Philip Griffitts Sr. Pkwy Project: Residents speak out

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Bay County held a public meeting Thursday as part of phase three of the Philip Griffitts Sr. Parkway Project. The meeting which is referred to as the Project Development and Environment Study took place at the Lyndell Conference Center in Panama City Beach.

More than 60 people attended the meeting, which was an opportunity to ask questions to professionals, make comments and address concerns.

The project consists of building a brand-new two-lane roadway that will run from Clara Avenue to Chip Seal Parkway. It will be more than five miles long.

Van Vandermeulen is a Bay County Resident. He says the meeting is a perfect opportunity to get his questions answered.

The general public like myself have a million questions and this is the only way to find out. You can’t go to city hall and start asking questions,” Vandermeulen said. “A million new houses, condos, apartments, going up and not enough highway space on 98 on the back beach road so this is going to be a somewhat help but until they connect 79 to Chip Seal Parkway nothing is going to help.”

The Breakfast Point Community sits along the proposed path. Luis Reyes is the Breakfast Point Community HOA President. He says he and many of his neighbors are not too thrilled about the move.

“If you’re at your house enjoying your backyard, the scenery, whatever you have back there, right now there is a conservation area back there you won’t have that anymore,” said Reyes. “It affects property values the noise pollution alone will affect the property value tremendously and it wouldn’t be a good place to live for the homeowners and that’s what’s important right a lot took their hard-earned money and invested it in the community, and this is their home, and we want to make sure it stays their home.”

Officials say it will be at least four years before the study and design phases of the Philip Griffitts Sr. Parkway Project are complete. Together the two phases will cost about four million dollars.

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