Pensacola has published the first draft of a sweeping rewrite of its Land Development Code, the rulebook that governs what can be built where and how. City officials say modernizing the code is central to tackling housing shortages, giving builders and residents clearer expectations, and bringing stormwater and design standards up to date. A new round of public workshops begins this fall along with an open house in mid-October.
Support Local Stories. Support Public Media.
Mayor D.C. Reeves framed the release as an opening bid rather than a finished product. “It is a draft in every sense,” he said at his weekly press conference.
The document simplifies and reorganizes the code, replacing conflicting passages and bringing language up to date. Reeves called that housekeeping piece foundational: “number one by far is cleanup.” But he linked the rewrite to Pensacola’s housing goals, too.
“When we have quarter-acre lots, half-acre lots that only allow one single-family house, and we say we’re in a housing crisis, I think we should be looking at those places," he said.
READ MORE: Land trust model offers new path to affordable housing in Escambia County
A central throughline is where and how to allow a bit more density. In plain terms, that means creating room for housing types beyond the single-family home in select areas — options such as duplexes or accessory dwelling units — while tightening up the playbook so everyone knows the rules. Reeves described the aim as adding “gentle” infill in appropriate places, not sweeping up-zoning.
“My primary focus is our ability in the right locations to be able to thicken neighborhoods,” he said, adding, “That does not mean every neighborhood is gonna have high-rise buildings in it by any means.”
What would change
Public workshop materials and the first draft highlight several areas that matter most to residents:
- Zoning and housing choices: In some districts, duplexes, accessory units, and small multifamily buildings could be permitted, loosening the city’s long-standing single-family protections. At February’s workshops, many residents supported adding this kind of “missing-middle” housing, but they also voiced concern that poorly designed duplexes or copy-paste infill could erode the character of neighborhoods such as East Hill. Participants stressed that any change should come with strong design standards and clear compatibility rules.
- Parking and mobility: The draft introduces bicycle-parking requirements and EV-readiness provisions in certain projects. It also offers more flexible paths to meet parking demand, an issue residents raised repeatedly at workshops.
- Environmental standards: Updated stormwater and floodplain rules aim to prevent new development from worsening flooding in vulnerable neighborhoods. Stronger landscaping and tree-protection provisions also reflect community feedback about preserving the city’s canopy and shade.
- Site and subdivision design: Connectivity rules would link new neighborhoods to existing streets where stubs exist, reducing cut-off subdivisions and helping traffic flow.
The mayor argued that clearer rules are a common request from practitioners. Summarizing what he hears from architects and contractors, Reeves said, “it’s less about, don’t like this one rule. It’s tell me what the rules are ... and help us follow them.”
Why it matters
The city — like much of Florida — has been grappling with rising rents and home prices. Officials say muddled, sometimes contradictory rules slow projects and raise costs. Clarifying the code and streamlining reviews can lower carrying costs and make smaller-scale infill feasible in places that already have infrastructure.
READ MORE: Florida rents increased by nearly 40% between 2019 and 2023, report finds
Concerns voiced at the February workshop and open house included parking spillover, building scale, drainage, and loss of tree canopy. Preservation advocates focused on keeping historic standards legible and enforceable. Environmental groups pressed for stronger stormwater and coastal resilience provisions. Developers welcomed the move toward predictability but flagged the added cost of new requirements, such as EV charging and site upgrades when older buildings are substantially renovated.
Workshop participants were divided on density: many backed accessory units, duplexes, and townhomes to address the housing shortage, but others feared that expanding those options could chip away at single-family neighborhoods if compatibility rules aren’t clear. That debate — how to add housing while preserving character — is expected to be one of the most closely watched issues as the draft moves forward.
What happens next
City staff and consultants will collect comments through workshops and the October open house before preparing subsequent drafts. The council will ultimately decide what to adopt and where to draw lines on questions like where added density belongs and how compatibility is measured. Reeves said the process typically surfaces a handful of big, public-facing disagreements.
“I bet there hasn’t been a land development code reform in the United States that’s taken place that doesn’t have three or four kind of bigger front-facing issues that take a larger conversation,” he said.
