Laketown Wharf is Making Valentines Day Special for Lucky Winner

Laketown Wharf has decided to make Valentines Day extra special for one lucky couple! Enter on their Facebook page for the chance to win a two night/three day stay, a welcome bottle of champagne and candy, and a $50 gift card to Pier Park. Laketown is helping you to be able to spend some quality time with the one you love this year!

The winner of the contest will be notified on January 31st, so make sure to enter before then!

Laketown Wharf also has Valentine’s Packages starting at $99 a night! Good luck to those entering!

Laketown Wharf’s Christmas Events

Laketown Wharf is hosting a weekend of Christmas fun December 9th-11th. Complete with live entertainment, children’s activities, photo’s with Santa, local vendors, food and beverage, silent auction, and holiday themed laser light show. All proceeds from the events will go to the Anchorage Children’s Home and National Military Family Association.

December 9th, 2011

The event will last from 4:00pm-10:00pm.

4:00pm-6:00pm, Live music from Travis Dean featuring Half Past 10

4:00pm- 8:00pm, Children’s activities and photo’s with Santa

6:00pm- 7:00pm, Live Music from Kevin Jacobs

8:00pm, Christmas Light Show

December 10th, 1011

Laketown’s Christmas event will be held from 12:00pm-10:00pm.

12:00pm-8:00pm, Silent Auction

12:00pm-8:00pm, Children’s activities and photo’s with Santa

1:00pm, Santa will arrive in a fire truck

2:00pm-4:00pm, Live Music from Kevin Jacobs

4:00pm-7:00pm, Life Music from Travis Dean featuring Half Past 10

6:30pm, Tree Lighting

8:00pm, Christmas Light Show

Winners from the Silent Auction will be announced immediately following the light show.

December 11th, 2011

The final day of Christmas at Laketown will be held from 12:00pm-4:00pm.

12:00pm-8:00pm, Children’s activities and photo’s with Santa

12:00pm-1:00pm, Live Music from Kevin Jacobs

1:00pm-3:00pm, Life Music from Travis Dean featuring Half Past 10

8:00pm, Christmas Light Show

Have a great weekend a Laketown Wharf and celebrating the Christmas season!

FREE Sterling Resorts Vacation AND Seafood Festival Tickets

Wow, this must be the week. If you’re reading this, take the hint and plan your next trip to Panama City Beach. 😉

We just posted our latest survey, and to bait your responses, one of the prizes is a two night stay at Laketown Wharf, amongst a flury of other very cool prizes. But, this isn’t about our survey, this is about what Sterling Resorts is doing. It’s really awesome.

They’re giving away a two night, three day stay in a TWO bedroom condo at one of their Panama City Beach resorts. As if that wasn’t enough, this vacation is on the Panama City Beach Seafood Wine and Music Festival weekend and is accompanied by 5 three day tickets to the festival, so you can come with your whole family, enjoy the festival all weekend and go home with memories that will last a lifetime. And, in the spirit of a late night infomercial – wait, there’s more! Also included, the winner will get a $50 gift certificate to Buffalo Wild Wings.

Continue reading “FREE Sterling Resorts Vacation AND Seafood Festival Tickets” →

Take 3 Question Survey = $1,000 in Giveaways!!

That’s right, you read correctly, all you have to do is answer three questions (multiple choice – no wrong answers) and you have a chance to win $1,000 worth of stuff. We are putting something big together, and we need you to tell us your favorite seafood place, burger and sandwich place and your favorite resort or condo. The survey won’t take you more than 4 minutes.

For taking the time to answer these quick questions, you’ll have a chance to win:

A 2 night, 2 bedroom FREE vacation at Laketown Wharf in Panama City Beach.
2 seats in Mike’s cooking class at Liza’s Kitchen (gourmet food, paired with perfect wine, so delish)
4 tickets to the PCB Seafood Wine and Music Fest (Lynyrd Skynyrd is playing!!!)
Another set of 4 tickets to the PCB Seafood Wine and Music Fest

So, what are we up to, you ask? I can’t tell you, it’s top secret. But, you’re gonna love it. You can tell we are all about knowing what you think is best in Panama City Beach with these ultra sweet prizes we’re putting up for you to win for taking the survey.

There are a total of three survey questions, each one has all the options we could find for that category, listed in alphabetical order. If you have trouble picking just one, in each category, you can pick up to three of your favs. If some how we missed your favorite, just list it in the “other” field.

Here is how it’s going to all work.

You take the survey – click here to take now.
The survey ends on October 7th at noon cst.
We’ll pick the winners of the prizes – there are 4 winners total
The winners will be notified by end of business on October 7th.
The winners will be able to pick up the Seafood Festival tickets on Friday October 8th
The winners of the other prizes can pick them up at the PCBDaily offices, or we can mail them to you.

