Pensacola's infill housing boomlet
- November 6, 2014
- / Carlton Proctor
- / community-dashboard
Large-acre parcels of vacant commercial property in Pensacola's downtown core are leading a rather lonely existence these days.
But smaller residential lots are getting a lot of love from savvy developers.
Infill housing is hot once again in the city's urban neighborhoods as investors are snapping up available parcels, subdividing lots and building quality single-family homes priced to sell.
"We're kind of on the edge of where a lot of good things will be happening in the city,” said Marcie Whitaker, the city's housing administrator. "It's obvious as you drive around town that a lot of residential development is occurring."
It's no surprise this urban infill housing resurgence is centered around East Hill and Old East Hill. These adjoining neighborhoods, bisected east and west by Cervantes Street and north and south by Ninth Avenue, abound with vacant residential lots and aging houses in dire need of rehab.
[caption id="attachment_8906" align="alignright" width="300"]
James Amerson and Jeff Griffey are part of a trend in infill housing in Pensacola's older neighborhoods. This is the before and during of their kitchen, which is still being renovated.[/caption]
The Hair Do salon owner James Amerson recently bought a dilapidated home at La Rua Street and Seventh Avenue that had been unoccupied for more than two decades.
He and partner Jeff Griffey are hard at work remodeling the house that will become their residence and, eventually, Amerson’s hair salon.
Amerson has been living and working in the Old East Hill area for 25 years and is pleased to see the new wave of investment take place. He and Griffey feel fortunate to have found a home that was available and priced right.
[caption id="attachment_8904" align="alignright" width="300"]
As they renovate their Old East Hill home, James Amerson and Jeff Griffey are using reclaimed wood from the attic in other projects inside the home.[/caption]
"I can see from my front porch five new generation homes that have been built," he said. "And just a few blocks away are another 11 or 12 new homes that have been built.
"If you look at the history of East Hill and Old East Hill there are several generations of architecture represented here," he said. "It's exciting to see this new wave of respect for these neighborhoods."
New construction growing
At the forefront of this trend is greenHUAS, a Pensacola company that's developing houses that are hurricane, fire, termite and mold resistant.
Led by developers John Carr, Guy Balancie and Rob Bell, the manufacture and construction process for the greenHAUS homes has been patented.
The home-grown company currently has four homes under construction at 815 N. Eighth Ave. in Pensacola. The homes have 1,056 square feet of living space with a covered porch, two bedrooms and two baths.
[caption id="attachment_8379" align="alignright" width="300"]
Guy Valencia and Rob Bell with Carr& Co. look over plans at their green Haus, modern living spaces development on Eighth Avenue in Pensacola Fla., Wednesday, October 29, 2014. (Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
The two and three-bedroom houses, all priced in the $139,900 to $159,900 range, are being built on two parcels of vacant land just off Cervantes Street that's been subdivided into seven lots 35 feet by 105 feet.
"We like to build these homes in units of five, six or seven houses to give it the feel of a small village," Valencie said.
The steel ribbing for the walls and roof and the foam panel construction for the outer walls meet and exceed all building codes, while making the homes capable of withstanding 180 mile per hour hurricane force winds.
"Once the slab has been poured, these houses can be built and ready for occupancy in 25 days,” Valancie said.
greenHAUS has completed one home and has three others under construction.
[caption id="attachment_8381" align="alignright" width="300"]
Construction is under way at the green Haus, modern living spaces development on Eighth Avenue in Pensacola. (Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
Realtor Seth Hamilton, who bought and lives in the first completed home, likes his new digs so much he bought another house next door.
"What appealed to me about these homes is the quality of the finish. Everything — the walls, ceiling and floor — is square and straight-line,” Hamilton said.
"I also enjoy the creative use of space. For a home that's a little over 1,000 square feet, there's a lot of storage space and two walk-in closets."
Valancie said greenHAUS is nearing completion of its seven houses on Eighth Avenue and is looking for other large parcels to subdivide and develop.
"The city has been great to work with and loves what we're doing," Valancie said.
City Inspection Services Administrator Bill Weeks said the number of housing infill projects on vacant land is on the upswing.
"We're definitely seeing more builders subdivide large lots and put in several single family units," Weeks said.
Finding the sale-point ‘sweet spot’
Not far from the greenHAUS project is Mark Taylor's Railroad Junction, a four-home, single family project on Alcaniz Street, a few blocks south of Cervantes Street.
The two-story, 1,000 square foot homes offer two bedrooms and one-and-a-half baths and are within walking distance of downtown Pensacola and the Historic District.
