City funds sought for Philips tract evaluation

A Boone County coalition seeks to hire an expert for analysis.

By GAURAV GHOSE
Columbia Missourian, 08/08/2003

The Boone County Smart Growth Coalition is ready to contribute to a fund that would pay for an independent evaluation of the 489-acre Philips tract plan.

Barbara Hoppe, co-chair of the coalition’s steering committee, said during the group’s Wednesday meeting that she has discussed the issue of donations with neighborhood groups closest to the area, concerned environmental groups and citizens.

The developer, Elvin Sapp, hired Jonathan Jones, a nationally-recognized Denver-based engineering consultant, to develop the plan for the Philips tract, including ways to handle the storm-water runoff. But neighborhood residents, local environmental experts and scientists are skeptical of Jones’ engineering solutions. The Philips tract plan calls for mixed-use development, which includes building residential, office and commercial properties.

The coalition recently sent a letter to Columbia City Council asking the city to hire an outside expert to review the storm-water provisions in the plan. Sapp submitted the plan to the city in June. In an e-mail reply, Sixth Ward Councilman Brian Ash said it is “always” a good idea to have a second opinion, but that “the sticking point I think you’re going to run into … is asking the city to pay for it.”

In the e-mail, Ash told coalition members that if it can fund a second opinion or point out any flaws in the plan, he is “fairly certain that those areas would be examined more closely to determine who’s really right.”

Hoppe still hopes the city will be interested in an independent study and give the go-ahead for it, and that is “what we had written in our letter to the council last month.” If the city agrees, the coalition members and other donors would like Tom Schueler of the Center for Watershed Protection of Ellicott City, Md., or someone he recommends to do the study. Schueler has visited Columbia before and spoken on watershed issues and the impact of development on sensitive areas.

“If the city is unwilling to pay for it and won’t do it, we are willing to pay for it,” said Hoppe, who estimated an evaluation by Schueler would cost about $1,000. “We don’t want the money to be an excuse for not doing it.”

Alyce Turner, a member of the coalition, favored Hoppe’s idea of raising money and is willing to collect contributions from people in Columbia.

“I see a lot of interest in the community on the issue and there is a support for it,” Turner said.

On the issue of a review of the plan by city engineers, which some City Council members have proposed, Hoppe said that would be of questionable value because they are not experts on watershed issues.

Hoppe said the coalition will wait for the Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission to take up the Philips plan before moving forward. The commission, which has scheduled an informational work session on the plan for Aug. 19 and a public hearing for Aug. 21, could suggest that the city get an independent review of those provisions.