Marie Hotel plan back before city

PANAMA CITY — Panama City Commissioners will review plans for the proposed Marie Hotel affordable senior housing development first under Community Redevelopment Agency guidelines and then they will vote on it at a subsequent commission meeting Tuesday.

City commissioners also sits as the CRA board.

Under the CRA guidelines, staff only has made two recommendations for the current development application: the asphalt for the parking lot needs to be a lighter color and the chain link fence around the parking lot should be removed.

At a previous meeting of the Planning Board, the main concern from the public was that the five-story affordable senior housing complex would not fit the concept of the neighborhood. The Planning Board voted to recommend against the application on Aug. 11 because it was not in the best interest of the community, citing city code. Several residents and downtown merchants were against the downtown development at the Aug. 11 meeting.

However, the 44-unit development meets zoning and land use requirements in the Downtown District. Property owner Joey Chapman said legal action might be the next step for his company, Royal American, if the development order is not approved, adding that the public interest section of the code would likely not hold up in court.

In other business, the commission will consider:

-The final reading of an ordinance annexing 4444 Ashland Road into the city

-Waiving daily facility rental charges for the Panama City Pops Orchestra at the Marina Civic Center

-The schedule for CRA grants.

The CRA Board meets at 4 p.m. with the commission meeting to follow at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 9 Harrison Ave.