Here is some general information about the prizes.

Laketown Wharf – Facebook page, website, blog.
Liza’s Kitchen – website, Facebook page, cooking class info
- I’ve personally attended this cooking class twice, both times it’s been nothing short of amazing.
Panama City Beach Seafood Wine and Music Festival – website – Lynyrd Skynrd was just announced to be playing, along with REO Speedwagon and Little River Band. This year’s lineup is the best it has ever been.

Rules:

Each entrant can enter once and only once (we can verify this by ip AND cookies) and must use a valid first name and email address.
Contest begins when this post is published and ends on Thursday October 7th, 2010 at 12 noon CST. We’ll choose the winners later that day.
There will be 4 winners total.
By entering you are opting in to receive future newsletters and emails from PCBDaily and CYber SYtes and you are opening yourself up to the greatest resource for news and information Panama City Beach has to offer.
If you are selected and you do not respond to our email notifying you of winning within 7 calendar days of the close of the contest, then we reserve the right to award the prize to another entrant.
This giveaway is open to anyone in the continental United States. If you win, you will be solely responsible for making arrangements with CYber SYtes to redeem your prize. Or depending on the prize, we may be willing to mail your prize to you, so long as you say please, nicely.
Read full rules here.

CRA – South Thomas Drive Construction Update, Widening Road

When it comes to getting right down to business, the Front Beach Road CRA (short for community redevelopment area) in Panama City Beach is cranking out the first steps in making South Thomas Drive awesome. The South Thomas Drive road, well known as a crater-ific, pitted nightmare of a road, is getting a huge shot in the arm by way of completely NEW road, widened travel path, sidewalks, beautiful landscaping and sweet street lamps. Oh, and I forgot to mention all those ugly utility lines will be moved under ground; that’s huge!

Continue reading “CRA – South Thomas Drive Construction Update, Widening Road” →

All Play, No Work at Laketown Wharf Labor Day Weekend

Laketown Wharf is the place to play this Labor Day weekend with a full schedule of family fun events including a special dancing fountain light show, reptile show with John “The Snakeman” Moravek, live music and more. Bring a chair or blanket and catch a Saturday lineup of entertainment! Plus, a holiday discount takes some work off the wallet. Labor Day weekend guests save 20% off of fall vacation rates on 1, 2 or 3-bedroom condos.
Labor Day Events – Saturday, September 5 – All events open to the public

Reptile show with The Snakeman, John Moravek from 4pm – 6pm
Concert on the Green with Emerald County Live from 7pm – 9pm
Extended Dancing Fountain Light Show after the concert – 9pm
Extended hours for Laketown Wharf shops (Nola Blue, CHIC Culture, GOLF the World)
Weekend getaway giveaway for Laketown Wharf
Weekend children’s activities

Guests who want to extend their stay may take advantage of Laketown Wharf tours and save even more.

Vacation rental condo tour and receive a 15% discount on your next vacation 5pm – 8pm

Laketown Wharf Open House for long term rental units 4pm – 6pm

For more information please go to www.laketownwharf.com

57 Reasons the New South Thomas Drive will Rock

The Front Beach Road CRA in Panama City Beach is set to change the face of the beach and reset the perception of all those that visit our beautiful area. Right now, driving up and down our main travel corridors is non-to-pleasing to the eye, what with the towering out of the ground utilities and lack of proper sidewalks and landscaping. BUT, that’s all in the process of change. Change is good, right?

Yesterday evening a community workshop was held at the CRA office to show off what’s in store for the next phase of the CRA (community redevelopment area), including South Thomas Drive, a section of Front Beach Road and the intersection of Front Beach Road, Middle Beach Road and North Thomas Drive.

Tip: You can learn more about the CRA, or you can read below for more details on this portion.

I’m going to warn you, what you are about to read will be long, but super rich with multimedia. Hopefully you’ll have a great idea as to what this portion of the cra will actually involve.

This roadways covered in this portion of the CRA form a loop, if you will around Laketown Wharf and a portion of the Signal Hill Golf course. The road runs right by Boardwalk Beach Resort, then passes by Pineapple Willies, through condo canyon (Laketown Wharf/Shores of Panama), goes right carrying you right past Wal-Mart and through the intersection just a little where Walgreen’s, Ripley’s and Backyard Burger rest. Included also is a little bit of the roadway called North Thomas Drive that would lead you down to the camp ground across from Club La Vela.

