The Harris County Board of Commissioners denied a rezoning request Dec. 2 that would have changed about 134.93 acres near Veterans Parkway and Gray Rock Road from R‑1 (low‑density residential) to R‑2 (medium‑density residential). The planning commission had recommended approval with conditions, including a cap of 76 lots, gravity sewer, public water and limits to single‑family lots, but the full board voted to deny the request after extended public testimony raised unresolved infrastructure and safety concerns.

Residents and technical witnesses told the board they were not convinced Columbus Water Works has agreed to accept additional sewage from the proposed development and questioned the feasibility of a gravity‑flow sewer connection without lift stations. "They're not gonna take any additional sewage," said a former GDOT civil engineer in public comment, reporting conversations with Columbus Water Works. Applicant representative Anthony Slaughter told the board a preliminary design shows gravity flow to a Muskogee County manhole and said a Columbus Water Works official had indicated willingness to consider the flow during design, but he acknowledged no final written agreement was presented at the hearing.

Traffic safety was another central concern. Multiple residents described daily congestion and crash history at the Gray Rock Road and Veterans Parkway intersection and said planned state or regional improvements had been reduced because of lost federal funds. "Traffic on Gray Rock Road at the intersection with Veterans Parkway has become increasingly dangerous," resident Myra McMillan told the commission during public comment. Several speakers urged the board to require clearer, written commitments from the developer and to resolve questions about who would bear long‑term costs for sewer operations and road improvements before approving denser zoning.

The applicant said the project would include roughly 86 single‑family lots (less than the R‑2 maximum) and that the developer would install and fund the sewer and other infrastructure. "We're only asking for the opportunity to design a subdivision with around 86 lots," Anthony Slaughter said in his presentation. He also told residents the developer would fund sanitary sewer infrastructure and that gravity flow was feasible according to preliminary designs.

After public testimony and brief commissioner debate — including a commissioner speech urging acceptance of the project on fiscal grounds and alignment with the county comprehensive plan — the commission voted on a motion to deny the rezoning. The chair announced, "Motion carries. It is denied." The denial preserves the parcel's existing R‑1 zoning; commissioners did not adopt the developer's proposed R‑2 change.

The board also noted that conditions can be placed on approvals and that property owners retain the right to apply for future rezonings under current UDC parameters. The meeting concluded with routine adjournment.

Next steps: the denial is final from this meeting; the developer may revise the proposal or submit another application in the future. The commission did not record a formal written agreement from Columbus Water Works during the hearing.