Board of Zoning Appeals approves variance to remove 1.85 acres of trees at 1801 Smith Street with mitigation condition

The Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals on June 5 approved a variance allowing removal of roughly 1.85 acres of existing tree canopy at 1801 Smith Street to accommodate parking for Suncoast Resources, contingent on staff conditions and the applicant's commitment to conservation mitigation.

The variance was requested to waive the Unified Development Ordinance canopy-retention and tree-density standards for development on a roughly 13.6-acre parcel. Andrew Livingood, the city's zoning administrator, explained the application and noted the request ties to a separate rezoning application pending before the Planning Commission and City Council. "If you grant the variance, then him if he goes and gets the tree bank, that's just additional trees that we will save in the future," Livingood said during the hearing.

Applicant George McCutcheon, representing Suncoast Resources, told the board the company intends to expand its operations that currently occupy nearby buildings on Atlas Road and…