'We're all concerned': Bay County residents worry about impacts of JCF Living developments

PANAMA CITY BEACH — The idea of living directly across the street from an ongoing major development is concerning for Edward Gram.

As he stood Wednesday in the driveway of his home on Magnolia Beach Road, propped up against his gray pickup truck, Gram said he worries about how a wave of new residents will impact traffic along his two-lane street.

Within about 50 yards from his front door, crews were busy working to develop the site for almost 80 high-end, single-family homes. This is one of two active housing projects being developed in Bay County by JCF Living, a real estate development company based in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

The other sits toward the northern end of Clara Avenue in the Panama City Beach area.

"We're all concerned, (and) we've all talked about it," Gram said of conversations with neighbors about the project. "So far, it doesn't look bad, (but) we're worried about the street. (These) homes are going to double the cars (on Magnolia Beach Road)."

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According to Curtis Wahle, managing director of real estate development for JCF Living, the project near Gram's home broke ground in July. Its development will be split into two phases.

The first phase of about 40 homes should be complete by the middle of next year, with the second phase of about 40 more finished toward the end of next year. Of the homes, which will feature two to three bedrooms and one to two stories, between six to eight will be located on the coast of Upper Grand Lagoon.

The properties will lease for about $3,000 to $7,500 a month.

Wahle also noted that the project on Clara Avenue will boast almost 230 more units, split between single-family homes and duplexes, that will feature one, two and three bedrooms. It broke ground in August.

It will have three phases of developments, with about 70 to 80 homes in each. Plans call for the first phase to be complete by the end of next year, with the third phase finished near the spring of 2023.

These properties will lease for about $1,800 to $2,300 a month.

"We're really trying to improve the quality of life for the typical renter," said Wahle, who added JCF Living works to provide rental units that are not stacked on each other. "It's ... an experience that (renters) really just can't find in an urban and suburban market at this time."

The two local projects will be the third and fourth locations developed by JCF Living. The first two are in Alabama and Tennessee. The company has plans to build another site in South Carolina and multiple more across Florida.

For Wahle, there is no denying the Bay County market is special.

"We are huge fans of Bay County," he said. "We think it's just an amazing area. It's a hidden gem in the Florida market, and obviously we're not the only ones (who have noticed) because there's a ton of construction down there right now."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay County residents worry about impacts of JCF Living developments