Jason Koertge has an awesome vacation rental business in Panama City Beach that focuses on remarkable properties right on the gulf.  They range from 1 to 4 bedrooms, they’re clean, and amazing.  He can be found lurking at PCBLP.com.

There seems to be some popularity with the concept of using a motor-coach RV park as a last ditch effort to generate revenue on a vacant piece of land. This is a topic that’s come up before with the community standing up in opposition.

Well, it’s come up again.

The land that’s being proposed.

The subject land in the limelight is owned by Royal American Development and is the current home to the welcome center for Royal American Hospitality (same principal owners). The land is adjacent to the gulf front resort, Boardwalk Beach Resort and was originally intended to be phase II of the Boardwalk Condominium development.

The actual parcel itself is about 400 feet on the gulf and rests between the Top of the Gulf condominium resort and the Boardwalk Condominium tower.

A need to generate revenue.

The story here seems to be the same. The market tanked before they could sell the other building so it has sat pretty much vacant every sense.

As with the LaBorgata piece of land, you probably have a developer who spend a lot of money on the land, pre-development costs and is badly in need of a way to stop the bleeding.  I assume there are monthly costs associated with holding the land, an annual tax bill, etc.  Of course, this is just an assumption.

But the desire to turn a non-revenue generating parcel into something that makes money is honest enough, right?  But at what expense?

The plan.

On paper, the plan is to turn this into an RV park, although no conceptual plans were turned in with the rezoning request.  The land owner is requesting the approximately 5.6 acres be rezoned from T-2 to T-M.

As noted in the application Data and Analysis document, the reason for the request reads as follows:

The applicants have indicated that they intend to develop the site into an RV park.  However, if the rezoning were approved the site could be used for mobile homes, travel trailers, motor homes, motels, hotels, condos, town homes, apartments, churches, clubs, lodges, parking lots, parking garages and mobile home sales.  

It is the breadth of possibilities that seems to have local property owners up in arms.  The potential for developing anything that could adversely effect their property values in an already depressed real estate market is being reported as unnerving.

The document then goes on to read:

A plan amendment is not required for this request.  As such, the request is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan since the T-2 zoning district and the T-M zoning district are both part of the Tourist Future Land Use Map designation of the Comprehensive Plan.  This means the City must provide competent substantial evidence in the record of the meeting if it is to deny the request. 

Continuing later in the document:

Surrounding parcels are zoned T-M, T-3A and T-2.  Condominiums are located to the east (Top of the Gulf) and west (Boardwalk) of the subject site and an RV Park/Campground, T-shirt shop, and golf course are located across South Thomas Drive to the north.  A proposed RV Park on the subject property is compatible with the uses to the north. . . [With] adjacent property owners. . . the impact on property values of the condominiums is the potential issue.  As with all properties, if an adjoining property is not maintained and kept in a clean and neat condition; properties in the area can be adversely impacted. . . However, the applicant manages several units within the Boardwalk Condominium and will likely manage the subject property such that their values are not adversely impacted.  Whether an RV park in this area will diminish property values of adjacent condominiums is very difficult, if not impossible to determine. . . The RV Park/Campground across South Thomas Drive did not prevent the construction and increase in property values of the Boardwalk condominium. . .  For these reasons, staff cannot determine that the presence of an RV park on the subject property will cause an adverse impact to adjoining property values especially if the use is well maintained and managed. 

The document concludes:

Because the quest is consistent with the adopted Comprehensive Plan, the burden of proof is not with the owner but rather the City to base a decision on competent substantial evidence especially if the request is denied.  Based upon information gathered to date, Staff is unable to identify a substantial reason to deny the request.  However, judicial decisions have indicated that direct testimony of nearby property owners at a public hearing can be considered by a Board and used as competent substantial evidence in denying a request if such evidence indicated the owners will likely be adversely impacted by the approval of the request. 

What all this means and what to do (IMPORTANT).

I’ve been to a few of these meetings and the board is reasonable in hearing the opinions of the audience.  The developer should be amicable regarding the proposed development and how it will effect property owners, but if you’re an owner and you want your voice heard, you need to be at the meeting.

