PANAMA CITY BEACH — At an open house meeting Tuesday, St. Joe Co. revealed land use maps for the 112,000-acre Bay-Walton Sector Plan, a majority of which is dedicated to pocketed residential communities zoned as “village centers.”
The proposal is an extension of the existing 75,000-acre West Bay Sector Plan, which was adopted in 2002, and would set forth conceptual land uses and infrastructure plans for the area.
St. Joe is proposing to develop a majority of the additional acreage into village centers, or pocketed residential communities with a focus on retired, active adults.
While most of the village centers likely would have age restrictions, St. Joe Senior Vice President Jorge Gonzalez said conventional housing also will be included within the plan.
“Each pod will have a different flavor,” Gonzalez said, adding they also would be anchored by a series of shopping areas or “town centers,” a new planning concept within the sector plan. “The concept is to have these pods of residential areas with neighborhood-scale commercial.”
One of the proposed town centers would be located near the intersection of State 79 and State 388 and serve as a “downtown area” with a marina. An artists’ rendering displayed at the meeting showed “West Bay Landing” as a waterfront boardwalk littered with shops and restaurants.
The villages areas include open and recreational space, especially in the areas surrounding the Intracoastal Waterway. St. Joe also presented plans for an extensive trail system, which would connect with existing systems like Gayle’s Trails in Panama City Beach and on 30A in Walton County.
Dozens of area residents attended the meeting, and several reacted positively to the amount of conservation land designated on the land use map.
Panama City Beach residents Doug and Lorraine Gilmore own property north of the planning area and along the Intracoastal Waterway near West Bay and said they were pleased with St. Joe’s efforts to preserve the area’s natural beauty.
“It’s good — look at all that green space,” Doug Gilmore said. “If it was all small landowners, that would have never happened… . St. Joe is in charge of our future.”
Consultants also discussed future expansion of utility services and roadways in the area, including “West Bay Parkway,” a road that would begin at U.S. 231 to the east and connect with State 30 near the Bay-Walton County line. The West Bay Parkway would take the place of State 388 as the major artery between State 77 and State 79 and is included in the Florida Department of Transportation’s five-year plan.
“When you’re talking about the scale of this, a 50-year plan, it requires a lot of focus,” Gonzalez said.
St. Joe intends to have a finalized plan to submit to the state and Bay and Walton counties next month.