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Planning commission backs land‑use assignment but withholds zoning for Garden Lakes annexation
Summary
On July 9, the City of Columbia Planning Commission recommended approval of future land‑use classifications for a four‑parcel annexation tied to the Garden Lakes Apartments but recommended denial of the applicant’s requested RM‑2 zoning for two smaller parcels, citing neighborhood buffering and master‑plan guidance.
The City of Columbia Planning Commission on July 9 recommended approval of future land‑use classifications for a four‑parcel annexation at 1215 Mason Road but recommended denying the developer’s requested RM‑2 zoning for two smaller parcels.
Chair (speaker 1) made the motion to approve city land‑use designations (urban edge multifamily and urban edge residential small‑lot, plus a transportation/utilities designation for the Interstate 20 right‑of‑way) while recommending denial of the RM‑2 zoning request for the two parcels staff found unsuitable; the motion passed on roll call, 7‑2. The commission’s recommendation will go to City Council for final action.
Staff advised the commission that the 28.31‑acre annexation request would assign policy land‑use classifications that align with the Columbia Compass comprehensive plan, but staff recommended denial of RM‑2 zoning for two smaller parcels (TMS -14 and -15) because those lots abut a sizable single‑family subdivision and the Villages of North Columbia master plan calls for single‑family buffering between higher‑density development and existing homes.
Anthony Lawrence, the project planning consultant with MOTA Design working for developer GDA, described the request as phase 2 of the Garden Lakes Apartments and said the team was “comfortable” advancing only the tracts staff supports. Lawrence said funding — including an award from state housing — supports a 200‑unit second phase and that Mason Road would be the project’s only entrance and exit; he told the commission the emergency access is intended as an exit‑only route and that a traffic analysis was done for Mason Road.
Multiple neighbors spoke in opposition or with concern during public comment, focusing on emergency access, traffic, infrastructure, crime and the concentration of affordable and multifamily housing in ZIP code 29203. Benjamin Scott of Denton Drive asked the commission to ensure the proposal would not add access into North 21 Terrace. James Starnes, president of the North 21 Terrace Neighborhood Association, said the neighborhood already faces health disparities and cited what he described as 141 police calls over 18 months; Brenda Starnes said Garden Lakes had received 490 police calls in 18 months and argued that promised site improvements had not yet materialized. Reverend McCallum of Bethlehem Baptist Church and other speakers urged broader investments in services and jobs beyond housing.
Developers and staff acknowledged those concerns but reiterated that the annexation decision before the commission was a recommendation on land‑use assignment and that zoning and site‑plan details (entrance locations, barriers, traffic mitigation) would be reviewed in subsequent site‑plan proceedings and by City Council. Staff also noted city policy generally expects petition for annexation when properties touch the city and extend utility services.
The commission’s action: approve recommendation of the land‑use assignments for the four TMS parcels; recommend denial of the RM‑2 zoning assignment for the two smaller parcels (motion passed 7‑2). That split recommendation will be forwarded to City Council, which will take the final vote.
