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Columbia council debates fee-schedule overhaul and zoning concerns over short-term rentals
Summary
Council discussed scaling building-permit fees for larger commercial projects, aligning nonprofit facility-use applications with fee schedules, changing quick-ticket appeal rules (refundability and fee parity), and neighborhood concerns about short-term rentals and parking enforcement.
At its Dec. 23 meeting, Columbia Borough Council engaged in an extended, substantive debate over proposed changes to the 2026 fee schedule and several zoning issues that residents have raised.
On fees, Councilmember Pete (identified in discussion) proposed adopting a tiered building-permit fee schedule based on Lancaster City’s structure to scale commercial fees for large projects such as those on the McGinnis property. Supporters said a tiered approach would be more equitable for high-value commercial development; others said integrating the change requires rewriting the ordinance and…
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