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Commission approves rezoning of 3329 River Drive to MU‑1 to allow small commercial reuse

City of Columbia Planning Commission · December 12, 2025
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Summary

Planning commissioners recommended rezoning 3329 River Drive from residential mixed (RM‑2) in the Earlwood historic overlay to Mixed Use MU‑1 to allow light commercial uses; applicant cited a desire to reopen a former salon as a café and staff recommended approval with historic‑district protections retained.

The City of Columbia Planning Commission on Nov. 13 voted to recommend rezoning 3329 River Drive from Residential Mixed (RM‑2) within the Earlwood historic overlay to Mixed Use District MU‑1, a change staff recommended to allow commercial reuse of an existing historic commercial structure.

Applicant Louis Ellis of LLE Construction Group said the building historically operated as a commercial use (a hair salon) though it has been zoned residential for some time; he told the commission his firm wants to renovate the property into a neighborhood café and cited market analysis and neighborhood outreach. Ellis said the site currently contains roughly eight to nine parking spaces and that no additional on‑site parking can be added.

Staff noted the MU‑1 district carries no minimum parking requirement and emphasized that any demolition or major exterior change would require review by the Design Development Review Commission (DDRC) because the building sits in a historic overlay. Commissioners asked about traffic, parking and future redevelopment potential; staff said demolition would be unlikely to be approved absent structural faults and that landscape buffers and design review limit future large‑scale commercial redevelopment.

A commissioner moved to recommend approval under the UDO decision standards; the motion passed by voice vote.

Next steps: the rezoning recommendation will move forward through the city’s legislative process; any change in use for a café will require site‑plan review and staff review for adequate parking, and any demolition or significant exterior alterations will remain subject to DDRC review.