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Commission holds first reading on 1,200-acre Hamilton City North planned unit development
Summary
The Panama City Commission conducted the first of two public hearings on rezoning roughly 1,200 acres in the Hamilton City North area to a planned unit development, with the applicant describing long-term, phased mixed‑use plans and officials stressing future public hearings and notice for detailed master plans.
The Panama City Commission held the first of two public hearings June 10 on a request to rezone approximately 1,200 acres in the Hamilton City North area to a planned unit development, a step the applicant said is intended to allow later, phased development plans.
Ray Greer, the applicant’s representative, told the commission the property was annexed into the city in 1998 and assigned an urban community future‑land‑use designation in 2010. “It has its own sub area policy that applies to it, sets the maximum limits of residential units and also commercial units,” Greer said, noting the comp‑plan caps for the area are “1,800 units, 450,000 square feet of nonresidential.”
Why it matters: The rezoning would establish zoning rules (setbacks, minimum lot sizes and similar standards) that do not yet exist for parcels designated urban community in the comprehensive plan. If adopted, the PUD zoning would let the owner and future developers submit phased “final master plans” and development orders that trigger additional public hearings and formal review.
Greer described several transportation and infrastructure items already coordinated with the city and state: an existing 100‑foot right‑of‑way that he said could serve as a “spine road,” water and sewer lines installed to the area, and possible ties to planned segments of the Gulf Coast Parkway. He said the scale of the development makes it a long‑term project: “We’re looking at a build out of, you know, fit at least 15 years or more.”
Commissioners and the applicant emphasized process and public notice. Greer outlined the next steps if the commission approves the PUD zoning: a return to the commission with a PUD final master plan and development orders for phases. “There’ll be notices sent out, and the public will have an opportunity to speak and see it,” Greer said. Mayor Branch and other commissioners reminded the public that nothing beyond establishing zoning was being approved at the June 10 hearing.
Public input: The meeting included general questions from residents about how many opportunities the public would have to comment; staff and the applicant stressed that each phase and any development order would come back for public hearings with notice to nearby property owners.
What the commission did: The body conducted the required first public hearing and read the ordinance title as the first of two readings; no final adoption occurred at this meeting.
What comes next: If the commission advances the PUD, future filings — the final PUD master plan and subsequent development orders — must be submitted, noticed and considered in separate hearings where residents and the commission will weigh specific layouts, unit counts, infrastructure commitments and mitigation.
