PANAMA CITY — Two older Panama City commercial sites are looking for makeovers after more than a half-century of operations.
Development plans for the Buccaneer Beach Motel and the Marie Hotel will go before Planning Board members during Monday’s meeting. The businesses are looking to expand the number of rooms offered.
Owners of the Buccaneer are requesting a development agreement to build 117 condominium units up to 120 feet on its current site at 711 Beach Drive. Construction of the Buccaneer began in 1958 with an addition of 57 motel rooms beginning in 1960.
Jason Oakes, co-owner, said plans are not final for the business but, with Panama City making strides to encourage development, he and fellow owners are taking steps to secure a “groundwork for growth.”
“These are things the city has to do to keep up with the progress of Panama City Beach,” Oakes said. “And the city is providing an opportunity, and making it easier to do business over here.”
A development agreement would be in place for 10 years if the city agrees to the plans.
The Buccaneer was under foreclosure when Bayside of PC LLC acquired the property in 2009. Oakes said if current trends prevail, design and construction could begin in about five years.
Construction of the Marie Hotel predates the Buccaneer by 20 years, being built in 1938. Owners Royal American/Marie Hotel One LTD are requesting an 80-unit apartment development agreement on the site at 490 Harrison Ave. on the southeast corner of East Fifth Street and Harrison Avenue.
John Lewis, a representative for the property, said the owners are in the process of conducting a feasibility study to determine what would “fit best in the community.”
“We want to improve downtown,” Lewis said. “We want to take a piece of tired property and turn it into something that works.”
Oakes said the decision was not a reaction to the city’s plans to redevelop its downtown marina, but he could see any business in downtown benefiting from the project.
“It would help any business downtown to have something the city is proud of at the marina,” he said.
Plans also include a parking deck on the adjacent property across Luverne Avenue.
Attempts to revitalize the Marie Hotel in the past have fallen flat. In 2005, hotel owner Joe Chapman partnered with the Downtown Improvement Board to conduct a $54,700 market analysis and economic development strategy for the four Community Redevelopment Agency districts. The study included an analysis of development opportunities for the Marie Hotel.
The hotel sat dormant for more than two decades prior to the study and remains so today.
The nearby Marie Motel at 545 Magnolia Ave., which still is in business, is not part of the proposal.
Planning Board members meet Monday at 4 p.m. in the commission chambers of City Hall, 9 Harrison Ave.
