Columbia city council approved an access easement agreement that records vehicular and pedestrian access from Trotwood Avenue over Ridley Park Road, formalizing an obligation the city entered into in 2008 when acquiring park property.

City Attorney explained the easement stems from a prior agreement in which the city accepted conveyed property and promised access to adjacent landowners when requested. Meritage Homes, current owner of the parcel, requested the easement; council approved recording it to satisfy the 2008 understanding and to allow future use of the road for construction access and neighborhood connectivity.

Several residents from nearby Taylor’s Landing raised concerns in email correspondence about traffic and development, and council asked staff to clarify the legal limits of the council’s consideration. The city attorney advised council that the earlier agreement created a legal obligation to grant access and that complaints about separate, unrelated subdivision matters could not legally block the easement approval.

Staff and a planning representative said the road is constructed to city street standards, a preliminary plan for development in that area has been approved, and additional entrance work and signalization are planned as part of the broader subdivision buildout. City staff said construction timing is controlled by the developer’s schedule and vesting timelines; there is not an immediate construction start guaranteed by approving the easement.

Council approved the easement after discussion and an attorney overview of the property history and legal context. The recorded easement will enable the property owner to use Ridley Park Road for access consistent with the prior commitment and subject to future requirements should the road later become a public street.