The new Panama City - Bay County International Airport is currently under construction and scheduled to open in May 2010. The groundbreaking project was planned with help from a number of Florida’s most progressive environmental organizations, developers, and local, state and federal agencies.
As a result of the relocation of the existing airport to the West Bay site, 41,000 (16,600 hectares) environmentally sensitive acres, including 33 miles (53 kilometers) of West Bay shoreline and 44 miles (71 kilometers) of creek and tributaries has been set aside and will be protected forever under the West Bay Sector Plan.
If the new conservation land were the only environmental benefit, the new airport would be a step forward for Florida environmentalists. But there’s more: the Panama City – Bay County Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) has committed to designing, building and operating one of America's “greenest” airports. It has committed to design and build a LEED-certified passenger terminal, which means it will exceed state and county requirements for environmental performance.
The Airport Authority also set a goal of increasing wetlands function by enhancing the land in the mitigation area to well above the current wetlands function, and by providing mitigation far in advance of potential impacts. Direct wetlands impacts were calculated using a high-impact scenario, and will be mitigated using that data even if impacts turn out to be less than projected. As a result, environmental experts anticipate a 29 percent improvement in overall wetlands function.
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