Pensacola Hires New Orleans Developer Linked to Mass Displacement for Baptist Hospital Site

The Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency voted unanimously yesterday to hire Bayou District Consulting to plan redevelopment of the former Baptist Hospital site—a decision that drew fierce opposition from residents concerned about the firm's track record of displacement in New Orleans.

Bayou District Consulting will spend the next six months gathering community input and developing a work plan before any actual development begins. However, residents and some board members expressed deep reservations about whether genuine community engagement will shape the final project or whether predetermined decisions will override resident input.

The Concern: Columbia Park's Displacement Record

The opposition centers on Bayou District's flagship project: Columbia Park in New Orleans, developed after Hurricane Katrina. The firm says it brought 150 former residents back to the development. But critics point out this represents only about 16% of the 900 families originally displaced from the St. Bernard public housing complex.

"In New Orleans in 2010, Bayou District developed Columbia Park, and now its 685 units are home to just 125 of the 920 households who formerly resided in the St. Bernard projects," said resident Chance Brummett during public comment. "About one-ninth of the residents still live there now."

Brummett, a homeowner living blocks from the Baptist Hospital site, said he was "really upsetting to watch us become a part of that legacy."

Hidden Timeline Raises Transparency Questions

Community leader Sylvia Hilliard, founder of Empower Black Families, documented a timeline showing the city had been engaged with Baptist Hospital developers since 2023—long before residents were informed.

"The city has been actively engaged with Baptist since 2023. Invite only meeting in 2023... A tour of Columbia Park in 2024, a some-biz filing in September of 2025. By November 2025, Bayou District Consulting LLC had their contract... why are residents being informed after the fact?" Hilliard asked at the meeting.

Hilliard also raised unanswered questions about environmental safety approvals from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, TIF revenue reinvestment in blighted neighborhoods, and plans for military housing on the site—none of which have been publicly discussed with residents.

Board Chair Draws a Line: No Displacement

CRA Vice-Chairperson DeLarian Wiggins, who represents the district where the Baptist site is located, acknowledged the community's concerns and made clear that displacement is a non-negotiable issue.

"The black community has been made promises for years," Wiggins said. "You go down there now [to Hawkshaw], it's nothing there for the black community... This was once a black community, and now that they're gone, they're displaced."

Wiggins cited a pattern of displacement across Pensacola: Hawkshaw, Blount School, LA Cursor School, and the Tan Yard have all seen Black residents pushed out or forgotten. He said the Baptist Hospital project "needs to be a win" for his district.

"I don't want to displace anybody... At all... And the moment we do, that's when I'm going to have another problem," Wiggins said.

What the Developer Says

Gary Boros, who leads Bayou District Consulting, defended the firm's work in New Orleans, arguing that the development created a mixed-income community with schools, health clinics, and housing at various price points.

"We put in place 685 residential units in addition to about 50 for sale affordable housing units, free schools, health clinics and are in the process of bringing additional assets including a grocery store to our site," Boros said.

Boros said his firm's approach prioritizes "people first"—extensive community engagement before development decisions are locked in. He also emphasized that only 150 families returned because the rest had moved away during the long post-Katrina displacement, not because the development blocked them.

"We were able to offer all of those residents, the former residents, first right of occupancy. About 150 of those families are now back. They are still, all the rest of those families are still able to come back and go to the top of the waiting list," Boros said.

The Contract Details

The consulting contract is for one year with a critical 180-day checkpoint. After six months, Bayou District will deliver a work plan to the CRA and City Council for approval. The board can reject the plan and terminate the contract if they're not satisfied with the community engagement process or the direction the consultant recommends.

"We can terminate the contract as well at any time," CRA Administrator Erica Johnson told the board, emphasizing that this is strictly a consulting arrangement, not a commitment to hire Bayou District for the actual development.

What Happens Next

• Monthly updates: Bayou District will report progress at every CRA meeting

• Community committee: The firm committed to forming an on-the-ground committee with local resident members, with potential compensation

• Outreach strategy: The firm pledged one-on-one meetings, small group sessions, and community meetings at neighborhood locations—not just large public forums

• 180-day review: The CRA will vote again on whether to extend the contract and approve the work plan

Board Member Brayer requested specific assurances: that the community committee include residents who actually live in the neighborhood, that charrettes and town halls genuinely reach affected residents (not just the "usual suspects" who attend every meeting), and that communications clearly distinguish between consultation and actual development planning.

Public Support for the Decision

Not all public comment opposed the hire. Leslie Yandel, a resident and Civicon member who toured Columbia Park in New Orleans, praised the firm's approach.

"What they did was they didn't build just houses... They built a community. And all the things that you would want in the community that you want to live in," Yandel said.

The Stakes

The Baptist Hospital site represents one of Pensacola's largest development opportunities in decades. The 40-acre property sits at the center of a neighborhood where Black residents and low-income renters already face pressure from rising housing costs and loss of important facilities. The demolition of Baptist Hospital itself has already removed jobs and health services.

How the city handles redevelopment here will set the tone for future projects—and determine whether Pensacola learns from past displacement patterns or repeats them.