The Bay County Board of County Commissioners approved a plan unit development (PUD) application for a proposed 61-lot single-family subdivision at 3414 A Street in unincorporated Panama City, reducing potential residential density and clustering development away from environmentally sensitive areas.

Wayne Porter of Bay County Planning and Zoning described the application as a proposed PUD consisting of 61 single-family residential lots on a roughly 24-acre parcel and said the proposal reduces density from the R-5 multifamily allowance (15 dwelling units per acre) down to about 4 dwelling units per acre. Porter told the board the PUD requests front setbacks of 20 feet and side setbacks of five feet, road-frontage minimums of 35 feet for regular lots and 20 feet for cul-de-sac or irregular lots, and that the plan would leave a portion of the east side of the property natural and include a walking trail and sidewalks around a stormwater management facility. Porter said staff recommended approval.

Ray Greer, applicant representative, said, "we actually have a 24 acre parcel that we're asking for less," and described planned amenities including preserved natural area and a walking trail. Commissioners asked about traffic and emergency access in the area; the applicant said the PUD reduces potential density relative to alternatives and that creating new railroad crossings is a separate, complex process.

After brief discussion and no public commenters, the board voted to approve the PUD. Roll-call results recorded affirmative votes from the majority of commissioners; one commissioner registered an abstention.