Front Beach Makeover - City of Panama City Beach, FL

Pancirtic: Cittj. Ponaruc: Citu Beach
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PARTY ANIMAL
PCB’s Front Beech o~d lives large in the vacation ann of ninny.
but locals want to iange how the strip looks — and tsr menibereci
a
Front Beach Makeover
From party strip to upscale vacation spot, Panama City Beach’s Front Beach Road
will evolve into a new era in beachside fun, if locals have anything to say about it
BY TONY BRIDGES
F
heart of tourism in Panama City Beach,
and now it is undergoing a procedure that
ront Beach
Road is the
artery that
feeds the
should
dramatically
improve
the health
of
the vacation town.
Over the years, the road along Panama city Beach’s
most valuable commodity
miles of white sand
beaches has grown choked by traffic, turning what
should be a pleasant, breezy drive into a stop-and-go
experience that frustrates visitors and isrft always safe
for pedestrians. Not to mention numerous potholes,
unsightly power lines and the occasional overgrown
vacant lot
That’s why the road was designated a Community
Redevelopment Area, paving the way for cosmetic and
infrastructure improvements that began with the Pier
Park shopping mall and is expected to conclude with a
much wider, better-looking Front Beach Road.
Photo by SCOTT F1OtSTEIN
BAY CORRIDOR
going transformation of Panama City Beach from an
aging beach town into an upscale family vacation des
The hope
is that the
changes will help boost the on
tination
like nearby
Destin.
“Once this roadway is completed, businesses
should thrive with this new accessibility and revi
talization,” said Mario Gisbert, assistant Panama City
Beach city manager and director of the Front Beach
Road community Redevelopment Area,
“Bught” in a Vocation Town
The Front Beach Road makeover project is a 3o-year
plan that started in 200’ with a decision to classify
Thomas Drive/Front Beach Road as a “blighted” area.
This was the first step required by the state to create a
Community Redevelopment Area,
Blight typically brings to mind images of trash filled
streets and rows of abandoned buildings with broken
LOCAL HONORS fl Leon Walters
has been named the 2011 Humani
tarian of the Year by the Panama City
Beach Chamber of Commerce. A
38-year Naw veteran, Walters estab
lished the Science, Technology. Engi
neering and Math Institute at Florida
State University Panama City and has
worked with the Bay Defense Alliance
and the Bay Education Foundation.
The Chambers 2011 Pioneer of the
Year award went to Gary Walsing
wtio opened the first AMn’s
Island store. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not
and the new WonderWorks.
CHANGES fl Butt Greene is out
as CEO, president and a member of
the Board of Directors of The St. joe
Company, stepping down as part
of an arrangement with Fairholme
Fund, St. Joe’s largest shareholder.
New directors added to the board:
former Soy. Charlie Crist, Carnival
Corp. COO Howard Frank, Fairholme
Capital Management founder Bnice
Berkowitz and Fairholme Capital
Management President Charles
Fernandez,
Lured by Bay County’s new inter
national airport and economic devel
opment potential, Clearwater-based
MarineMax Inc. — the nation’s larg
est dealer of recreational boats and
yachts — is taking over sales and bro
kerage operations at Panama City’s
Treasure Island Marina.
NEW ADDITIONS fli Fast-growing
online travel provider Booklt,coni has
added 185 new employees, bringing
its workforce up to 500. The Panama
City Beach company has a ro~er
of more than 90 travel destinations.
John Marks has been appointed mar
ket manager for Los Angeles, one of
the fastest growing travel destinations
in the U.S.
Pier Park is growing with the ad
dition of Marshall’s and popular dining
spot SchIotzI~”s.
Gulf Coast Medical Center has
welcomed Dr. Justo Maqueira. Jr., Ob/
Gyn to his new practice at Gulf Coast
Women’s Services,
Grand Panama Beach Resort has
launched a newly branded website
(grandpanamabeachresortcom) that
provides a day-by-day glimpse into
life at the beach. Design was by Cor
nerstone Marketing and Advertis
ing, mc,, located in Grayton Beach.
8~o Business Magazine
APRIL MAY 20t I
Y SPOTLIGHT
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GRAND PLANS
f
The Panama City Beach
Community Redevebpment
District envisions new mass
transit shelters (left) and
pedestrian-friendly crosswalks (beIo%~ to improve
the aesthetic value of Front
Beach Road and ease traffic
and pedestrian concerns.
