The purpose of this petition is to prevent changing the property at 31 W Baldwin Rd from Residential to Commercial.

The R-1 residential property at 31 W Baldwin Rd in Panama City, FL has been purchased by Habitat for Humanity of Bay County.  Their mission statement:  Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope.  This home was built in 1975 making it over 50 years old qualifying it for historic status.  It is also part of the timeless, quiet, established neighborhoods in the area.  They have applied for a C-1 Neighborhood Commercial zoning change in order to demolish this home and build a new ReStore facility and administrative office.  This would combine their current 2 separate locations at 1515 E 11th St, 1.23 acres of General Commercial, and 2901 W 17th St, 0.89 acres of Mixed Use, allowing them to return to a single location for all their functions as they had prior to Hurricane Michael in 2018.  The justification for this type of zoning change is the Dollar General store, St. John Greek Orthodox church, and the fact that Baldwin Rd is now a 4 lane collector road connecting 2 major highways, 77 and 390.  Unlike Dollar General and the Greek Orthodox church, this does not provide an immediate service or need to this community.  We already have building materials, and a Christian based thrift store nearby.  This zoning change will allow them to build up to 30000 square feet up to 35 feet high right in the middle of surrounding residential properties.  The impact on safety will be immense due to the already high amount of average daily traffic and lack of turn lanes.  Other building material stores in the area required General Commercial zoning which must be located outside residential areas according to the Bay County Land Use Regulations and Comprehensive Plan documents. 

This application has been recommended for approval by the Planning & Zoning Committee, without a feasible design and plan presented by Habitat for Humanity, and without consideration for several counter arguments from residents in the surrounding neighborhoods.  They only recommended the following criteria:  No outdoor storage will be allowed.  An 8 foot fence with 25 foot buffer zone will be required along all sides shared with residential properties.

Our county representatives should seek our best interest, safety, and property preservation in these matters by encouraging local businesses to utilize commercial properties that are already available for their purposes.  Allowing this to proceed will lead to the de-gentrification of this area, and allow further commercial encroachment on our neighborhoods.

An appeal for this approval has been hand delivered to the County Attorney.  Please join us in conserving our community and neighborhoods by signing this petition, and attending the County Commissioner meeting on Tuesday March 17, 2026 9:00 - 11:00 AM at the Government Center, 840 W. 11th St. Panama City FL 32401.