Escambia County’s Development Review Committee approved dozens of projects this year, mostly for residential development, but a growing number of commercial businesses are looking to set up shop in the Pensacola area as well as the region grows.
Some of the businesses, like Wawa, are looking to expand further into the county with multiple locations already in the works, while others are still setting up their initial plans.
Here’s a list of the commercial development projects that got the green light from the DRC throughout the year.
Pensacola area’s newest restaurants: Restaurants that opened in Escambia, Santa Rosa counties in 2024: Over 65 make debut
Wawa – multiple locations
Popular gas-and-convenience chain Wawa filed plans for five stores in Escambia County, including two that had development plans approved in 2023, including their new location on Boesch Lane.
Development orders for the projects show that Ferry Pass, central Pensacola and southwest Pensacola will be home to the future convenience stores.
Plans for a Blue Angel Parkway Wawa were approved by the DRC in May and it was also the chain’s first approval this year. A month later, the DRC approved their plans to build a Wawa on North Davis Highway.
Their final approval of the year came in October for plans to build a Wawa on Pensacola Boulevard.
Smalls Sliders – 5301 N. Davis Highway
Pensacola’s new spot for Louisiana-style burgers, Smalls Sliders, opened their doors for business during the summer to waiting lines of customers after their first “can” touched down in Pensacola.
Smalls Sliders got a development order from the DRC in April to set up shop on North Davis Highway.
Smalls Sliders plans to build more locations across Escambia County, but they have not announced where those potential locations are planned yet.
Cook Out – 1735 E. Nine Mile Road
Southeastern fast-food chain Cook Out was issued a development order again this year to develop its first restaurant in Escambia County after initially getting approved by the DRC two years ago.
Developers plan to demolish a former Regions Bank on East Nine Mile Road before constructing the 1,500-square-foot restaurant and drive-thru lanes.
Cook Out has more than 250 locations operating across 10 states, including Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
Dutch Bros Coffee – 523 W. Nine Mile Road
Oregon-based Coffee chain Dutch Bros was approved to develop their first Pensacola-area location in January, which has already opened for business and is serving customers on West Nine Mile Road.
Developers built the 950-square-foot store and its drive-thru using a 0.75-acre parcel near Home Depot.
Dutch Bros could have another store in Escambia County that is planned at the home of a former Checker’s restaurant on Barrancas Avenue. Their plans for that store have not been approved by the DRC yet.
The chain currently has six stores open across Florida including the West Nine Mile Road location.
Panera Bread – 2405 W. Nine Mile Road
Escambia County’s DRC issued a development order in January for national food-and-beverage chain Panera Bread to set up shop on West Nine Mile Road.
The new, 3,500-square-foot restaurant is already open and it’s Panera’s only location in northwest Pensacola. They now have four restaurants across Escambia County.
This project was approved once already by the DRC last August. but developers resubmitted their adjusted plans in December that included a wider entrance to the drive-thru lane among other minor changes.
Panera Bread has nearly 200 restaurants across the sunshine state at this time.
Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q – 7011 N. Davis Highway
Southern barbecue chain Jim ‘N Nick’s took University Town Plaza by storm this year after opening their first Pensacola-area restaurant, which is located between Cheddar’s Kitchen and Bubba’s 33.
The restaurant has almost 4,300 square feet and its owners were issued a development order from the DRC in January.
This project was also one of the county’s earliest approvals this year.
Del Taco – 404 Brent Lane
In April, Escambia County’s DRC greenlit plans from a group of Miami developers to build Pensacola’s first Del Taco location off of Brent Lane
The Mexican fast-food chain’s future restaurant will open on Brent Lane and have 2,374-square foot building and a single drive-thru lane.
Del Taco estimates the restaurant will open in January.
The chain has 13 restaurants open across Florida, including a location in Tallahassee and Santa Rosa Beach, with more locations opening up soon in cities like Port St. Lucie and Crawfordville.
7 Brew – 5305 N. Davis Highway
National coffee chain 7 Brew was approved by the DRC to develop its first Pensacola location in September, which will be created using a vacant lot near Home Depot and Smalls Sliders.
7 Brew will operate out of a 510-square-foot building with two drive-thru lanes that will sit on a near one-acre parcel.
7 Brew is a multi-state coffee chain that has 18 locations up-and-running across Florida, according to their website.
There are three 7 Brew locations open within 50 miles of Pensacola in Bay Minette, Crestview and Foley. There are also shops open in Fort Walton Beach and Niceville.
The chain has also applied to build a few stores in Santa Rosa County, which haven’t been approved by the time of writing. 7 Brew plans for those shops to be in Pace, Navarre and Tiger Point.
Nine Mile Retail Center – 640 E. Nine Mile Road
The DRC approved a proposal in their last meeting of the year that plans to build a new commercial hub in Ferry Pass with a shopping center and a restaurant space.
The project is called Nine Mile Retail Center and its developers want to turn a 4.18-acre site into a nearly 10,000-square-foot shopping center and a restaurant building with 5,259 square feet of interior space, as well as a 1,478-square-foot exterior space.
Potential tenants for the shopping center and restaurant space are not available yet.
Three access points are planned in the project, two of which will lead motorists onto Wanda Drive while the last one will provide access onto Nine Mile Road.
Zoomies Pet Hotel & Daycare – 7253 Plantation Road
The DRC approved a proposal in January to develop a 7,000-square-foot pet boarding facility that’s already opened up for business.
Zoomies Pet Hotel & Daycare opened on Plantation Road this year after converting an existing building into their new facility.
The indoor pet boarding facility has nearly 7,000 square feet and is the company’s second location.
Zoomies Pet Hotel & Daycare has another location in Panama City Beach.
Bogey’s Golf Suites– 9410 University Parkway
Ferry Pass residents and students at the University of West Florida got a new spot to dine while playing games this year called Bogey’s Golf Suites following a renovation project for the building.
In February, the owners of The Wash Room Laundromat proposed developing a new sport gaming venue with an accompanying restaurant at 4610 University Parkway to the DRC, which was approved the following month.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Nearly a dozen businesses laid roots in Pensacola throughout 2024
