Commission approves 55‑unit Devine Street apartment project despite neighborhood concerns about notice and traffic

The City of Columbia Planning Commission granted major site-plan approval for a proposed four-story, 55-unit multifamily building on 1.3 acres at the southeast corner of Devine Street and Heights Street (addresses listed in the application as 2300–2318 Devine Street and 620 Heights Street), voting to approve the plan provided all staff comments are addressed.

The applicant, Theresa Hodge of Estates Properties, told the commission the firm has developed and manages several properties on Devine Street and that the proposed project matches the character of recent nearby development. “We have 6 properties on Devine Street that we've developed and we currently manage,” Hodge said. She said the project includes 76 surface parking spaces, which she described as roughly a 1.35 parking-per-unit ratio consistent with her existing portfolio.

Several neighborhood representatives urged the commission to defer the item to allow more community review. Judy Anderson, chair of the Shandon Neighborhood Council’s zoning and code-enforcement committee, said she first learned of the development from a neighbor and did not find the customary posted sign. “There are no signs posted,” Anderson said, adding that the neighborhood’s email list had been missing from circulation and that the council had not been contacted. She asked the commission to defer the application so the neighborhood could be fully informed and engaged.

David Launas, speaking as a resident and not in an official neighborhood capacity, described traffic concerns and said the packet contained only a brief traffic recommendation without the underlying documentation. “This development in particular is adding approximately 70 new parking spots, and they're all egressing out on Heights Street,” Launas said. He urged deferral so the neighborhood could review traffic impacts and mitigation.

The applicant and staff responded: planning staff said the application had been evaluated for required materials and that a traffic study by SRS Engineering (Mike Ridgeway) had been completed and found minimal traffic impacts. Hodge said the property is zoned for the proposed multifamily use and that developer outreach had included adjacent landowners and the Devine Street Association; she also offered to meet with Shandon neighborhood leaders.

Staff noted the applicant had received alternative-compliance approval for a transitional buffer yard due to site constraints and clarified that major site plans are not required to be posted with a public sign under current procedures, though staff said it recommends outreach to neighborhood groups. Commissioners weighed the value of neighborhood buy-in against the fact that the project met applicable zoning and site-plan standards. Several commissioners expressed sympathy for the neighborhood’s desire for more engagement; one commissioner recommended deferral, but the motion to approve conditional on staff comments carried.

The approval is conditional on the applicant addressing all outstanding staff comments before permit issuance; the applicant also said she will evaluate infrastructure (including potential EV charging capacity) and meet with neighborhood representatives. The commission’s decision applies to site-plan approval only; building design details and final construction permits remain subject to standard permitting reviews.