A once in a generation opportunity
About the Project
The Hollice T. Williams Design + Expansion project includes two major public spaces: the park itself and the Long Hollow Stormwater Pond. The project will focus on improving the 1.3-mile park area and amenities, expanding and beautifying the stormwater pond, and connecting the park and pond to the surrounding neighborhoods. With input from the community, the City of Pensacola hopes to create a beautiful, resilient, and interconnected park that celebrates local heritage and supports community gathering for future generations.
Many people are familiar with Hollice T. Williams (“HTW”) Park. However, the Long Hollow Stormwater Pond is largely hidden from the public. It presents a wonderful opportunity to add more space to the existing HTW Park for walking, recreation, and enjoying nature.
Thanks to a stormwater grant secured by the City of Pensacola, this 12-month design project kicked off in December 2024 to integrate both of these unique spaces into a connected, cohesive park area that supports the surrounding neighborhoods, addresses ongoing flooding issues, and celebrates the history (and future) of this community.
Park History
Project History
For two decades, the City of Pensacola has collaborated with local community members to envision and develop Hollice T. Williams Park into a generational, community amenity. These efforts have included conceptual ideas featured in the Eastside Redevelopment Plan of 2004, a conceptual Greenway Framework plan completed in 2010, and a 100% design and construction plan set completed in 2022.
In 2023, Mayor Reeves attended the Harvard MICD Just City Mayoral Fellowship to analyze the 100% design and construction plan set through the lens of justice and equity principles. As a result of this analysis, it was concluded that the 2022 plans lacked the amount of community input that a large-scale infrastructure project requires and the plans did not address initiatives rooted in justice and equity.
The City also received a $25M CDBG grant to fund the planning, design, and construction of stormwater infrastructure and a new 30% vision plan for Hollice T. Williams Stormwater Park. The design process is led by a team of local designers and engineers who will ensure that the 30% vision plan reflects the community’s vision.
Simultaneously, the city’s Equitable Development Framework Plan establishes a set of community-driven principles and values that ensure the park and new development around the park are drivers of inclusive development so that everyone benefits from the area’s transformation.
Honoring Hollice T. Williams
Hollice T. Williams was Pensacola’s first African-American City Councilman in the post-Civil War era. Appointed in 1970 and subsequently reelected, he served six terms on the City Council, where he was known as a thoughtful, respected leader.
In addition to his work as an elected official, Williams worked at the Pensacola YMCA for more than fifty years, starting as a staff member and eventually becoming the facility’s director—the first African American to serve in that role. Following his retirement from the YMCA, “Mr. Hollice,” as he was affectionately known, continued to work at the front desk in the lobby, greeting members new and old.
Williams was actively involved in the community. He served as the PTA President of Dixon Elementary, Washington Junior High, and Washington High School. He was also an active member of Emmanuel Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday school and led worship.
The City of Pensacola’s project team has been in touch with Mr. Williams’s family as we all strive to honor Mr. Williams’s memory with a truly inclusive community engagement and park design process.
“I am dedicated to doing the job that is best for everyone and am willing to stand the test. All my life I have been striving to do the right thing and I believe I have. I’m willing to serve, I want to serve, and I will get the job done”
Incorporating Pensacola’s First Equitable Development Framework Project
In November 2024, the Pensacola City Council unanimously adopted the Hollice T. Williams Equitable Development Plan, an equitable development framework based on community input from 335 individuals. The document lays out six core values for redevelopment based on community priorities: inclusive, accessible, and responsive; history and culture; economic opportunity; environmental justice; housing affordability; and local decision-making.
The City of Pensacola and the Hollice T. Williams Park Design + Expansion team is making special efforts to achieve the principles laid out in the document through a number of efforts:
- Providing an inclusive engagement process to create a park for all of Pensacola.
- Setting the standard for integrating urban parks with highway infrastructure.
- Combining state of the art engineering with the art of park-making.
- Honoring and celebrating the history of the “Lost Neighborhood” and important places and people affected by the neighborhood’s bisection.
- Using water to define the character of the park and address stormwater issues.
- Transforming how residents engage with nature.
- Creating safe passages for all mobilities throughout the park.
- Including local community members and stakeholders in the design process through the Friends of Hollice T. Williams and community engagement process.
- Enriching the everyday lives of residents and providing a meeting ground for special uses.
This is the first time the City of Pensacola has ever attempted to revitalize an area while also making efforts to avoid the downsides of economic growth like gentrification and displacement.
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