Panama City holds first hearing on transportation impact fees; consultants outline two‑district fee table and public raises concerns about grocery-store costs

Panama City held a first public hearing on Jan. 14 for an ordinance (3256) that would create a new Transportation Impact Fee program and impose one‑time fees on new development. The ordinance had its first reading; commissioners did not adopt the ordinance at the meeting. City staff and consultants from Kimley‑Horn summarized a year‑long study that proposed two fee districts, formulas based on capacity consumed and costs per lane mile, and fee tables by land use.

Hadley Peterson, an urban planner with Kimley‑Horn, told the commission the firm worked with city staff and engineers for nearly a year, conducting comparative reviews, engineering cost calculations and planning‑board briefings. Kimley‑Horn recommended two district boundaries — “Panama City proper” and “Panama City North” — with different fee…