The document reads that there is no reason to deny the request unless the local property owners have substantial evidence that they’ll be negatively effected.

So, if you don’t like this, do your research on how this can be detrimental to your property, show up to the meeting with the facts, and be ready to present.  But, planning on coming to yell at the board, yell at the developer (or his engineer) or cite emotional turmoil won’t strengthen your argument.

The meeting will be held at Beach City Hall on February 13 at 2 pm cst.

So, what do you think, should they put an RV park next to Boardwalk Condominiums?

Jason Koertge has an awesome vacation rental business in Panama City Beach that focuses on remarkable properties around the Pier Park area.  They range from 1 to 3 bedrooms, they’re clean, and amazing.  He can be found at PCBLP.com.

With all the talk of Walmart coming into the area, it’s spurred even more activity.  Although Target’s making no claims of “keeping up with the Jones,” or in this case, “Walmart”, their push to add an expanded grocery section is certainly a plan to keep them ahead.  The Walmart that is being installed adjacent to Target, right across Powell Adams Road, is rumored to have a significant grocery area including produce and meats – although nothing official has been announced.

What we can expect at Target.

Target already has a pretty good grocery section.  It is certainly not Publix (or a Walmart Supercenter for that matter), but our family’s spontaneous needs can typically be met there.  They have milk, eggs, deli meats, some frozen foods, ice cream, cereal, chips, coffee, bread and tons of other essentials, and it’s all very fairly priced.  Shoot, we often do our grocery shopping there.

With the reorganization they’re adding fresh produce and meats and expanding on the other item types they already carry.  This will make them more of a one-stop shop and should bring in more grocery shoppers.  If it’s decent produce, it’ll draw our family in, along with countless others.

Target is also getting remodeled.

Just less than 5 years after opening, they’re giving the inside a significant overhaul.  You may have noticed the circus-tent-looking structure to the side of the building, next to the retired garden center – that’s the staging area for the work being done.

Expect new paint inside, new end cap designs, new isle layouts, isle shifts and a fresh new look.

When it’ll be complete.

Timing is everything right?  The new Walmart hasn’t even broke ground yet, much less begun moving dirt.  But the remodeled Target, groceries, and produce should be complete by mid-March.  Employees are expecting things to be ready for spring break.  This is well suited for what is projected to be, again, the busiest rental season ever.  As we just learned, last year broke records, if 2012 is better, then we’ll break more records.

What are your thoughts on the new Target? Do you think it’ll compete with whatever Walmart puts in?  Would you shop there?

Jason Koertge has an awesome vacation rental business in Panama City Beach that focuses on remarkable properties around the Pier Park area.  They range from 1 to 3 bedrooms, they’re clean, and amazing.  He can be found at PCBLP.com.

There’s been tons of buzz about what’s happening and what’s not happening at Pier Park North.  There has been plenty of speculation about what it is, who’s doing it, why and how.  To add, there have been articles that have published a list of stores coming, then later changed to report that they were prospective stores.  Of course, all this adds to the buzz that is currently surrounding that whole area.  We’ve talked about Aaron Bessant Park improvements, a new Walmart and a Target expansion all in this little area.

So let’s talk about the facts, what we know and leave what we don’t know to another article where we can dream.

For clarification purposes, we’ll refer to the portion of Pier Park that is already developed as Pier Park South.  This is just to avoid confusion, it’s not actually called Pier Park South.

Who’s developing the mall.

Simon Property Group developed Pier Park South.  They bought the land from St. Joe and have right to use the name Pier Park – although the name is still owned by St. Joe; trademarked, really.  The Pier Park brand has been used to identify that area for many years.

Pier Park North is being dubbed such because of that control St. Joe has with the brand. They are leasing (or selling) the land to mall developer Glimcher.  Glimcher is a publicly traded company that has 24 mall developments in 15 states.

They have full-size conventional malls, strip malls and outlet malls and they are considered a genuine competitor to Simon Property Group.

But with this development, I don’t think it’s necessarily about the competition, but rather the growth in shopping options.

