Designed As Country's First LEED Certified Airport
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, which is on
schedule to open in May 2010, has been designed to be the nation's
greenest airport, according to The Bay County Airport and
Industrial District(the Authority). Development includes extensive
use of sustainable construction materials, a landscaping plan that
will not require supplemental irrigation, and a terminal building
that is on track to become the first LEED Certified airport
terminal in the United States.
Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines have already committed to
passenger service at the new airport. In addition, the Authority is
in the process of obtaining foreign trade zone status.
According to Bob Montgomery, Southwest's vice president of
properties, current plans call for eight non-stop flights a day
from four different cities, totaling about 2,000 passengers per day
coming into the new airport. "I'm just so happy to be here and so
happy that this day has finally come," Montgomery said, noting that
the airline would help make the region more accessible to a broader
market across the country.
In addition, the 4,000-acre airport includes 1,400 acres of
commercial and industrial land available for development with
favorable zoning. That gives air freight carriers, manufacturers,
distributors and other aviation-related users greenfield "inside
the fence" development opportunities at Florida's first truly green
airport and industrial business park. Opportunities include parcels
of all sizes with direct runway access, as well as select
off-runway parcels to accommodate both traditional airfield and
compatible non-traditional airfield based users.
To help mitigate the development of the Airport, 9,600 acres of
West Bay coastline, wetlands, and pine forest have been set aside
as part of the Airport Conservation Easement. The Authority has
also developed detailed plans for wetlands mitigation, wildlife
management, a state-of-the-art storm water management system and
wastewater treatment that all greatly exceed minimum requirements
set by Florida law by voluntarily committing to follow Outstanding
Florida Water standards for storm water, the highest standard in
the state of Florida.
Jones Lang LaSalle represents the Authority in arranging
long-term leases to facilitate development, and also serves as
project manager for developing the Property adjacent to Northwest
Florida Beaches International Airport. "Panama City's great
transportation infrastructure, central location, strong
defense/aerospace presence, and educated workforce makes it ideal
for air freight distribution, manufacturing and high-tech
aviation-related services, and the opportunity for direct runway
access at a greenfield site makes this airport a unique opportunity
for a number of different user types," said Richard Norton, Vice
President at Jones Lang LaSalle. "The fact that Northwest Florida
Beaches International Airport is one of the greenest airports in
the country will be a strong consideration as companies become more
and more conscious of their environmental impact."
The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport anchors the
75,000-acre West Bay Sector Plan, a long term land use plan for
mixed-use residential, commercial and business development. It
features permanent protection of 41,000 acres of environmentally
sensitive land, including 33 miles of shoreline on West Bay and 44
miles of local creeks and tributaries.
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