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DuneLaker

Beach Fanatic
Mar 1, 2008
2,644
521
Eastern Lake Est., SoWal, FL
This might be old news, but I believe it is significant:

St. Joe to move HQ to West Bay | Florida Real Estate Journal

It is significant. Thanks for posting the journal story. I was out of town and also did not see local front page news stories on this Thursday, March 18. I always find it interesting how each paper treats the same story differently. The Northwest Florida Daily news had at bottom of the page with picture of Britt Greene (who we've been talking about on the Publix thread since last week) and continued on A2 with another picture of Greene. The Panama City News Herald had at top of page with additional graphics. It also said see a photo gallery of St. Joe's plans at newsherald.com

Will Hobson of Freedom Newspapers wrote story.
Hobson talked about JOE moving Headquarters to Bay County. He said
in fourth paragraph: "St. Joe President and CEO Britt Greene delivered the news to his Jacksonville employees Wednesday morning and then flew to Panama City to meet with local employees and talk to the media." ...
"People should see it as a sign of confidence and a signal that we believe in all that we've been saying," Greene said in an afternoon interview at WaterSound, one of the company's four major developments in the area. The other three are WaterColor, Wild Heron and RiverCamps." ... Maybe a talented SoWal friend can post story and pictures from both local daily newspapers. SoWal is in the middle. We often read both papers.

While Hobson didn't say it, we all know that WaterColor and WaterSound are both in South Walton.
 

Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,233
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SoWal
mooncreek.com
St. Joe’s future set on new Panhandle airport | jacksonville.com

St. Joe's development of the West Bay Sector, the 71,000 acres it owns surrounding the airport, begins with a three-phase plan totaling 1,000 acres. The first phase consists of 100 acres on the road leading to the airport that will be used for office space plus potential retail uses, such as an airport hotel and restaurants.


So far, the only project that's actually been announced for the site is the office building St. Joe will construct for its headquarters. But Johnson expects interest to pick up as the airport opens.


"We're at a stage now where we can really see that this is happening. There's no mystery to this event any longer," he said.


The plan includes 600 acres immediately accessible to the airport runway that can accommodate aerospace businesses.


But Johnson said the company is not limiting the type of businesses that can move into West Bay.


"We define it as a place where you can create virtually any type of opportunity that fits into our model," he said.


The Panhandle region is already an aerospace center with a navy base and six aviation-related military bases, and 1,900 aerospace and defense-related businesses, according to Florida's Great Northwest, an economic development organization for the region. So bringing in more aerospace companies is a natural fit for the airport.


"The low-hanging fruit is the aerospace industry," said Wilson of St. Joe.


But Al Wenstrand, president of Florida's Great Northwest, expects to see the region open to businesses such as health services, medical technologies and logistics and distribution.
Wenstrand sees the potential to create a new metropolitan area on the now vacant land around the airport.


"It has the opportunity to be done correctly," he said. "This is an opportunity I didn't see anywhere else."


Walters of the Economic Development Alliance said it's up to the community to take advantage of the opportunity.


"We have to make a great first impression. We have to continually market ourselves," she said.


"Shame on us if we don't take advantage of that opportunity."


'Aerotropolis' concept

The notion of a new "city" sprouting from the Panama City airport is not far-fetched, according to John Kasarda, director of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina.


Kasarda has developed the concept of an "aerotropolis" to describe new development of business and entertainment venues within a 15-minute drive of an airport.
"The key to the aerotropolis is time-cost accessibility," said Kasarda. "What the aerotropolis does is lay out a plan for intelligent growth."


He sees the Panama City airport as "the ideal proof of concept" for his theory.
"It's basically a blank canvas," he said. "There are so few greenfield airports."
Kasarda thinks St. Joe has done a good job with its plans for the airport area.
"The West Bay Sector plan is an excellent aerotropolis plan," he said.


But St. Joe is not getting unanimous support. John Hedrick, chairman of the Panhandle Citizens Coalition, a group that opposed the airport, is concerned about the pace of development in the region.


"Short of no airport, probably having as little development as possible" is his hope for the region.


Hedrick's group is now trying to drum up support for Amendment 4, the Florida ballot measure that would allow the public to vote on comprehensive land-use changes.
"We're hoping to minimize [the airport's] impact and we hope that things like Amendment 4 will help us do that. The citizens did not want this in the first place," he said, referring to the 2004 vote.


But Greene said St. Joe acts responsibly in developing its properties, including environmental concerns.


"We believe there's inherent value in protecting the environment around development. All our projects are environmentally tuned to the land," he said.


Greene points specifically to the West Bay plan, which sets aside 39,000 of St. Joe's 71,000 acres to be preserved for nature.


"It's very rare for a company to set aside 39,000 acres around a new airport for environmental protection. I think that's extraordinary," he said.
 

Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,233
4,925
SoWal
mooncreek.com
Traveling out from the airport at the first major intersection before reaching County 388, the site work is being done for the new headquarters for St. Joe. The company will relocate to the West Bay Sector and consolidate St. Joe office locations in Jacksonville, Tallahassee and WaterSound to one location. The new building is in the design and engineering stages, Greene said.


?We expect to be in the new office this time by next year,? McCalmont said. ?The building will be new, exciting and a lot of fun. It will be a two-and-a-half story building with interesting features with a timeless design.?
St. Joe announces new residential development, covered parking at new airport | new, parking, covered - News - The News Herald
 

TreeFrog

Beach Fanatic
Oct 11, 2005
1,798
212
Seagrove

The last time I flew out of ECP, long-term parking was full again. They woefully undersized that lot. The attendant told me they'd have more spaces available by year-end. Wonder if that's this covered lot they're announcing, but I hope not. I don't want to wait til spring break, and hope they just grade and pave some additional space ASAP.

BTW, if you haven't been out there lately, the St. Joe office site has was already started quite some time ago. This, I guess, is just the formal announcement.
 
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Koa

Beach Fanatic
Jul 17, 2010
260
56
I flew out/in a week or two ago, and all parking, short and long term, was filled and overflow parking to the west of long term, had 20-30 cars in it. It is no longer grassy. They have put what appears to be recycled asphalt down as the surface. It isn't any more of a walk than going to the most distant lots in the long term parking, and compared to Hartsfield in Atl, it is laughable that any person who can walk would complain about that hike, although luggage doesn't roll so easily out there.
 

Koa

Beach Fanatic
Jul 17, 2010
260
56
BTW, they do have a guy in a long golf cart (low speed vehicle) who drives around the lot and shuttles people to the front door of the terminal building, as needed.
 
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