PANAMA CITY – Tuesday’s Panama City Commission meeting might be the last chance for Royal American Construction Company and the Marie Hotel.
The commission will consider the development order request for 490 Harrison Ave., formerly the Marie Hotel. The plan for the property is a five-story senior, affordable housing complex, paid for, in part, with state tax credits. The development order meets the city’s proposed changes to the comprehensive plan — which the commission will have a vote on Tuesday — eliminating the requirement to grant density bonuses to affordable housing developments. This development order is for a 44-unit complex, not 80 units as was requested by Royal American this past winter. The Downtown District allows for residential properties.
The Planning Board voted against the development order application on Aug. 11, saying the complex is not in the public interest. Property owner Joey Chapman, since that meeting, said parking complaints from several citizens would be assuaged by a one-level deck on a piece of the property off Magnolia Avenue.
“I don’t know how you can vote the Marie down when we meet all the requirements of the city,” Chapman said. “We gave them a clear option that was reasonable.”
Chapman was referring to a separate development order application, including zoning and land use changes, filed for the property at 1615 Florida Ave., which the commission voted against on Aug. 12 because of compatibility issues. Royal American had also submitted a draft of a development agreement that if the changes were approved for Florida Avenue that the property at 490 Harrison Ave. would go untouched. While the contract for the property 1615 Florida Ave. stipulated that the property would only change hands if the zoning and land use changes were approved, the former Marie Hotel is owned by Chapman outright.
“If city merchants knew, they would have taken the compromise,” Chapman said.
The City Commission meets at 8 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 9 Harrison Ave.