EGLIN TO BUILD BASE EXCHANGE OFF BASE

It just keeps coming. Having had the opportunity to be brief by the General, who is in charge of this project recently, it is on the fast track and Eglin has been identified as one of the first to be selected for this new complex. As noted below, it is on the way to becoming a reality. All I can say, is the area of going to ramp up pretty fast.


Shopping center to follow retail trend of commercial developments like Destin Commons
By MONA MOORE Florida Freedom Newspapers (850) 315-4443 monam@nwfdailynews.com
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE — Base Exchange, your days are numbered. The ode to 1972 architecture will soon be replaced by a 500,000-square-foot “shopping destination,” said Judd Anstey, a spokesperson for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service Lifestyle Center. “It’s hard to renovate a store that’s 36, 37 years old and have it be really new and contemporary,” said Joe Giuffreda, vice president of the community development initiative and plans directorate for AAFES. “The market’s changing. It’s growing and the shoppers are changing because they want a nicer offering and we want to remain competitive.” Eglin is one of five military installations pegged for the $80-million to $90-million pilot project. The base made the cut partially because of the Base Realignment and Closure recommendations. The BRAC commission named Eglin as the new home of the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from Fort Bragg, N.C., the Special Forces Group’s training ranges and the newly established F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Training Center. The new installations mean the base can support the 100,000 customers the Lifestyle Center will likely draw. “(Eglin is) mission gaining, picking up airmen and family members. It’s growing substantially,” Giuffreda said. “That speaks to the long-term viability. In other words, Eglin’s not going away.” Perched half a mile from the Shalimar gate along Lewis-Turner Boulevard, the proposed center will follow the retail trend of commercial developments like Destin Commons. Tentative plans for the modern outdoor shopping center feature 30 to 40 retailers including book stores, food courts and apparel stores. “There could be Bath and Body. There could be American Eagle or Hollister,” Giuffreda said. The base’s regular offerings of military clothing, fast food, barbershops, beauty salons, laundry and dry cleaning will still be a part of the Lifestyle Center. “We’re just sprinkling in some of these other tenants so it’s more convenient for customers,” Giuffreda said. “AAFES always does fast foods. One of the things we’re trying to do here is the sit-down casual dining, like a Chili’s or Buffalo Wild Wings or Olive Garden.” There’s even talk of a multi-screen theater with first-run movies. “We have never shown first-run movies before so we’re trying to break the code on that,” he said. The center will have a main street, outdoor furniture and possibly a fountain where children can play, Giuffreda said. There will be a decidedly military flare to the experience. The Post Exchange, and possibly the commissary, will anchor the center. The center will serve only military clientele. “Our mission is just to take care of our authorized customer base: the military and their family, the retirees and their family,” Giuffreda said. “They really deserve a nice, new contemporary facility. Not something that was built in the early 70’s.” Like all AAFES centers, 70 percent of the Lifestyle Center’s profits will fund military quality of life programs like the library, recreation facilities and child care centers. The remainder of the profits will fund new construction. The center will offer new jobs and a new tax base for the community. Retail stores that are not run by AAFES will charge sales tax. “We estimate it to be about 850 to 1,000 new jobs,” said Giuffreda. “We’ll have needs for suppliers and managers and subcontractors and even opportunities to open stores for local businesses. We really see it as a good partnership and win-win with the community.” The center is at least two years from breaking ground, but it has reached a milestone in the process. An environmental assessment determined that plans for the new center would not have an adverse effect on the area. The report examined the noise, land use, air quality, geological resources, water resources, biological resources, cultural resources, socioeconomic resources, environmental justice, traffic, utilities and hazardous materials and wastes. Based on the findings, the Air Force is proposing to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact. Drafts of the FONSI and EA are available at libraries in Shalimar, Fort Walton Beach and Valparaiso. Public comments and inquiries on the drafts will be accepted through Oct. 5. Written comments and inquiries should be sent to Mike Spaits at 96 CEG/CEV, 501 DeLeon Street, Suite 101, Eglin AFB, FL 32542 or emailed to spaitsm@eglin. af.mil.