Size, shape and location.

The published square footage that will be developed is 396,000, which is 36% the size of the Pier Park we know on the south side of Panama City Beach Parkway.  This is plenty large enough to have several “anchor” stores intertwined with a variety of smaller shops.

One of the elements that sets Pier Park South apart from conventional outdoor malls is the way it was designed.  There are nooks, crannies and all sorts of other architectural individualities that really make it a fun place just to walk around.  There are alcoves, seating areas, large open areas for the kids to run and a variety of recreation areas.  These characteristics are what make Pier Park South a destination to not just shop, but to hang out.

Of course, this was done intentionally – people that hang out where stuff is sold tend to buy stuff.

From the plans, Pier Park North will not be this way.  The facade will be straight and flat.  There will not be tiered levels or shops that come out or are set back from others.  From a retail development optimization perspective, this is ideal.  This development method maximized square footage and ensures equal visibility to all stores.  However, this design will lack the character of Pier Park South.

Although no artistic renderings have been released, Panama City Beach City Planners are expecting the actual look to be consistent with Pier Park South: bright colors, hardy board plank siding, and some accent towers (think of the tower at Five Guys).

The location of the development will be due north of Pier Park South, will have frontage right on the Parkway and will back right up to a conservation area that will serve as a buffer zone between it and Palmetto Trace.

Pier Park North will have three points of entry from Back Beach Road and one point of entry from Pier Park Drive N.

About the stores that are coming.

The funny thing about submitting plans to the local planning authority is that one typically includes a list of potential stores to give the planners an idea of the size and type of stores that would or could come.  Typically the store logos on the plans are just for concept and don’t usually indicate any potential lease negotiations.

When Pier Park South was in the planning stages, I personally saw all sorts of names being thrown around.  I saw plans with Best Buy, Belks and a variety of others that never were necessarily intended to be tenants.  I was told over and over that I could not release these names because they were not necessarily being announced as potential tenants, they were just on the plans as examples.

The images of the plans here include logos, such as this.  However, none of these have been announced by the developer as signed lease holders.  In fact, we’re way too early in the game to even have a hint as to who would be coming to Pier Park North.  Typically mall developers won’t officially start releasing names until a predetermined amount of time before they’ll be open.

Here is a list of stores that have been speculated on, which some may come, but none have been officially endorsed as actually signing a lease.  Estimates based on the plans indicate there will be 20 to 40 stores with 7 to 15 anchor stores.

• Dick’s Sporting Goods
• Bed Bath & Beyond
• Michaels
• Fresh Market
• Pier 1 Imports
• Kirklands
• Ross Dress for Less
• Shoe Carnival
• Petco
• Toys R Us
• Rooms to Go
• Men’s Warehouse
• VisionWorks
• Osaka’s
• Cheddars

Images of the plans

This is an overview of the project.

From here you can see how the proximity of the development to the residential area.

As you can see, there are logos for retail shops.  This is in no way intended to document that these brands are actually coming to the development.

Again, more brand logos.  This is just to give you an idea of the type, size and location of stores like this.

This image gives us some hope of the tower-like structures that are found in the existing Pier Park development.

When the mall development will be open for business.

As of right now, the timeline plans indicate that construction will begin in March of this year with stores to be opening approximately one year later.  Of course, timelines are meant to slip and no dirt has been moved as of yet.  Although survey crew have been spotted on the property.

Location as it relates to Palmetto Trace.

What has seemed like q quiet community in the past, Palmetto Trace residents are in an uproar about this new development.  They’ve recently been very vocal about the Aaron Bessant Park improvements and they aren’t happy about a new mall development being erected so close to their homes.

Looking at the size of the buffer zone, it’s likely that many of the homes will be able to see the back of the mall development through some conservation area.  There is a pretty good distance between the back of the mall development and the homes, but also a large area of it is water, which doesn’t help much to buffer sound.

What are your thoughts on this new development?  Do you think it will help the community grow?  Do you think it’s a smart way to grow?  If you’re a Palmetto Trace resident, what are your thoughts on this?