Here are the 57 Reasons the New South Thomas Drive will Rock

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Front Beach, Middle Beach, North Thomas Drive Intersection

This is the intersection described above that plays home to Ripley’s Believe it or Not!
They will completely redo the whole intersection, traffic lights and all
The new intersection will have an emphasis on pedestrian friendliness
- Currently it is difficult for peds to cross because of the wide road ways
- They will redo some of the existing pedestrian islands
- Also, an additional pedestrian island will be added by Backyard Burger
- Existing ped islands will be beautified
The famous dedicated right turn lane from west-bound Front Beach Road that turns onto Middle Beach will be done away with, median curb and all
- But, that lane will still be a turn only lane, just not dedicated
- Actually, they will ad an additional right turn lane making the total number of right turn lanes from Front Beach to Middle Beach TWO
Right smack dab in the middle of the intersection will be a huge decorative paver insignia of the Panama City Beach logo surely marketing the busiest intersection on Panama City Beach. Could Wal-mart have anything to do with that? hmmm
The right turn from North Thomas Drive onto Front Beach Road (by the Ripley’s museum) will be pulled back to make it a larger radius. You may have noticed their new sign and how it has recently moved back. They were getting it out of the way!
Pedestrian walkways will be very clearly marked
My favorite: all those ugly utility lines (power, phone and the like) will be moved UNDERGROUND!
Sidewalks will be installed
Cool street lamps will be installed
Lovely landscaping that will hopefully be taken good care of.

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The Circle K Intersection of Front Beach Road

This area covers the “curve” by Laketown Wharf and the entrance of Shores of Panama.
This area is well known for its traffic during peak seasons
Many in attendance were not happy with the plans as they did not seem to address the current problems
- I talked with the owner of Pineapple Willies who was telling me that teh traffic problems there greatly effect his business every year
- Many property owners there expressed their concern that during peak seasons it was very difficult for them to come and go from their residences
- Some of the suggestions included widening the turn so that there would be two dedicated turn lanes because all of the traffic is broken up to turn right or left at the Circle K
The plans include a dedicated Tram lane for the multi-model transportation device
- Many suggested to do away with this all together, but this route of the Tram service is integral in the Tram “looping” back to return to the west end of Panama City Beach
- The goal of the Tram is to get people to park their cars and ride mass transportation systems, this could work great, if done correctly.
- I think cars would be able to travel in this Tram lane, so they could use the Tram lane to turn right, right?
Of course, all utilities will be moved underground
Sidewalks will be installed
Landscaping will be installed
There will be clearly marked crossing areas with pedestrian medians
There will be periodic cut-outs for the Tram loading and unloading stops

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South Thomas Drive, North Thomas Drive Intersection

Located right by Alvin’s Island
They actually (they, as in The City of Panama City Beach) bought a huge chunk of land between Alvin’s Island and Signal Hill Golf Course
This land will be used to build a retention pond and a cut through roadway
The retention pond will be designed to be a beautiful amenity
- Sidewalks all around with sitting areas
- Landscaped and lighted
- It looks as thought there may be a little roadside parking for those that may want to enjoy
The roadway cut through will be charged with the goal of easing traffic into North Thomas Drive
- Intersection will be “signalized”
- Right now, the turn just sort of “juts” out, giving more bias to turning right then left, and is actually quite dangerous if you’re not paying attention.
- The new intersection will have pedestrian walkways clearly marked
- There will be a little right off-shoot to cover access still to boardwalk and thee other “local” businesses.
- This will alleviate some of the traffic pressure during peak seasons and times of high traffic *cough* little wayner
Alvin’s Island will actually be a little “island”

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Huge Retention Pond in Place of Old Homeless Camp

This retention pond will actually be behind McDonalds in front of the Wal-Mart parking lot (bet you were always wondering what was behind all those shrubs at the end of the Wal-Mart parking lot, weren’t you?)
Right now there is a fence along the McDonald’s parking lot
- I was told that this lot was the former site of a homeless camp, even though it is right in the middle of the action, it was actually well secluded. That is before the city came in and ruined the fun and cleared it all out.
- I was also told that McD’s is anxious for this as when it is build, they will tear down their fence and open it up for their customers to use
This retention pond will be quite large and will feature landscaping and sidewalks all around
A “viewing” platform will be built with seating areas so that people can enjoy the view of the retention pond
Lighting, landscaping and sidewalks all around (did I say that already?)
The public will have access to the amenity from both Middle Beach and Front Beach Roads

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Below are some high-resolution renderings of the different aspects of the project.

Now Renting: Laketown Wharf

What was at one time riddled with controversy and held back by a cloud of uncertainty now has, what it would seem, a new and happy re-beginning. Laketown Wharf, what was once dubbed Condo Canyon by its creator unaware of its negative connotations, is open for business and has 300 fresh new rentals available for rent to families who are traveling to Panama City Beach.

A breif summary:

Laketown Wharf was a victim of timing. They pre-sold, they started building, the market tanked, very few actually closed. With over 700 total condos, less than 50 condos fell into the hands of individual owners. This threw the developer right in the middle of a very nasty spot, and the bank took the development over.

