Large Marina Planned for Old Panama City Airport Site
Developers are moving forward to place a large marina at the end of the runway of the Panama City-Bay County International Airport once air operations move to the new airport near West Bay. Papers have been filed with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for a project that will include a half-acre open water or wetlands excavation and an 8-acre “uplands” excavation to make way for a marina with 117 wet slips and 230 to 240 dry storage slips.
The total project area is about 16 acres, including a 15.0-acre upland cut marina basin, a 0.7-acre entrance channel connecting to eastern Goose Bayou, and a 0.3-acre flushing conveyance connecting to western Goose Bayou. The marina is part of the redevelopment plans for the old airport site being put in place by the St. Andrew Bay Land Company which includes homes and apartments, walking trails and retail businesses.
A community open house was held last summer during which residents could view conceptual ideas for the 700-acre site that envisioned different types of residences as well as a possible marina and large, light-industry employer. Plans for the marina were filed with the DEP and the U.S. Corps of Engineers in late January. Papers filed with the DEP call for construction to begin in 2011 with a completion date of 2016. No permits will be issued issued unless DEP and U.S. Corps of Engineers is met. These agencies will ensure that there are no adverse impacts to the environment.
The comprehensive plan for the entire 700-acre site was submitted to Panama City officials in December. St. Andrew Bay Land Company is a subsidiary of Leucadia Financial Corp., which purchased the land from the airport for $56.6 million in 2007. The money was a critical element in the $318 million financial package to build the new airport.
Ownership of the current airport site will be transferred to St. Andrew once air operations are relocated to the site of the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport near West Bay in late May.