The name was picked years ago.  The plan for the school came shortly after – now they’re on their 4th school year. One can only assume the development of the subdivision was only waiting for a turn around in the real estate market.  Well, now apparently it’s turned enough for St. Joe to move forward with the first phase of development.

Now selling homes

If you drive through the intersection of Back Beach and R Jackson Blvd, you’ve probably seen the signs at the corner of the quadrant Publix is on.  ”Now Selling” is in big letters with ‘Homes from the low 200′s” just below it.  They’ve got a model home under construction and it looks like all the infrastructure (roads, water, sewer) is in place.

Details about the development

From the plat map, it looks like they are planning on having 45 homes in this first phase.  They plan on having some park areas, walking trails and access to conservation area and ponds.

The subdivision is located essentially at the end of R Jackson Blvd.  If you go north on R Jackson, like you’re going to Breakfast Point Academy, you’ll go straight at the stop sign.  You’ll see what I presume to be the first model home being constructed right on that corner lot – labeled 1 on the plat map.

Note: I’m using the term ‘phase’ under the assumption that there will be more to the Breakfast Point development than what is slated for this particular set of homes we’re discussing in this post.  In a post we published in 2007, we had info that slated the Breakfast Point development as completed would have 3100 residential units.

This is a St. Joe owned development but it looks like they’ve either contracted with home builders to build the homes, or they’ve sold the lots to them to build and resell homes under the Breakfast Point brand.  The two builders that are building in this phase are David Weekly Homes and Huff Homes.

Pricing and home sizes

Pricing is always an interesting discussion.  For the developer/home builder, it’s a critical topic.  If they price too high, they won’t sell.  And if they price too low, they may not attract the right audience.  From what I can tell from the website, home prices will start in the $230′s and be sized ranging from 1600 to 2800 square feet.

A recent traffic study indicates there might be a new Walmart coming to Panama City Beach.  The traffic study is said to be standard operating procedure when it comes to putting in a large retailer such as a Walmart.  The goal is to get a better understanding of the local traffic, the ingress and egress environment and get a first blush analysis of if this would actually work.

The site that the study is focused around is the parcel of land directly across Powell Adams road from the Pier Park Target.  The traffic study explores the addition of a light at that intersection and three full-access driveways.

The current Walmart is located at the crossroads of Front Beach Road, Middle Beach Road and South Thomas Drive. The current location has certainly become an epicenter, if you will, of tourism action.  When that Walmart was built, there was nothing around it.  Now, just to name a few items, there is a Ripley’s, Wonderworks, Walgreen’s, Backyard Burger, and tons of other places.

The existing location, according to public records, is 223,168 square foot.  The new proposed building would be approximately 156,000 square feet – roughly 70% of the size.

What are you thoughts on this?  Do you think this would boost the economical vitality of the west end / Pier Park area?  Do you think this could damage Target or make it stronger? Do you think this smaller store would have a produce section and finally bring some grocery aspect to a near Pier Park location?

Here’s something cool:  ditch your condo on the beach and buy a condo on a giant riverboat.  Imagine living on the water all the time, whenever you look out your window or lounge on your balcony, you have waterviews in perfect weather, you’re always traveling, around the country.  Enter River Cities’ The Marquette.

This week and next, a “model condo” will be at St. Andrew’s Marina showing you what life on the water in The Marquette will be all about.  Looking at the plans, the whole thing looks like a fantastic dream.

The entire structure is actually two separate vessels joined in the middle that combined create a 108 foot wide 600 feet long, six-story condominium.  There are 180 units total ranging in size from 528 square foot studio apartments to 1,500 square foot two bedroom condos.

The floating resort features a full service restaurant, theatre, activity rooms, library, hot tub and pool, fitness center, walking tracks, chipping course, fishing, recreation areas for bocci ball and lawn bowling, grocery, rental watercraft launched from boat.

Anyway, I thought this was pretty cool.

But, there was something that I didn’t think was cool – the price.  Pricing for the lower end condos start at $299k with HOA fees just over $1,000 monthly.  The condos that are 924 square feet are just under $500k.  Just seems steep for something that could get trashed if it was stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time.

