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Planning Board denies rezoning request at 2414 Michigan Avenue after neighbor opposition
Summary
The Planning Board voted 5‑0 to deny a small‑scale land‑use amendment and rezoning request to change 2414 Michigan Avenue from public institutional to Mixed Use 3. The applicant, Scott Helms, said he considered warehouses, flex space or townhomes; nearby residents opposed potential multifamily development and property devaluation.
The Panama City Planning Board voted 5‑0 to deny a request to rezone 2414 Michigan Avenue from public institutional to Mixed Use 3.
The owner/applicant, Scott Helms, told the board he considered “either small warehouse, flex space, or town homes” for the site and that a warehouse nearby informed his interest. In staff’s presentation, Planning staff explained MU‑3 allows “neighborhood scale commercial uses not to exceed 20,000 square feet” and said warehousing is typically directed to GC‑2 zoning.
Several nearby residents spoke in opposition during the public hearing. Robin Morrison, who said she lives at 3900 West 24th Street and identified herself as representing Bay Oaks Village, told the board she opposed the land‑use amendment because it “mainly adds multi family apartments and condominium units and I don't want that within 300 feet of my property” and feared declining property values. Morrison asked the board to deny the request; she said she understood the applicant might intend a warehouse but worried the zoning change would allow multifamily in future.
The board discussed adjacency to existing MU parcels and the surrounding Bay County R‑1 zoning. One board member noted the parcel is “no longer associated with the church” and staff confirmed the property is no longer used for public institutional purposes. The board heard that Bay County zoning adjacent to the property is R‑1.
After public comment and applicant remarks, a motion to deny the small‑scale land‑use amendment and rezoning carried 5‑0. The matter will be forwarded to the City Commission for the required readings on July 8 and July 22, 2025, as part of the statutory process for land‑use changes.
The denial preserves the existing public institutional future land use and does not change what uses are allowed on the parcel under current zoning.
