From the category archives:

New Development

Limerick’s Irish Pub Plans to Stay Up By Keeping it Down

June 9, 2009 · 9 comments

in Local Attractions, New Development

img_8466You may not know of Limerick’s Irish Pub by name, but you know the address: 6628 Thomas Drive, home to several previous businesses, the most recent being Buckwild Saloon and The Shaggy Marlin both closed due to complaints from nearby residential area. You see, Limerick’s sits on what may be the most ambivalent location on all of Panama City Beach, perfect for drawing big crowds on Thomas Drive with very little adjacent competition while facing a row of seasonally-packed condos. At the same time the location is smack-dab in the middle of a quiet and easily angered residential area.

The stories behind the location have been many. You may remember when the property was known as Buckwild Saloon the establishment was sued Bay County and had its owners arrested on charges of violating a revamped noise ordinance. Residents in the area complained that the bar was too loud and its patrons overly raucous. There were also complaints of overflowing parking making it difficult, if not dangerous, getting in and out of the street. Buckwild owners agreed to renovate the property and change it to Shaggy Marlin by adding parking lot noise barriers and changing the building focus from a bar to a restaurant (although they still charged for cover). While loved by locals who didn’t live in the Thomas Drive area, the Shaggy Marlin was sent to court a second time during Spring Break. Officials said the Shaggy Marlin violated the prior agreement being both noisy and not operating primarily as a restaurant. Needless to say the place was put up for sale with Counts Real Estate Group, Inc and tagged with a stern warning from Bay County Commissioner Mike Thomas that whoever purchased the property must live by the guidelines set in the agreements with its previous owner.

All that bring us to now, the property has since been sold to a bank, leased to its current proprietors and dubbed Limerick’s Irish Pub. The name change has only been a part of an honest-to-goodness transformation. Since the property has been in opened, February 09, there have been no complaints. That time period includes Spring Break and Thunder Beach. Limerick’s, like its predecessor, still offers live music, only on the weekends, but the chosen bands are not quite as mosh-pit-inspiring. The bands also play only indoors. I personally spoke to several patrons and employees who all felt that the newly name and updated venue has serious potential or longevity. For one, the food is great; Limerick’s may very well have positioned itself as the best place on the beach for icy Appalachian oysters and a mojito. They’ve added security and decided to close its doors by 2 AM. In order to help drive business, instead of using the upper floor bar as another music-driven area, they’ve changed it into PCB’s only venue for the amateur poker league, free to the public. On top of all that, the proprietors have been in negotiations about purchasing the next door parking lot for added safety. One gentleman I talked to, who happened to be one of the complainers during the Buckwild-Shaggy Marlin era, said he now enjoys walking down the street to the Irish spot for the Beef and Guiness soup and a few oysters.

I’m glad to see such a great location for locals not go to waste. What do you think?

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Panama City Beach Adopts Improved Planning Codes

February 28, 2009 · 4 comments

in Construction Update, New Development, Real Estate Market

Imagine hidden parking garages, not of the Batman variant, but of the variant of being hidden behind facades or landscaped walkways.  Think beautified pedestrian walkways and shop entrance ingress and egress without risk of being mowed over by an auto.  Pretend you are one of those developers that don’t do any work and make tons of money (please note the sarcasm here).  Imagine reaping the rewards of not only high density, but planning codes that allow you to achieve that high density in a way that is very asthetically pleasing and doesn’t hack off the neighbors with behemoth towers.  Enter the new Form-Based Code Building Regulations.

Before last week’s Panama City Beach City Council meeting, there was a public workshop held at Beach City Hall discussing the future of land planning for our area’s beach community.  Attended mostly by City employees and a few developers and architects, the only other people there were media and the land owner of one of the example properties used for the analysis.

So, what are Form-Based Codes, you say?  Straight out of the 11×17 color printed packet I received at the workshop:

The Form-Based Codes Institute defines form-based codes as a “method of regulating development to achieve a specific urban form. Form-based codes create a predictable public realm primarily by controlling physical form, with a lesser focus on land use, through city or county regulations.”2 While conventional zoning tends to focus on uses, intensities and setbacks, form-based codes focus on building scale and character. The key distinctions between form-based codes and design guidelines are that guidelines are advisory and often subjective, which frequently result in the need for design review boards. Form-based codes establish specific, measurable standards that require little discretion and limited architectural knowledge.

The best form-based regulations address site-specific challenges and conditions that are ignored by conventional zoning. They promote compatibility between adjacent uses through context-sensitive design. They also tend to do a much better job of addressing the interface between the public and private realms (streets and buildings). They also are better suited to addressing scale and building orientation in ways that improve compatibility between adjacent public and private uses.

Rather than focusing exclusively on “one-size-fits-all” setbacks and building heights, form-based codes may include different standards for different situations. For instance, height limitations and setbacks may depend on the proximity to lower intensity zoning districts. Conventional zoning commonly ignores the orientation of a building, allowing entries, garage openings and mechanical equipment to be located on any side. Form-based codes typically require entries to face the street, while garage openings and mechanical equipment are hidden from main streets.

Reference page 6 of the code packet available for download below.

Now, I know what you are thinking:  Where was this five years ago?  Well, my friend, I don’t have the answer to that, but it was conveyed by many of the council members that they had wished we had something like this in place years ago, and that if it wasn’t adopted, they would regret it in the future.

