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 needs contiguous land for truck and vehicle parking. "We have constructed the 6-foot privacy fence all the way down... and we have done that, and neighbors appreciated that," McCutcheon said, noting the applicant has planted a buffer along Smith Street and expects to replant cedars along the property line within the leased area. He also said the applicant negotiated to purchase about 7.5 acres across Atlas Road and would place that acreage under a permanent conservation easement as mitigation for the trees to be removed: "...we'd like to buy 7 and a half acres and put that under a permanent conservation easement to replace this 1.85 acres." McCutcheon said the Army Corps of Engineers had determined an isolated, non-jurisdictional wetland of about 0.2 acres on the site and that project design issues related to topography influenced landscaping timing.

Scott Holder, the city's land development planner, described applicable requirements and recommended time-limited conditions for required buffer plantings if the board approved the variance. Holder confirmed the buffer yard between the industrial property and adjacent residences is a 30-foot buffer that has not yet been fully planted. He also noted prior approvals: "There was a variance granted in 2023 to the interior parking area landscaping standards, which is why there's not trees inside the parking lot itself."

Board members asked about the durability of trees planted within an active heavy-truck area and whether a tree bank or conservation easement would provide a true replacement for lost canopy. Livingood said staff would need to verify whether the proposed 7.5-acre easement would provide an effective canopy-equivalent replacement and would follow up during final review. The city also flagged that the parcel offered for easement lies outside the city limits, which could require coordination with the county and raise enforceability questions.

During board deliberations members indicated support for approval with conditions. The motion to approve was made subject to staff comments and the implementation of a conservation easement; board members also asked staff to set a timeline for required buffer installation and allow limited extensions to ensure plant health. The board voted in favor of the motion.

The decision does not rezone the property; Livingood emphasized any rezoning request would proceed separately through the Planning Commission and City Council. Staff will confirm whether the proposed conservation easement is enforceable and ensure landscaping and buffer-yard plantings are completed according to the schedule set by staff and reflected in the permitting process.

The board's approval addresses the immediate parking and expansion plans presented by the applicant while requiring follow-up from staff on mitigation, enforceability of the conservation easement given the easement's location outside city limits, and the precise equivalency of canopy replacement through the proposed tree bank.