For more information, visit their website.

We first told you about the dune buggy adventure park coming about a year ago. We followed up a couple weeks ago to find that it was opening last Friday. Well, now it’s open – at least the dune buggy part. The rest opens in phases over the next 8 weeks.

So I’m sure you’re dying to know all about my driving adventure, right?

The dune buggies.

Your mode of adventure is aboard a two seater 17hp dune buggy with netting windows, a plexi windshield and open-wheel knobby tires.  The suspension is cushy enough to absorb the shock of you coming down hard at the bottom of the dips and padding your landing if you catch a little bit of air when you come over the table-top.  The top speed of these babies is about 40 mpg, although these particular machines have been tuned down to about 20 mph to keep them safe for the public.  I was told that “the state wants the public to be able to go full throttle without having to worry about needing to slow down at any point around the track.”  Makes sense. Given the safety requirements, I have to say I really couldn’t have asked for anything more.  The ride was fantastic.

The track.

As a dad who has driven my kids around every go-cart track in Panama City Beach I have to say this track was a welcome addition to my portfolio of recreational racing.  In the monopolization and standardization of go-cart racing, a general lack of creativity has been present in tracks of new and old in this area.  This track is original in concept and execution.  Combining smooth turns with tight turns, and mixing in some few straight aways and killer hills this track forces a smile and a few “holy-craps” as you make the laps.  Losing your stomach on the dips and catching a little air on the table-top makes this attraction a must see when you’re down here and definitely worth the $18 a ride.

The costs.

There was a lot of speculation on the costs of this attraction.  I’m not sure why some thought this would be prohibitively expensive or what would have caused any negativity of this new venue, but I think the cost is definitely competitive.  At $18 a ride, you’d be hard pressed to find another activity on the beach that offers as much fun for the money.  Here’s the entire breakdown.

• $18 to drive
• $2 to ride (16 and older)
• Free to ride under 16

In order to drive you have to be at least 15 years old with a learner’s permit.

Location.

View Larger Map

My conclusions.

This is a great place to play.  The dune buggy is what I would consider the main attraction.  But, when they get the ropes course open, many will come for that.  When they get the zip line open, many will come for that.  All around, though, this will be a true land of adventure.  I had a blast there, and as my kids get older, they’ll have a blast there as well.

From a business perspective, I think they’ll do great.  I think they will be a very positive asset to our community as we starve for interesting and fun things to do.  I told the owner, “this is another great idea on Panama City Beach that someone came up with before I had a chance to.”  I wish the owners luck and many years of success.

Remember last summer when we were talking about a really cool new attraction in Panama City Beach, Panama Dunes?  We were marveling the novelty of having a Dune Buggy track that was accompanied by other adventuresome attractions.  Well, they’re opening this week.

Originally they had planned on opening last summer, then it got moved to Labor Day, then put off until this week.  The setbacks were related to a variety of things that come up when building something that’s never been done before, and the winter hiatus was to ensure a strong start with the 2011 tourism season.  But, with the winter months put aside for planning, the owners decided to launch their grand opening with a huge BANG with much more to offer then they had originally planned.

Here’s what they’re doing.

This is the pit and staging area.  Under the green shelter will rest the sleeping Dune Buggies.  You’ll receive your orientation and get strapped in for your adventure here.  Just beyond the shelter is a platform that overlooks the track.  You’ll receive training there.  From start to finish, the Dune Buggy experience will be around 30 to 45 minutes, including training, etc.

When I first saw these, what I envisioned was crowds of people hanging from the railings cheering on their favorite buggy racer in a scene reminiscent of the pod races in Star Wars Episode I.  Not so, but what WILL be there will be a challenging ropes obstacle course.  This course will have varying levels of difficulty with the final stages only being open to those that are competent enough to navigate the toughest of routes.  This course will wind around and over the racing dune buggies.  Never fear, though, course challengers will be secured into a harness system that will keep them on their feet, or at least off the ground.

