Beulah Residents Organize Protest Over Exclusive OLF-8 Town Hall

A planned town hall intended to discuss the future of the OLF-8 property is drawing community backlash after developers restricted access to a single neighborhood, prompting a peaceful protest scheduled for this Friday.

On Friday, Oct. 2, community members will gather from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the public right-of-way along Nine Mile Road, directly in front of the Navy Federal public park. The demonstration is in response to a closed-door meeting hosted by Catalyst, Tri-W’s development partner, inside the Navy Federal auditorium at 10:30 a.m.

(Photo Credit: Theresa Blackwell)

The developer’s town hall is strictly exclusive to residents of the Nature Trail subdivision who RSVP’d in advance. The broader public has been entirely excluded.

Theresa Blackwell, a Beulah community advocate who has spent over a decade fighting for a walkable, New Urbanism vision for OLF-8, organized the demonstration. She emphasized that residents are deeply frustrated by the lack of transparency surrounding the 540-acre site and the changes the developer hopes to make.

“I think people are especially sensitive about one group getting an exclusive town hall on what the developer wants to do when the county has done little to nothing to explain it to us, and even to the Planning Board and the county commissioners who will vote on it,” Blackwell said.

Blackwell noted that Nature Trail residents have historically played a vital role in pushing the county and developers to envision OLF-8 as a community space rather than just a sprawling commerce park. According to Blackwell, many Nature Trail residents were surprised by the exclusive nature of Friday's meeting and firmly believe the presentation should be open to all taxpayers.

The core of the community’s frustration stems from the fact that OLF-8 is fundamentally public land, yet the public is being shut out of the conversation.

“The developer has repeatedly said that residents are co-equal stakeholders with the county and the economic development superstructure,” Blackwell said. “But the other two will not live with the results, nor do they own that land.”

(Photo Credit: Theresa Blackwell)

Demonstrators will stand in a lawful, highly visible location while the meeting takes place inside. Blackwell plans to provide some signs, though attendees are encouraged to bring their own. Participants are also advised to bring umbrellas or other provisions for shade.

Friday's protest is just the first step in a renewed push for public oversight of OLF-8. The Escambia County Planning Board is scheduled to hear an OLF-8 rezoning case on Tuesday, Oct. 6, and the Board of County Commissioners will take up the issue on Nov. 5. Advocates are strongly encouraging the public to attend both meetings and demand that developers stick to a community-focused master plan.