The first public stage in the proposal process for the Canton Estates development was through the City of Columbia Planning & Zoning Commission. This all-volunteer board reviews requests for development, zoning changes and variances and makes recommendations to the City of Columbia City Council for approval or disapproval.
There were two proposals before the board:
The P&Z Commission ultimately voted 7-1 to NOT recommend approval of either of these proposals to the City Council. Following this vote, the proposal continues to City Council who may either approve or disapprove the current proposal. The most likely first step will be a public hearing, followed by a Council vote at a later meeting. City Council has wide latitude on what they can do in these situations and could recommend a specific remedy, approve part of the plan or reject all of it, requiring the developer to resubmit a plan they think will pass.
More about the April 8 P&Z Public Hearing
The hearing kicked off with a very detailed presentation by City Staff Senior Planner Rachel Smith. Crockett Engineering and the developer Rob Hill worked closely with city staff to design a plan that they fulfilled all city stormwater regulations and also provided a buffer to the park before the more dense luxury home part of the development. Staff was in support of the plan and recommended approval. (See video at 38:26 for the staff report)
26 citizens spoke before the commission. The only speaking in favor of the proposal was Tim Crockett, the engineer who designed the development plan. The remainder were either opposed to the development or wanted stricter limits on impervious surface, density or other measures that could impact the park. Many were not strictly opposed to development in the area but felt that R-1 zoning was too open-ended to protect this sensitive and unique area from future plan changes. Many recognized that this development could set a precedent for future development in the area and urged special caution.
Public speakers opposing the proposed development included representatives from Friends of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (a nonprofit dedicated to protection, support and education about the State Park), Columbia Audubon Society, Missouri State Parks Association and a large group of nearby residents and interested area citizens. The meeting didn’t conclude until nearly 11:30 p.m.
The first speaker was Alicia House, a resident of Bearfield Subdivision, who listed a series of quotes from the Bonne Femme Watershed Plan, a document drafted by a diverse group of citizen stakeholders and adopted by the city in 2007. This plan was referred to by many other speakers. Ms. House was followed by a detailed presentation by Friends of Rock Bridge President Kevin Roberson detailing why the group is concerned about impacts to the park and offered to work with the developer to come up with a plan more sensitive to the park. (View a PDF of the FORBMSP presentation here)
These were followed by a parade of heartfelt, well-researched and powerful statements by many people passionate about the park, the wild area, and the watershed.
The Commissioner comments and votes were powerful as well. The general consensus was that this property, and properties adjacent to park in this area, need better protection and planning than R-1 zoning can provide. It was suggested that PD (Planned Development Zoning, where additional requirements or limits can be set for an area in discussions between the city, the developer and neighbors) may be a better fit, or that the area really deserves a special zoning overlay district. Most of the commissioners were impressed by the number of strong public comments and some mentioned the online petition, which at that point had over 5,000 signatures.
To view commissioner comments and votes, go to 3:53 in the meeting video.