Community Maritime Park

The Vince Whibbs, Sr. Community Maritime Park is a master planned, public/private, urban renewal project on a 32-acre parcel located on Pensacola Bay, in Pensacola, Florida. The project is envisioned as a world-class, signature mixed-use development that will re-establish a dynamic public waterfront on the western half of Downtown Pensacola. The expansive public waterfront park includes a community multi-use facility suitable for baseball and other athletic events, festivals, and other community activities; a performing arts amphitheatre; undeveloped land suitable for commercial, office, retail, residential, restaurant, and entertainment development; grand promenades; and public parking.

The Community Maritime Park Conceptual Design was created by Urban Design Associates, Inc., adopted by the Pensacola City Council and ratified by the citizens of Pensacola via referendum in September 2006. The Design Criteria Package was created by an exceptional team of architects and engineers, including Caldwell Associates Architects, Urban Design Associates, HKS Architects, Sasaki, Inc., Hatch Mott MacDonald, Qore, Inc., and others.

The Community Maritime Park property, significant in Pensacola’s unequaled 450 years of history, was utilized as the Panton-Leslie trading post as early as 1784. The property saw many expansions and changes in use as the Pensacola waterfront evolved. Last utilized in the 80’s as a petroleum depot and sea-to-rail transfer station, the site has sat fallow, contaminating the bay, for over 20 years. The City of Pensacola acquired the property in the 1990’s to ensure a public use for the site. The current proposal was approved by the Pensacola City Council in 2005 and affirmed, via referendum, in September 2006. The project was completed in March, 2012 just in time for the new Pensacola Blue Wahoos Baseball team to play their first game. The Blue Wahoos are the “Double A” affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.