The Columbia Planning Commission voted to defer action on the preliminary plat for Caseta Pines, a proposed 243‑lot single‑family subdivision on the east side of Patterson Road near Trinity Drive, to allow more time for community outreach and for additional traffic information to be provided.

Staff said the 61.71‑acre site plan proposes 243 detached single‑family homes with average lot sizes of about 5,500 square feet, and an amenity area that would include a pool, community building and associated parking. The applicant, Great Southern Homes, told commissioners the design retains significant open space and that a portion of the site will be preserved for wetlands and tree canopy.

“This property has two neighbors. One, obviously, the elementary school, but the other is the Episcopal Church,” Kevin Singletary, land acquisition and entitlements manager for Great Southern Homes, said during the meeting. He said South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) identified two primary mitigations in a concurrency letter: adding a left‑turn lane on Patterson onto Trinity with realignment of the school entrance, and converting the Patterson/Leesburg intersection to right‑in/right‑out. “The concurrency letter from DOT is not a final direction. They will give us final direction when we seek encroachment permits,” Singletary said.

Neighbors and the local community association raised traffic and outreach concerns. “We do not have enough road space for all these houses,” Coralie Sweet, president of the Capital View Area Neighbors Association, said. Sweet described existing congestion at the nearby Annie Burnside elementary school and noted other large townhouse projects in the area.

Commissioners pressed the applicant and staff about what conditions would be required for any approval. Staff confirmed the commission may condition approval on compliance with SCDOT‑required mitigations and that any encroachment permit from SCDOT can make mitigation completion a condition of permit approval. Staff also explained that water, sewer and stormwater approvals are part of subsequent permitting stages after preliminary plat approval.

During discussion commissioners emphasized the degree of community concern and uncertainty about whether the school district would cooperate with the recommended turning‑lane mitigation. One commissioner said they wanted confirmation about the school’s agreement before final approval; another said the community deserved more time to review the project given its size and the stage at which it is now presented.

A motion to defer approval “so that the community has an opportunity to learn more about this project and gain their input” carried on a roll call vote. The recorded vote was: Coveney — yes; Foster — yes; Osorio — yes; Kone — yes; Causey — no; Cook — no; Harp — no. The applicant may submit additional materials; staff said it will transmit any new information to the commission before the item returns.

The deferral leaves open the engineering and permitting steps that would follow a final approval: staff noted water/sewer/stormwater submissions and SCDOT encroachment permits must be completed before construction permits can be issued.