City again delays decision on Frankford apartments, sparking controversy among residents

PANAMA CITY — Frankford Avenue residents will have to wait another month for a decision on a controversial apartment complex.

The City Commission on Tuesday voted to shelve their discussion until late July on the proposed apartment complex on a 15-acre lot at Frankford Avenue and 33rd Street.

Commissioners said they will continue to talk with Inlet Property Co. developer Robert Browning and plan to revisit the topic at their July 26 meeting. City Manager Mark McQueen said Browning will come back with a presentation or withdraw the request.

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Commissioner Billy Rader asked if the meeting could be held at the beginning of July, to which McQueen said there were a "number of issues" to address, such as traffic, height of the apartments and potential for flooding.

Commissioners held the first reading for the apartment complex on June 14 for the lot to be annexed and rezoned to "urban residential" from "residential." Inlet Property officials want to construct seven buildings with 304 apartments in total and more than 400 parking spaces.

Residents who live near the property came to the meeting to protest the complex, citing poor infrastructure, little privacy and increased traffic as their reasons for being against the project.

When commissioners postponed their decision Tuesday, residents at the meeting were not happy and some said they had taken off work to attend.

Catherine Ashman, who lives near Frankford Avenue, said she was disappointed from the lack of communication for the last two meetings.

"We went to the planning meeting for this. We were told not to come to the first meeting because we wouldn't be allowed to speak, so I didn't come to the first meeting only to find out, we were allowed to speak," Ashman said. "Come to this meeting, we take time off work, you're moving it for the developer."

Hearing Ashman's claim that commissioners were helping Browning, Commissioner Jenna Flint Haligas said no commissioner was specifically for one or the other. She said officials were making sure everyone had the same level of respect.

She added that two weeks ago, the commission was not aware of the situation and was attempting to learn the details before making a decision. Most of the area in which the property is located is not within the city limits.

"I just want to say that just because there was a delay, there were 70 people here and a lot of us were caught off guard that this was even an issue that was going on, so I just want you all to know that it didn't mean I supported the project at all," Flint Haligas said. "It just meant that I was trying to give respect to the citizens and I needed time to drive by and understand what it feels like right there and all that good stuff."

Residents continued to speak out about their previous concerns: poor infrastructure, increased traffic, no sidewalks and frequent flooding. They also brought new ones to the table, such as increased crime, increased noise and effects on wildlife.

Resident Kelly Davis said the increased traffic will impact the children in the area, whose school bus stop is in the road.

"We have no sidewalks and the kids that wait for the bus every day that I pass 8:30 (a.m.) are standing in the street," Davis said. "That is a safety issue, I have called the school district. Nobody wants to take responsibility and if you put 480 more cars on that road, someone is going to be killed. I guarantee it."

Resident Deanna Peterson said Browning is not a Bay County resident and will not feel the effects of the proposed complex. She added it's the residents who will pay the consequences and will be forced out.

McQueen said a year ago, he successfully petitioned the county to transfer Frankford Avenue to the city's control, hoping to improve the roadway. City officials also are in the process of requesting Airport Road and Lisenby Avenue from the Federal Highway Administration, as well as any funding they require since they have not been upgraded in 40 years.

"This commission is working hard to improve safe streets to schools and that means putting sidewalks systems in and in the not-too-distant future, we'll be coming forward with a typical section for what we want our roads to look like and sidewalks and multi-use paths and those types of things," McQueen said. "We're grateful to the county that they transferred the road over to us, they saw the value in that and we hope that the federal government will do so as well."

Commissioners heard all of the residents' concerns and said waiting a month is the best decision, hoping to reach an agreement by the end of July.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City delays action on Frankford Avenue apartment complex