Mayor Steve Benjamin and the City Council addressed the City of Columbia at the Zoning Public Hearing Tuesday at 7 p.m. regarding an amendment to allow C-3 commercial zoning districts to permit the building of private student housing.
According to the City of Columbia’s summary of zoning districts, C-3 General Commercial districts operate primarily for functional retail, office and service establishments. The amendment seeks to permit the use of private dormitories and reduce the spacing requirements in the C-3 zoning districts, such as Columbia’s Five Points.
This amendment would be the next step in permitting Peak Campus Development in their efforts to break ground for a new student housing development on the northwest corner of Gervais and Harden streets, across from the Cook-Out in Five Points.
The public hearing sparked a debate amongst concerned citizens and the developer, as well as Benjamin and his council.
Kit Smith, a community organizer in the greater Shandon neighborhood where this amendment will render C-3 districts open to private dormitories, expressed her concern with bringing so many new students into these commercial areas.
“We have larger concerns across the city,” Smith said. “We need to decide how we’re going to accommodate these students and be very intentional and thoughtful in how we plan. We’re just very concerned about the impact that this zoning would propose.”
Ron Burns, the president of the Shandon neighborhood council, voiced concerns in the increased flow of traffic that these new dormitories would bring to the neighborhood.
“What I’m concerned about specifically is the increased traffic generated by individuals living in close quarters,” she said. “This will increase traffic in the Shandon neighborhood and Rosewood.”
In an attempt to placate the public’s opposition to the amendment, Jeff Githens, the Peak Campus Developer for the project, spoke about his attempt to find the best way to handle situational zoning.
“The C-3 zoning amendment is the most effective way to accomplish this,” Githens said. “I think this adds value to your community and ties into your infrastructure. Everybody seems to benefit here.”
Benjamin addressed the public after the concerns of the citizens were brought to light.
“There are some very legit concerns on both sides of this,” Benjamin said. “All our constituents here know the council has been very engaged in this process. The opportunities, I believe, for the city are significant.”
In a unanimous decision, the council agreed to pass the amendment with an additional amendment that no other additions or special zoning cases could be made following Jan. 1, 2015.