Save the date: Panama City Beach to hold meeting to review CRA parking and mobility study

Nathan Cobb, Panama City News Herald
·3 min read

PANAMA CITY BEACH − Mark Alvarez says it's vital for residents to give their input on the Front Beach Road Community Redevelopment Area Plan.

As senior project manager for the Corradino Group, Alvarez said the city is gearing up to host a steering committee meeting Tuesday to review an ongoing parking and mobility study for the CRA. The meeting will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at City Hall, 17007 Panama City Beach Parkway.

The Corradino Group manages the Beach's CRA, which was formed in 2001 with the goal of installing upgraded features such as sidewalks, improved lighting, new street signs and tram lanes along Front Beach Road and its connecting roadways.

Panama City Beach is slated to host a Steering Committee meeting on Tuesday to review an ongoing parking and mobility study for the Front Beach Road Community Redevelopment Area Plan.
Panama City Beach is slated to host a Steering Committee meeting on Tuesday to review an ongoing parking and mobility study for the Front Beach Road Community Redevelopment Area Plan.

"We do want to hear from people and focus it on the actual issues (of) mobility, parking and trying to take a very rational approach to making these recommendations over time to build that parking and build that mobility system that goes with it," Alvarez said. "They have to go hand in hand."

He noted the steering committee is a group made up of residents and local business owners who were appointed by the City Council to help guide an ongoing parking and mobility study for the CRA. The study looks to gather information from residents to help determine the best locations for additional CRA parking, as well as the best modes of transit.

The study is being done because Front Beach Road is slated to lose parking spaces as the road is widened and tram lanes are installed.

"What we're really trying to do is (help) visitors and residents have a place to park that's remote so we can try to take some traffic off Front Beach Road, and then (they) would use the (future) transit (system)," Alvarez said.

Past reports state there are four upcoming CRA projects expected to break ground sometime in 2024. They are:

  • Segment 4.1, which will reconstruct Front Beach Road east of Lullwater Drive to about Hills Road.

  • Segment 4.2, which will reconstruct Front Beach Road east of Hills Road to about Lantana Street.

  • Segment 4.3, which will construct Front Beach Road from Hutchinson Boulevard to about Richard Jackson Boulevard.

  • Improvement project to Powell Adams Road, which will occur alongside Segment 4.1

According to Panama City Beach's website, the CRA budget for the 2024 fiscal year is more than $56.387 million − a 97% increase over the 2023 CRA budget of about $28.556 million.

Road repairs: Panama City Beach begins work on Alf Coleman Road improvements. Some closures expected

Those interested in staying up to date on the project can sign up for a CRA email list to receive information on roadway closures, traffic detours and the status of ongoing projects. To register, email Donna Montgomery, community outreach specialist for the Corradino Group, at dmontgomery@corradino.com.

"Most of the visitors (to PCB) bring a car with them," Alvarez said. "We know that the hotels and the condos should have enough parking. Generally they do. What we'd like to do is try to get them to leave their cars there, and not move it around to get from place to place, so that's where the transit becomes really important."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Beach to hold meeting to review CRA parking study