•;l i~,
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windows and graffiti-stained walls. But in this
case, it was the traffic that was fast outgrowing
the city’s infrastructure — more than 3 million
vehicles a year for a mad built for pre World War
II traffic.
“As we revitalize Front Beach Road, we’re do
ing it to fix traffic issues.” Gisbert said. “That’s
the blight.”
Time, weather and all those cars have taken
a serious toll on Front Beach. Bone rattling pot
holes are common, particularly in the heavily
traveled eastern end around Thomas Drive. The
lower-lying stretches flood frequently due to
inadequate drainage. And, in some places, such
as near Nautilus Street, the narrow road seems
barely wide enough for oncoming traffic due to
the crumbling shoulders, lack of curbs and preva
lence of roadside parking.
During the peak tourist season, from March
through August, driving on Front Beach is a
marathon affair, sometimes taking 20 minutes or
more to travel just a couple miles. Both the east
bound and westbound lanes fill up with traffic
because there are few turn lanes. Vehicles trying
to make left turns into parking lots form frequent
roadblocks. Add to the already clogged road the
fact that many drivers are simultaneously trying
to get a glimpse of the Gulf, check out the various
roadside tourist businesses and watch for pedes
trians, and it equals gridlock.
40
APRIL MAY 2011
S5obusinessmagazine.com
“ONCE THIS
ROADWAY
CO PLE ED,
BUSI ESSES
SHOULD T RIVE
ITH THIS NEW
C ESS BILITY ND
REVIT IZATION:’
Beach. Pedestrians are especially vulnerable at
night when it is more difficult to see and driv
ers and pedestrians are more likely to have been
drinking.
Among those killed or injured in recent years.
a 53 year old woman trying to cross the road near
2nd Street, a 39-year-old Georgia woman hit by a
motorcycle and numerous young spring break
ers struck near bars and condos.
As one poster on the Virtual Tourist website
warned. “Mostly it is a tedious, creeping drive
from one end of the beach to the other, especially
around the strip. To compound this problem, you
will also have to watch out for every drunken col
lege kid ... who is likely to dart in front of your
vehicle.”
Not exactly the kind of endorsement that en
courages new visitors.
Travel guide “Fodo?s Essential South” de
scribed it this way: “Invasive growth has turned
the main thoroughfare, Front Beach Road, into a
dense mass of trafflc...When navigating Panama
City Beach by car, doWt limit yourself to Front
Beach Road
the stop-and-go traffic will drive
you nuts.”
But traffic flow isr~t the only problem. With
few sidewalks, pedestrians often are forced to
walk close to the road. Several people die each
year from being struck by vehicles on Front
CRA Brings Infusion of DoLLars,
.~
Construction
The diagnosis of blight was exactly what Front
Beach Road needed because it allowed for th
use of “tax increment financing.” That mean
the county’s share of annual property taxeswa
frozen at 2002 property values, while taxes 0
any value above 2002 figures would go to th
Community Redevelopment Area for use 0
Front Beach Road. In other words, as propert
values increase, so does the CRA’s budget fo
making improvements.
Gisbert, the CRA director, said the rough cost
estimate for the first half of the improvement
project spanning from 2002 to 2015 isabout
$zoo million. Sofa, the CRA has spent about $s4
million, he said.
So. what has that bought?
One of the most visible examples is the corn
plete transformation of Beckrich Road. What once
was a narrow feeder road between Back Beach
and Front Beach roads is now a spacious, divided
promenade with sidewalks and old-fashioned
street lamps and a median lined with palm trees.
It was renamed Richard Jackson Boulevard
in recognition of Panama City Beachs current
city manager.
“You just feel like you’re in a Florida beach
community,” said Tourist Development Council
Executive Director Dan Rowe of the newly revi
talized road. This project “is going to fundamen
tally change the look and feel of the main tourist
corridor for Panama City Beach.”
Similar work was completed on Churchwell
and South Thomas drives.
According to Gisbert, the work on Jackson
just scratches the surface” of what is coming for
Front Beach.
All of the improvements are welcome news
to Michael Greer, vice president of operations for
Royal American Hospitality. His company owns
and manages Boardwalk Beach Resort. Board
walk controls about 2,000 feet of beachfront
along South Thomas Drive.
“We have a fairly decent amount of skin in the
game,” Greer said.
