Inn with 110 rooms is being added to the Cayo Grande apartment complex.

"That was always going to be a three phase project," Dubois said. "They always told us the final phase would be a Hampton Inn, and that is finally underway. It is scheduled to open late this year."

The Reserve apartments in Navarre are being converted to condo units, Dubois said.

Navarre Town Center development has run into problems.

"The county commission's idea was to put in the infrastructure and get the money back through property taxes. But the consultants they hired brought back some cost figures last month that were pretty stout, so they told them to go sharpen their pencils. They are waiting to see what Tallahassee does on this property tax cut. The Navarre Town Center was never meant to be developed overnight anyway, but the development may be on hold for a while," Dubois said.

An assisted living senior is on the drawing board for the 17 acres east of St. Sylvester's Catholic Church on Hwy. 98, Dubois said. "That is in conceptual stages right now," he said. "But they have been in several times talking with us and it looks right now, if things keep progressing as planned, that by the end of the year they should be starting on that project. It will be an assisted living center with a medical park, and some retail stores."

A Family Entertainment Center is being proposed Soundside off Hwy. 98 by the same developer as the assisted living center.

"That is only in the conceptual planning stage right now, too," Dubois said. "But this same developers did an entertainment center in Milton a few years ago like the one they are talking about in Navarre - and the Milton center has a bowling alley, a fitness center, and such. But that would come after they get the assisted living center off the ground."

Next to Publix in Navarre, on 33 acres on Hwy. 98, an Atlanta developer is still working on some kind of development.

"Originally it was supposed to be like the Boardwalk of Navarre concept, but it has now migrated into an all retail center, into more of a Destin Commons kind of place," Dubois said. "The developer came to see us recently with some conceptual designs and it looks like it would be a twophase project, with a bog box store as the anchor and another parcel or two with smaller national chain stores and/or restaurants. It will reach from edge of Publix property on Hwy. 98 all the way over to Hwy. 87."

On Navarre Beach Dubois said they have heard 'nothing at all from Holiday Inn people, as to whether they are going to rebuild or sell or what". But Port of Navarre, east of the foot of Navarre Bridge, was supposed to be the 'big gorilla' on the beach. He said that development was supposed to include a hotel, retail shops and a marina.

"But we have not heard a thing from them in a year, and if they come back to us they will need to start all over for their permits. But just last week we had someone come in and tell us that Port of Navarre is not dead yet, so maybe a Phoenix will yet rise from the sand to bring a new development on that parcel," he said.

Dubois said there are many other projects being designed around the county, like more "affordable housing" for Navarre, to a large golf course just north of Berryhill Road near Pace, eventually surrounded by homes - between 6,000 to 10,000 homes when finally complete.

"That is our 800-pound gorilla right now in the county," Dubois said. "That will take more permits than just county. It has to go the the state level, it is so big."