Some of the advantages outlines in the proposal are:

  • They describe what is allowed, in addition to setting limits and focusing on prohibited designs. This gives project designers a clearer picture of desired outcomes.
  • They better accommodate infill and redevelopment because of their focus on scale, orientation and other critical design elements.
  • They may specify specific architectural styles, materials and uses, which provides greater design predictability for property owners and neighbors.
  • They can be adapted to ensure compatibility in widely varying settings.
  • They are easy to apply in small communities because they do not require architectural expertise to use, interpret or administer.
  • They are more readily defensible than design guidelines and architectural review processes that involve more subjective decisions.

As part of the proposal, three independent site studies were conducted named Back Beach, Long Beach and Tidewater.  The Back Beach study is located on Back Beach Road, between Colina Drive and Pearl Avenue.  The Long Beach study is located on the north side of Front Beach Road, between Gulfside Drive and Henley Drive.  The Tidewater study is located north of and across Front Beach Road from the Tidewater Condominium Resort.  The study sites were used purely as examples with no necessary intention of this actually happening to these properties.

The Back Beach Road study sample currently consists of  24,000 sf of commercial space, 22,500 sf of manufacturing space and 0 sf of residential units.  Based on the Form-Based Code, the future development possibilities could include over 54,000 total square feet of commercial space and 14 residential units.  The actual building layout would be such that the parking would be in the back, away from pedestrian walkways with limited access.  This would enhance beautification and create a more pedestrian-friendly area.

The Long Beach study currently allows for 131,200 sf of commercial space and 27 residential units.  Based on the Form-Based Code, a over 249,000 sf of commercial space would be possible, with over 145 residential units.

The whole process would work on a tiered system.  Developers would be allowed greater density the more emphasis they put on beautification towards concealing that density.  One of the greatest examples of this in action is the way the Village of Baytowne Wharf was developed and the proposed plans for the Towne of Seahaven.  In Baytowne, the main parking garage is hidden on all sides and the top with walls, landscaping and residential units.  The side of the parking garage that is facing the “towne” part of the village is where retail is located and above that is residential.  In the center, which is actually the roof of the parking garage is the amenity area for the residential component, including lush landscaping, fitness center and the pool.

Look at Pier Park.  Notice the huge open parking areas in the back but where people congregate is beautified?  This is all intentional and is the direction the City of Panama City Beach is going.  This is an exciting step and much and long needed for our area.

Download the full Analysis of Opportunities here (7.3 mb)

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Throwing Stones at Waterstone

January 12, 2009 · 17 comments

in New Development, Real Estate Market, Vacation Rentals

Waterstone Resorts and Vacation Homes offer vacation rentals all over the state of Florida. On Panama City Beach they claim to manage properties from ten different resorts. The company’s website is full of glowing reviews and recommendations but if someone just scratches the Google search service a little, they will find numerous negative claims about Waterstone. If that is not enough a check of their status with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) finds a C- rating due to a series of unresolved complaints. On a Waterstone blog website there is evidence that the BBB has given them an unsatisfactory rating, but this has not been discovered in any BBB materials as of yet.

“Waterstone Sucks,” seems to be the ringing sentiment of many current and past clients of the company found on blog websites all over the internet.

Jim Pitts, an owner at Calypso Resorts and Towers that used Waterstone, stated that he inspected his unit three times last year and each time the unit was filthy.

“The carpet was so dirty it had to be replaced,” Pitts said. “There was filth everywhere. The walls were marked up, dust and dirt caked on baseboards, light bulbs and even the toaster was dirty.”

Pitts wrote a handwritten note and email to Waterstone stating that he no longer wanted them to manage his properties. His communications went ignored until he sent a certified letter sometime later demanding that tenants be removed from his property and that Waterstone cease any further management of his property.

Pitts also feels that the company is unethical and unfair in their fee structure and maintenance.

“They charge the owner for travel agent fees on top of their own (fees) and they charge the owner for ‘credit card’ use. They will charge the owner a minimum of $22.50 every time they so much as set foot in the unit to do anything,” Pitts said. “They rip the owners off with the keyless entry crap and owners of Calypso units need to understand that these people are absolutely ruining our investments. They need to be removed from the premises.”

Bill Harris, another individual who has had dealings with Waterstone, has set up numerous blog websites for angered property owners to vent their passions about Waterstone. These can be found at: waterstonerealty.blogspot.com, calypsoresorttowers.blogspot.com, nautiluscovesuit2008.blogspot.com and nautiluscondosrules.blogspot.com.

Harris claims that Waterstone owns four units at Nautilus Cove Condominiums and that the company is currently past due on their condo’s quarterly assessments. There is also evidence that the State of Florida has already four outstanding liens against the company for over $118,000. If the Nautilus Cove past due amounts were not paid by the end of ’08 then Waterstone will be facing new liens.

Waterstone seems to find them self in a public relation nightmare. When a company ignores claims from concerned clients, there are avenues that these clients can take to attack the company’s reputation. As of right now, a Google search of “Waterstone Panama City” brings up typical listings for the company. The company should be aware that as these blog websites attract new participants there could be a day, not far off, that one of these blog websites could be ranked by a search engine right underneath the Waterstone website or even above it.

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