For Additional Headlines - go to our News Section »

• Appreciating Industry In Bay County
  made by gator
• Police Union Claims Unfair Labor Practices
  made by Oldman
• Cab Controversy Continues at New Airport
  made by Oldman
• Police Union Claims Unfair Labor Practices
  made by Conspiracy Theory
• Cab Controversy Continues at New Airport
  made by zman

Panama City Landowner Faces Challenge To Zoning Request
07/28/10 - 08:53 PM
 RSS Feed

A Panama City landlord wants to re-zone his rental property, but he’s facing a neighbor’s opposition.

The property is the site of a church building that became an apartment complex.  The neighbor says an increase in crime soon followed and she’s afraid the zoning change will only make matters worse.

Zion the Triumphant Church occupies the building at 1515 Foster Avenue – and so do people living in eight apartment units.  That’s five more than allowed under the city’s Mixed Use 2 zoning ordinance.  Instead of reducing the number of units, the property’s owner wants to bring it into compliance with a zoning change to Mixed Use 3.

“It won’t expand the building in any way,” said Lee Head.  “It will fix roofs, it will fix corridors, it will fix windows… but I can’t get a building permit without getting the rezoning.”

For 14 years, April Miller has lived on Hickory Avenue, about a block away from the Zion property.  She said the area hasn’t been the same since apartment dwellers became her neighbors.  Miller obtained a report from the Panama City Police Department showing 17 calls made since 2008 for assault, burglary, drugs, criminal mischief and other complaints related to the property.

“We have more police now than ever before in this area,” said Miller.  “I don’t like it being under those circumstances.”

“As a landlord or a landowner [I] cannot control who’s in that building,” said Head.  “I actually lease it to a third party who leases it to other people.”

Re-zoning would allow Head up to seven apartment units.  He would still have to reduce the current number by one unit.  “I’m perfectly acceptable to doing that and that will solve [the] issue,” said Head.  “There can’t be any more [units]... it’s based on the size of the land and the size of the land is not going to change.”

Miller voiced her opposition to the proposal at Tuesday’s meeting of the Panama City Commission but she says the fight’s not over.  “Anyone else that lives in my community, I hope that they will… stand up like I am,” she said.

Two of the five commission members voted against re-zoning at the first reading of the proposed ordinance Tuesday.  Commissioners will consider final passage when it meets August 10th.