The Bay County Commission on Feb. 19 approved a planned unit development (PUD) for a 24-acre parcel at 3414 A Street in the unincorporated Panama City area. Staff recommended approval, and the board voted to adopt the PUD despite one commissioner abstaining.

Wayne Porter of Bay County Community Development described the proposal as a PUD for 61 single‑family residential lots with front building setbacks of at least 20 feet. The application requests reduced minimum road frontage — 35 feet for regular lots and 20 feet for irregular lots and cul‑de‑sac lots — and seeks bulk regulations more consistent with single‑family R‑1 standards despite the property’s existing R‑5 multifamily zoning.

Applicant representative Ray Greer said the owners are proposing far fewer units than the site’s underlying R‑5 zoning would allow. “We actually have a 24‑acre parcel that we’re asking for less,” Greer said, noting the parcel could have supported substantially higher-density development under current zoning. The PUD also preserves natural areas on the east side, includes a walking trail linked to sidewalks, and proposes clustering development away from an environmentally protected well and FEMA flood zones.

Porter told the board the application reduces residential density from 15 dwelling units per acre under the existing zoning to about 4 dwelling units per acre in the proposed PUD. Staff said access will be limited to A Street, a master site plan and location map have been provided, and no public comments were received at the hearing.

Commission discussion was brief. A motion to approve carried on a roll call vote with Commissioner Carroll recorded as abstaining; Commissioners Raffield, Peace, Crosby and Chairman Moore voted yes.

The board did not place additional conditions beyond the standard PUD and development‑order review; staff will proceed with the development‑order process and engineering review as required.