This picture was taken from the training and staging platform for the ropes course described in the previous picture.  The pit you’re looking at is where the foundation for the 4 story zip-line tower will go.  Beyond that, you can see the County Pier, giving you some indication of where this adventure park is.  Can you imagine the views you’ll have from the zip line?

The dune buggy track will wind and turn around, traversing 5 acres.  The thing that’s really cool about this is that you’re not stuck making only right-hand or left-hand turns all the time – this track varies giving you the feel that you’re not stuck with some amateur child’s playground.  The owners expect about a two to three year maturation period for the landscaping.  They’re planing vegetation that will grow up over the fencing and barrier walls that line the track giving you a feel of really being down in an offroad track.  You’ll feel like your racing through the jungle, next to the beach.

This image shows you how many of these ropes obstacle course exchange points there will be – 11 total.

This is looking back over the track from the west side.  The cluster you see in the middle is the ropes obstacle course and to the right is the staging/pit area and training platform.

This is the beginnings of the zip tower.  There will be three legs of the zip line, taking you in a triangle across the Dune Buggy track.  The starting point will be 40 feet in the air and will overlook the Gulf.

Pier Park and Panama City Beach, are in for a sandwich influx this season.

Along with the news of Subway opening up in Pier Park, sandwich enthusiast can look forward to Schlotzsky’s moving in and joining the Pier Park family.

Schlotzsky’s started it’s nation wide take-over, with humble origins that date back to 1971.  Originally launched in Austin, Texas with a basic menu comprised of sourdough bread and a selection of premium meats, cheeses and olives.

The humble beginning eventually morphed into 35 locations nationwide and four foreign locations. I have to say, I wish I would have known that during my travels through out Spain.

I loved trying out the local cuisine, but every now and then, even an American Girl traveling abroad, craves the simple taste of home. Be it toasted sub, or a New York bagel.

Schlotzsky’s Pier Park store is opening it’s doors on February 21, 2011 and boast an eclectic selection of subs, wraps, salads and gourmet pizzas, along with desserts and soups.

Details Below

PANAMA CITY Beach, FL – Schlotzsky’s,home of The Original® round toasted sandwich and famous Fresh-from-Scratch® buns, will open its first ”Lotz Better” location in Panama City Beach at Pier Park.

“With our addictive recipes, upbeat surroundings and funny sayings, we’re adding tremendous flavor to the Panama City Beach quick-casual dining scene,” said Umesh Patel, owner of the new Schlotzsky’s in Panama City Beach. “It’s hard not to smile when you walk into our bright new restaurants, smell the dough baking and see how much fun we have with ‘bun humor.’ Panama City Beach is in for a real treat.”

The new restaurant was built with Schlotzsky’s rebranding efforts in mind, which include a newly designed restaurant, a co-branding deal with Cinnabon® and a new service model where crew members hand-deliver food to the tables. Everything from tables and chairs to circular-themed local photography featuring tongue-in-cheek phrases is designed to entertain and cater to the guest.

Schlotzsky’s of Panama City Beach offers more than 15 different sandwiches on their famous unique round freshly baked buns, as well as wraps, gourmet pizzas made with Fresh-from-Scratch crusts, freshly tossed salads and a variety of soups. Schlotzsky’s also offers a number of delectable desserts, including Cinnabon’s warm, homemade Cinnabon® Classic Roll and CinnaPacks™.

“With all of the new elements that enhance the Schlotzsky’s experience, we stay true to our roots by offering only the highest quality fresh ingredients and baking our sourdough bread from scratch every day,” said Schlotzsky’s President Kelly Roddy. “We are truly excited to give Panama City Beach a taste of the ‘Lotz Better’ Schlotzsky’s.”

The new fire station that’s being built on the West End of Panama City Beach is making progress.  Construction is looking closer to completion and everything is really taking shape.  It looks like they have a roof on the main part and are putting in the structure for the roof over the garage bays.

The new fire station is scheduled for completion by this summer.

The new 11,000 square foot station will have a full kitchen, 6 dorm rooms, a two bay garage, ample parking and a huge driveway that will be plenty large enough to wash the trucks when they aren’t being used.  So far, they are under budget and ahead of schedule.