The City of Columbia Planning Commission on Nov. 13 recommended annexation of two parcels at 4316 and 4340 Old Leesburg Road and assigned them an Urban Edge Residential small‑lot land‑use designation and Residential Single‑Family Small Lot (RSF‑3) zoning at the time of annexation. The motion passed by voice vote.

Staff said the county’s current R‑4 zoning is equivalent to the city’s RSF‑3 zoning and that the request largely translates existing county regulations into the city code. Hank Mabry, speaking for the developer, told the commission the plan mirrors a neighboring development and noted the properties currently lack city water and sewer.

Several neighbors urged caution. Mary Lynn Bear said the property contains an undocumented Confederate cemetery with headstones, some wooden and deteriorating, and asked for a more thorough study prior to any development. Gerald Waller, whose family has lived adjacent to the site for decades, opposed changing the area from medium to higher density and raised concerns about buffers, paving of the dirt road that serves his home, and potential loss of yard space.

Staff and commissioners said those site‑level concerns — identification of wetlands and cemeteries, buffering and setbacks — would be addressed during future site‑plan review and surveying if the property is developed. A staff speaker said surveys had indicated a cemetery location that will be protected; staff also reported a local environmental firm reviewed wetlands and concluded parts of the drainage did not meet Corps of Engineers jurisdiction for jurisdictional wetlands.

Commissioners moved to recommend approval, with one commissioner stating the rezoning would allow a reasonable, viable economic use and could be served by adequate public facilities. The motion carried by voice vote; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the hearing record.

Next steps: the annexation recommendation advances through city processes; any future development will return for site‑plan review and additional regulatory checks, including historic or environmental surveys and any required protections.