[caption id="attachment_8389" align="alignright" width="300"]
Work is under way at Railroad Junction, a new residential development on Alcaniz Street in Pensacola. (Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
"These are great, affordable homes for young professionals or empty-nest baby boomers who want to be near downtown," Taylor said.
Taylor acquired the lots a decade ago after Hurricane Ivan destroyed the existing houses. In 2006 he sold them to his uncle, Joel Mooneyham. About a year ago he repurchased them and began Railroad Junction.
"I called him (Mooneyham) and said the market for affordable, well-built homes is picking up and we worked out a deal that is good for both of us," said Taylor.
He expects to complete the houses before the end of this year. Like the greenHAUS project, Taylor's houses are priced to sell, all in the $154,000 to $159,000 range
"We're getting daily contact from potential buyers about these houses," he said.
A few blocks from Taylor’s project is Steve Sessions’s five-house development at Belmont Street and Eighth Avenue.
Randy Bricker, a Realtor with The Agency, said four of the five homes have sold within the past few weeks. Priced at $149,000 the three bedroom, two bathroom homes are designed to be low maintenance with annual casualty insurance costs in the $700 range and power bills averaging less than $150 per month.
Bricker said the demand for homes in this price range is soaring, and Sessions is responding. He has begun building two more similar homes on vacant lots around the corner from his Belmont project.
Touching upscale market, too
While greenHAUS, Sessions and Taylor are going after the sweet spot in today's housing market — $135,000 to $160,000 range — others see a burgeoning market for higher-end homes on infill lots.
One under construction in East Hill is Robert Davis' seven-house Moreno Street project on lots formerly occupied by East Hill Christian School.
[caption id="attachment_8391" align="alignright" width="300"]
Work is under way at Plaza De Moreno, a seven house new residential project on Moreno Street in Pensacola. (Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
"We're trying to develop middle-to-upper scale housing in the city," Davis said. "There are not a lot of options for new construction. It's hard to find large parcels zoned for single-family residential units, but I'm always driving around town looking.”
The upscale homes Davis is building are in the 2,200 to 2,4000 square foot range with a long list of amenities and quality construction.
Davis' homes, currently under construction, start in the low $400,000, a market he believes is active, especially in the popular East Hill area.
Working with local architects, Davis has come up with a French country look for the seven homes, highlighted by natural gas lanterns and off-street parking.
Bricker said in addition to the proliferation of affordable housing in the urban core, another hot spot is the Scenic Heights area.
It’s a trend that’s building up momentum with each passing month, said Taylor.
"For three decades Pensacola has seen suburban sprawl," he said. "Now we're definitely seeing a movement back to the urban core."
James Amerson and Jeff Griffey are part of a trend in infill housing in Pensacola's older neighborhoods. This is the before and during of their kitchen, which is still being renovated.[/caption]
The Hair Do salon owner James Amerson recently bought a dilapidated home at La Rua Street and Seventh Avenue that had been unoccupied for more than two decades.
He and partner Jeff Griffey are hard at work remodeling the house that will become their residence and, eventually, Amerson’s hair salon.
Amerson has been living and working in the Old East Hill area for 25 years and is pleased to see the new wave of investment take place. He and Griffey feel fortunate to have found a home that was available and priced right.
[caption id="attachment_8904" align="alignright" width="300"]
As they renovate their Old East Hill home, James Amerson and Jeff Griffey are using reclaimed wood from the attic in other projects inside the home.[/caption]
"I can see from my front porch five new generation homes that have been built," he said. "And just a few blocks away are another 11 or 12 new homes that have been built.
"If you look at the history of East Hill and Old East Hill there are several generations of architecture represented here," he said. "It's exciting to see this new wave of respect for these neighborhoods."
New construction growing
At the forefront of this trend is greenHUAS, a Pensacola company that's developing houses that are hurricane, fire, termite and mold resistant.
Led by developers John Carr, Guy Balancie and Rob Bell, the manufacture and construction process for the greenHAUS homes has been patented.
The home-grown company currently has four homes under construction at 815 N. Eighth Ave. in Pensacola. The homes have 1,056 square feet of living space with a covered porch, two bedrooms and two baths.
[caption id="attachment_8379" align="alignright" width="300"]
Guy Valencia and Rob Bell with Carr& Co. look over plans at their green Haus, modern living spaces development on Eighth Avenue in Pensacola Fla., Wednesday, October 29, 2014. (Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
The two and three-bedroom houses, all priced in the $139,900 to $159,900 range, are being built on two parcels of vacant land just off Cervantes Street that's been subdivided into seven lots 35 feet by 105 feet.
