This aerial view and structural illustration show where the new AppRiver/Avalex office complex and three-level municipal parking garage will be located in Gulf Breeze.
Graphic design by Denise Lukas/Gulf Breeze News The Architectural Review Board of the City of Gulf Breeze meets today (Jan. 28) to review the building design concept submitted for the proposed $12 million, 80,000-square-foot AppRiver/Avalex building expansion project in Quietwater Office Park at 1101 Gulf Breeze Parkway.

The Architectural Review Board is comprised of Tim Hoffman, chairman; Davis Alsop, vice chairman; Bill Graves; Summer King; J.B. Schluter; and Britton Stamps. Hoffman, Graves and Alsop are registered architects.

“I’m pretty excited about the whole thing,” said Hoffman, Chairman of the ARB. “This project has the potential to be a visual cornerstone of Gulf Breeze. It excites me that there is a developer willing to make the investment to get this job done.”

The Architectural Review Board was established to facilitate implementation of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) design standards while at the same time saving costly changes to final architectural design plans. Developers first submit their design concepts to the ARB, and once they receive input and approval from the ARB, the developer can then pursue final plans for DRB review.

The DRB reviews are more concrete, reviewing not the just the architectural design but issues like storm water, traffic flow and impact and overall concept within the codes and ordinances of the city.

“I look forward to viewing the plans and seeing the project move forward in a timely manner,” said Debbie Cederquist,

DRB chair woman.

“It’s an exciting project for the city and will integrate nicely with the Andrews Institute across the street, moving our area forward as a viable hot spot for high-tech companies to be attracted to Gulf Breeze.”

"We hope the Architectural Review Board agrees that the current design preserves and promotes the character and appearance of a high-quality project while complementing the existing architecture in adjacent buildings." – Michael Murdoch President/CEO AppRiver In September, the City Council allowed a height variance for the project, and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) granted the city’s use of surplus rightof way adjoining the proposed development for the construction of a municipal parking garage. The Council last week awarded Bay Design Associates the opportunity to serve as architects on the garage project estimated to cost $5 million.

“We are trying to expedite the review process and get the information to the ARB AND DRB as quickly as we can,” said Gulf Breeze City Manager Edwin ‘Buz’ Eddy. “And we are hoping to have a final design and plans on the garage soon – we plan to break ground on the garage this summer.”

The new parking garage will sit on an area where a walkway curves behind Ace Hardware and serves as the city’s 9/11 Memorial Park. That area will be moved to another area nearby. Graphic illustration by Denise Lukas/Gulf Breeze News “It’s an exciting project for the city and will integrate nicely with the Andrews Institute across the street, moving our area forward as a viable hot spot for high-tech companies to be attracted to Gulf Breeze.”

AppRiver, a rising international e-mail messaging and Web security company, is planning its expansion along with Pensacola-based Avalex Technologies, a leading national supplier of flat panel displays and digital mapping systems. The proposed building will provide Class A office space and allow both companies to expand. The two companies currently employ approximately 160 people. The expansion, however, could generate as many as 300 to 400 new highpaying jobs in Gulf Breeze over the next decade.

“We have enjoyed working with the City of Gulf Breeze and look forward to presenting the AppRiver/Avalex Class A technology building design to its Architectural Review Board on Thursday,” AppRiver President and CEO Michael Murdoch said. “We hope they agree that the current design preserves and promotes the character and appearance of a high-quality project while complementing the existing architecture in adjacent buildings.”

Planned directly across the highway from the worldacclaimed Andrews Institute and not far from the headquarters of Studer Group, a worldrenowned health-care consulting company currently located in the Harbourtown Center, the project has been heralded as a magnet for future development.