Pensacola looks to acquire part or all of old Baptist Hospital to put it in 'best hands possible'

This story has been updated to correct a mistake that appeared in the original. The new Baptist Hosptial cost $650 million.

Pensacola is looking to aid in demolishing the old Baptist Hospital and acquiring at least part of the 51-acre property.

Baptist Health Care is nearing completion on its new $650 million hospital on Brent Lane and in the process of preparing to move operations from the west side of the city to Brent Lane.

The fate of the more than 50 acres of its old campus is one of the biggest development issues the city faces, as what is built there will influence growth and development on the city's west side for years to come.

Pensacola is already involved in supporting affordable housing development applications for some areas of the campus and is committed to purchasing the historic Kupfrian House as a city park if the affordable housing plan goes through.

Vision Plan: Baptist Hospital unveils 'redevelopment vision' for future of Moreno Street campus

Opening in September: 'Who's counting?': New Baptist hospital 354 days away from move-in

Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said this week that the city will reapply for affordable housing funding for two proposed projects in the fall.

Last week the city won $5 million to aid in the demolition of the old Baptist Hospital as part of its Rebuild Florida Hometown Revitalization Program grant award from the state.

State grant funds cannot be spent on privately owned property, and the city makes clear in its grant application it would be looking to acquire the property to be able to use the grant funds.

"The city is interested in acquiring and demolishing all or part of the 51-acre campus, understanding that no set price for the property has been contracted at the time of this application," the city wrote in its application.

The city's goal, the application said, was to prevent blight and foster revitalization by transforming the campus with "attainable housing" through mixed-use development with retail, commercial and residential buildings.

The city would maintain the property until it finds developers who would enter binding agreements to build out the campus under the city's goals, the application said.

Reeves said that Baptist Hospital and the city are in talks about the property's future, and nothing has been committed to, even with the grant award on Wednesday.

Affordable housing plan: Pensacola-backed affordable housing at old Baptist Hospital campus hits stumbling block

The city must still enter into a grant agreement with the state before funds are awarded, which will set the terms for how soon the money must be spent.

"I think Baptist realizes the generational opportunity that lies at their old location, and so do we," Reeves said. "And with that comes a lot of opportunity and a lot of responsibility on behalf of Baptist and the city to not leave neighborhoods behind and to ensure that the generational future of their old campus is in the best hands possible."

Jennifer Grove, vice president of external relations for Baptist Health Care, told the News Journal in a written statement that no definitive plans have been made for demolishing the hospital and towers on its campus.

"Following our move to the new Baptist Hospital campus, some team members will remain in the buildings surrounding the hospital and Towers, and interested parties continue to explore the potential for adaptive reuse of the buildings we won’t occupy," Grove said.

Grove confirmed that Baptist Health Care is exploring all options with the city.

"We are grateful for the collaboration with the city of Pensacola and the support of Sen. (Doug) Broxson and the governor as we explore every pathway to this campus becoming a transformational opportunity for our community," Grove said.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola may acquire old Baptist Hospital to pursue attainable homes