He said the South Thomas district has been a
premier destination in the Panhandle for a long
time and “it’s more than deserving of a facelift. At
the end, I think it’s going to be absolutely great.”
Adult & Pediatric Dermatology
Diseases of the Skin, Hair and Nails
Skin Cancer Screenings
Mole Evaluations
Skin Cancer Surgery
MOHS Micrographic Surgery
(advanced skin cancer procedure)
Cosmetic Dermatology
Professional Skin Care
Microdermabrasion
Chemical Peels
Skin Rejuvenation
Laser Hair Removal
Spider Vein Treatment
The New Front Beach Road
Long-time visitors eventually won’t recognize
Front Beach Road.
The idea for addressing the traffic issues is two
fold: One, improve flow by widening the road,
adding turn lanes and building out the side roads.
Two, lessen the overallburden by adding lanes for
pedestrians, bicycles and public transportation.
At the same time, the construction provides an
opportunity for the Community Redevelopment
Area to make other enhancements, including
moving power lines underground, improving
the drainage system and adding landscaping.
The CRA also is working with Bay County to
extend fiber optic lines to Back Beach (Highway
98), Middle Beach and Front Beach roads so
see “Front Beach” pg4B
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8~o Business Magazine
APRIL
3230S
MAY 2011
Front Beach, contined from 41
traffic lights can be connected to a control hub
and synchronized.
The entire project, when completed, is expect
ed to cover Front Beach Road from the Ripley’s
Believe It or Not! museum to just west of High
way 79, as well as part of South Thomas.
It’s taking (Highway) 98, which was basically
a rural, country road and bringing it into the 21st
century” Gisbert said.
Among the other new features expected from
the redevelopment
Two storrnwater retention ponds that will be
landscaped into parkswith benches, fountains
and decorative walkways. One will be located
between McDonald’s and a Wal Man Super
centet The other is planned for the current site
of the Burger King on Front Beach Road, which
likely will move to a new location nearby, Gis
bert said.
A redesigned intersection at Front and Middle
Beach roads, in front of the Ripley’s Believe it
or Not! museum. The intersection will have
new traffic lights, be more accommodating
to pedestrians and include a “Welcome to
Imaqine...
..
Gisbert said he envisions a Panama City Beach
where “you can drive up, park your car and not
have to get in your car again.” He expects future
visitors to leave their cars at their condos or in
one of the two new parking garages and walk
along Front Beach or ride the tram to stores, res
taurants and attractions.
But Greer, from Boardwalk, isn’t sold on that
idea.
While the CRA holds public meetings twice a
year to seek input on its plans and works closely
with local businesses affected by the develop
ment, including Boardwalk, one point of conten
tion remains. Greer said the Front Beach Road de
velopment does not adequately address parking.
He argues that the beach is too spread out to
become a true walking community, as the CRA
wants. He said pedestrians aren~t interested in
traveling from Pineapple Willy’s to Pier Park.
Greer said he would rather see some of the
space in the plan urrently dedicated to bicycle
lanes and tram lanes used for roadside parking,
instead. As for the p anned “multi-modal” centers,
they are still years out from completion and too
far from the South Thomas Drive area, he said.
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1000 College Boulevard
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Panama City Beach” sign.
Two parking garages located on the east and
west ends of the beach. The garages will offer
restrooms and connections to public transpor
tation, such as the Bay Town Trolley
APRIL MAY 2011
B5obusinessmagazine.com
Of course, none of this is going to happen over
night and much of it is tied to increases in proper
ty values which haven’t been faxing well lately
Gisbert said the CRA’s annual budget peaked
at $io million in 2008, but has since dropped
to about $7 million a year as the economy has
slumped, dragging property values down,
When work was booming, engineering finn
DRMP managed the project, but since the slow
down the city of Panama City Beach has taken
over management.
Now, “the economy has to pick up before we
can do a whole lot of anything,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gisbert said he recognizes that
ongoing construction can be tough on local
businesses dealing with tom-up roads and lim
ited access.
“There’s going to be a benefit at the end of the
project, but there’s definitely a hardship during
the project if you’re in the effected area,” he said.
So far, it hasift been too bad, according to
Greet
“The business interruption has been mini
mal,” he said. “I could think of a lot worse- Any
improvements like this will be attractive to busi
ness ... the strong will survive.”