Fast-forward to today:

Sterling Resorts has been brought in by the bank to manage the hospitality side of the operation as the bank has smartly furnished 300 condos and made ready to rent to vacationers. Sterling Resorts is known for managing (and being a part in the development of many) local resorts such as Sterling Breeze, Sterling Reef, Sterling Beach, Splash, and Reflections at Bay Point. Having personally toured Sterling Beach, I’m well aware of their operation and excellent reputation for having some of the nicest properties around.

The furniture packages that were placed in the 300 condos were provided by Palette-Coastal and include many of the same furnishings used in Sterling Breeze. I can’t attest to how it lives up to the kids, but I can say it looks fantastic. From most of the condos, you have Gulf-views with plenty of space on the interior walkways to step outside and enjoy the view of the lake. At night, the water show in synced with music and beautifully colored lights.

Laketown Wharf, despite all of the criticism (including me) is actually pretty cool. With tons of amenities and a healthy supply of commercial space, the potential here can result in one of the best resorts in Panama City Beach.

Amenities include:

Five resort-style pools:
- Zero-edge family pool, main level
- Lagoon Pool on main level
- Rooftop seasonally heated pool & spa with spectacular views of the Gulf of Mexico, 10th floor
- Large island pool on the lake
- Kiddy interactive aqua play pool with delightful views of the beach, 4th floor
Steps away from the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico
Pristine freshwater lake
Over 52,000 sq. ft. lakefront boardwalk
Spectacular dancing-style lake fountains
Children’s playground overlooking the lake
Seasonal children’s activities
Fitness center
Meditation garden, 3rd floor
Port-a-corchere covered entry with stylish Welcome Center
Two covered multi-level parking garages
Convenience of nearby shopping, restaurants and attractions
Community management/security company on-site 24 hours
Complimentary guest parking

Be watching SeePCB.com for a full list and write up on this resort that will include a feature video on SeePCB TV later this summer.

Laketown Wharf Showing Signs of Life

This Thursday, June 18^th2009, Sterling Resorts will host a grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate 300 units available for rent. As many know, this announcement has been long in the making.

For those who have not followed the Laketown Wharf soap opera, Laketown Wharf, the towering Thomas Drive edifice completed back in 2007, was supposed to redefine Panama City Beach luxury as a city within a city with 765 total units and unique amenities unmatched on Panama City Beach like a Vegas-style musical fountain display, a 650-seat live performance theater, 5 restaurants, 1,000’s of square feet of retail space and a private lake.

But, due to economic nosedives and various other reasons, by September 2008 developer Jerry Wallace signed over the mostly empty resort to Corus Bank based out of Chicago. Even still, in February of 2009, Corus Bank reported a quarterly loss of $260.7 million and stated that more than a third of their “$4.1 billion in outstanding loans were nonperforming,” all the while the massive structure remained empty, all those lovely amenities wasting away. Lucky for them, in January Corus signed an agreement with Sterling Resorts to operate the condo’s rental management program.

That brings us to this week, when Sterling Resorts plans to rejuvenate excitement in the estimated $200 million property, opening its doors to vacationers. Sterling Resorts should do well considering the rental company currently manages 24 Gulf Coast properties between Panama City Beach and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and has strong familiarity with the tourism trends on Panama City Beach. Currently, online rates at Laketown are set to compete: a 2 bedroom/2 bath for this weekend was set at $292.20, just a little more than I, personally, expected but not bad. If things go well, the opening should act as somewhat of a defibrillator, resuscitating a property in need of a new life.

If you intend on attending the ribbon cutting ceremony RSVP with Kristy Keen: 850-563-0457 or email here at kkeen@sterlingresorts.com

**Date correction: The event will be June 18th at 4PM**

Laketown Wharf – Corus Bank "Unlikely to Survive '09"

The future of Laketown Wharf in Panama City Beach is again dealt a blow of uncertainly as the owning bank, Corus shows increasing signs of weakening. Friday, they reported a quarterly loss of $260.7 million and stated that more than a third of their “$4.1 billion in outstanding loans were nonperforming.” On the bright side, Mike Dulberg, Corus’s CFO reported that they have $758 million in capital and $4 billion in liquid assetts and the vast majority of its $7.6 billion in consumer deposits is federally insured.

In the article, Daniel Cardenas, senior vice president at Chicago brokerage Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett Inc., was quoted:

“The company is in dire straits. Barring a surprise injection of private capital and/or a dramatic rebound in condo values, Corus appears unlikely to survive 2009.”

The article was published in the Wall Street Jounal Commercial section in limited “subscriber only” format, but I found it elsewhere, in full:

Condo King Corus Weights Its Options