Columbia City Council approved first reading of a major amendment to the Bull Street planned-development (form-based) code that would allow structures up to 10 stories in areas of the district that previously were limited to lower heights, with the change to be applied on a project-specific basis and subject to design-review-board approval.

Representatives of the Bull Street developers said the amendment does not change the boundaries of the special districts and that requests for heights above earlier limits would continue to be reviewed on a project-by-project basis through the Development Review Board. Chandler (Hughes Development) and other project representatives said the amendment aligns text across the plan and that existing development caps remain in place; a speaker for the developer noted the overall Bull Street entitlement remains capped at the originally agreed square footage.

Neighbors raised concerns about the proposal’s scale, traffic and the potential visibility of taller buildings from nearby historic and residential neighborhoods. Elizabeth Marks, speaking for the Robert Mills District, said her group understood a more-limited strip along Colonial Drive might be affected but expressed surprise that the requested area was larger and said, “This is way more than we expected.” Marks and others requested additional neighborhood meetings. In response, developer representatives and council members agreed to set up an outreach meeting and to proceed with first reading so additional neighborhood conversations can occur before second reading.

Ending: Council approved first reading with the understanding that developer and neighborhood representatives will meet for additional discussion before further readings or project-specific DRB reviews.