Kady: Numbers show most low-income housing in city

PANAMA CITY — Panama City Commissioner John Kady, who has proposed a short-term moratorium on new low-income housing in city limits, recently explained his position to local advocates for the homeless.

Kady is an advocate of revising Panama City code to take away incentives for low-income housing development. The first discussions of code revisions will take place at a July 14 Planning Commission meeting.

He explained his position to the Homeless and Hunger Coalition on June 11, using numbers compiled by the city community development department.

Although Panama City only has 20.5 percent of the population of Bay County, it has 67 percent of the affordable housing — 37,000 people to 15,500 housing units. In part as a result of that disparity, Panama City residents have a lower average income, at least $8,000 less than Lynn Haven and Panama City Beach. In two case study areas, around A.D. Harris Learning Village and former Marie Hotel site, Panama City has a much higher concentration of people making between $10,000 and $20,000 than both Lynn Haven and the Pier Park area.

He added that the concentration of housing units in the poorest areas of the city — Glenwood and downtown north — has created areas that cannot attract essential businesses like grocery stores. He believes part of the reason Rooms To Go and three other national retail stores left Panama City was because of a higher concentration of poorer residents here. He said other businesses have been persuaded to stay away from Panama City for this same reason.

“We need to balance out wages, ages and consumer spending,” Kady said. “We need to spread the low income housing throughout the city and throughout the county.”

Kady wants to take out density bonuses, impact fee relief and direct payment out of the code.

“We have incentives built in that you don’t find in other cities,” he said. “There are substantial federal and state incentives to building these.”

He also wants to enforce that low-income housing can not be built in certain areas, although he does not want to change city zoning.

Homeless and Hunger Coalition Project Administrator Morgan Burleson was happy Kady talked to her group and understands his position. However, there is the flip side of the coin.

“Majority of the folks we talked to, employment and affordable housing are the top issues,” Burleson said.

The coalition takes an annual census of homeless in Bay County in a 10-day stretch in January, which is the federally mandated time period. They found 238 homeless people in 2014. Through various charities, most from Panama City Rescue Mission, there are 196 available shelter locations.

Burleson said the number of homeless people is probably unrepresentative of the actual figure. The coalition was incapable of conducting the survey for three days during an ice storm. The number may be closer to 2011 when it was 413. On top of that, just like most things in the area, homelessness spikes in warmer months. Burleson said the coalition may pursue a separate census in the summer, but has yet to conduct one.

It is also the type of homeless people that concerns Burleson.

“We do have non-traditional homeless, people who have literally been one pay check away and then lost that pay check,” she said.

The coalition works with several agencies looking to place people into affordable housing, which is a considerable challenge. Kady points out that this is more difficult because many complexes have a minimum income requirement.

“Most folks truly in need don’t even qualify,” he said.