"We like to build these homes in units of five, six or seven houses to give it the feel of a small village," Valencie said.
The steel ribbing for the walls and roof and the foam panel construction for the outer walls meet and exceed all building codes, while making the homes capable of withstanding 180 mile per hour hurricane force winds.
"Once the slab has been poured, these houses can be built and ready for occupancy in 25 days,” Valancie said.
greenHAUS has completed one home and has three others under construction.
[caption id="attachment_8381" align="alignright" width="300"]
Construction is under way at the green Haus, modern living spaces development on Eighth Avenue in Pensacola. (Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
Realtor Seth Hamilton, who bought and lives in the first completed home, likes his new digs so much he bought another house next door.
"What appealed to me about these homes is the quality of the finish. Everything — the walls, ceiling and floor — is square and straight-line,” Hamilton said.
"I also enjoy the creative use of space. For a home that's a little over 1,000 square feet, there's a lot of storage space and two walk-in closets."
Valancie said greenHAUS is nearing completion of its seven houses on Eighth Avenue and is looking for other large parcels to subdivide and develop.
"The city has been great to work with and loves what we're doing," Valancie said.
City Inspection Services Administrator Bill Weeks said the number of housing infill projects on vacant land is on the upswing.
"We're definitely seeing more builders subdivide large lots and put in several single family units," Weeks said.
Finding the sale-point ‘sweet spot’
Not far from the greenHAUS project is Mark Taylor's Railroad Junction, a four-home, single family project on Alcaniz Street, a few blocks south of Cervantes Street.
The two-story, 1,000 square foot homes offer two bedrooms and one-and-a-half baths and are within walking distance of downtown Pensacola and the Historic District.
[caption id="attachment_8389" align="alignright" width="300"]
Work is under way at Railroad Junction, a new residential development on Alcaniz Street in Pensacola. (Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
"These are great, affordable homes for young professionals or empty-nest baby boomers who want to be near downtown," Taylor said.
Taylor acquired the lots a decade ago after Hurricane Ivan destroyed the existing houses. In 2006 he sold them to his uncle, Joel Mooneyham. About a year ago he repurchased them and began Railroad Junction.
"I called him (Mooneyham) and said the market for affordable, well-built homes is picking up and we worked out a deal that is good for both of us," said Taylor.
He expects to complete the houses before the end of this year. Like the greenHAUS project, Taylor's houses are priced to sell, all in the $154,000 to $159,000 range
"We're getting daily contact from potential buyers about these houses," he said.
A few blocks from Taylor’s project is Steve Sessions’s five-house development at Belmont Street and Eighth Avenue.
Randy Bricker, a Realtor with The Agency, said four of the five homes have sold within the past few weeks. Priced at $149,000 the three bedroom, two bathroom homes are designed to be low maintenance with annual casualty insurance costs in the $700 range and power bills averaging less than $150 per month.
Bricker said the demand for homes in this price range is soaring, and Sessions is responding. He has begun building two more similar homes on vacant lots around the corner from his Belmont project.
Touching upscale market, too
While greenHAUS, Sessions and Taylor are going after the sweet spot in today's housing market — $135,000 to $160,000 range — others see a burgeoning market for higher-end homes on infill lots.
One under construction in East Hill is Robert Davis' seven-house Moreno Street project on lots formerly occupied by East Hill Christian School.
[caption id="attachment_8391" align="alignright" width="300"]
Work is under way at Plaza De Moreno, a seven house new residential project on Moreno Street in Pensacola. (Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
"We're trying to develop middle-to-upper scale housing in the city," Davis said. "There are not a lot of options for new construction. It's hard to find large parcels zoned for single-family residential units, but I'm always driving around town looking.”
The upscale homes Davis is building are in the 2,200 to 2,4000 square foot range with a long list of amenities and quality construction.
Davis' homes, currently under construction, start in the low $400,000, a market he believes is active, especially in the popular East Hill area.
Working with local architects, Davis has come up with a French country look for the seven homes, highlighted by natural gas lanterns and off-street parking.
Bricker said in addition to the proliferation of affordable housing in the urban core, another hot spot is the Scenic Heights area.
It’s a trend that’s building up momentum with each passing month, said Taylor.
"For three decades Pensacola has seen suburban sprawl," he said. "Now we're definitely seeing a movement back to the urban core."
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