Planning board approves abandonment of certain easements in West 21st area after residents raise notice and drainage concerns

The Panama City Planning Board on March [date] approved a request to abandon specified easements on a developer's parcel in the West 21st/West 20th Court area, voting 5‑0 after residents raised concerns about notice and potential impacts on buried storm infrastructure.

Richard Futner, an engineer representing the developer, said the city’s recent CDBG‑funded street and utility project relocated sewer and drainage into the rights‑of‑way, leaving only recorded easement language on the developer's parcel. He said the work described in the abandonment request is already complete and that the abandonment would clear encumbrances so the developer can finalize platting.

Nearby residents said the mailed notice and map caused confusion: the published notice's hatched area differs from the colored easement lines shown during the hearing, and some residents feared the abandonment would give up rights that protect buried storm drain infrastructure behind their homes. Jonathan Coleman asked the board to require clearer language so property owners understand that the city will not remove existing functioning infrastructure.

Staff and the applicant clarified that the board was being asked only to abandon the hatched easement area shown on the updated exhibit (the owner’s parcel) and that other neighboring easements and existing infrastructure would remain; staff acknowledged the overnotice/mapping discrepancy and said notices were corrected prior to the hearing.

After discussion and resident questions, the board moved and approved the easement abandonment, 5‑0. Staff said the abandonment facilitates final platting and that the city coordinated the relocation of utilities during its infrastructure project. Residents were advised to follow up with staff and the planning department if they need written confirmation about specific easement locations or protections.