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Philips farm zoning bid draws fireCommercial aspect of plan concerns mayor.
Red flags are already being raised about a formal request filed this week that Columbia annex and rezone a 489-acre tract known as the Philips farm. Developer Elvin Sapp hopes to turn the property between Gans and Clear
creeks into a mixed-use development with offices, a park, homes and retail
stores. If approved, Sapp intends to build an overpass at Gans Road, which
would link the development to Highway 63. If approved by the Columbia City Council, the designation would allow Sapp to build any of the uses allowed under C-3 without getting further approval from the council. Although the development would still have to meet city guidelines, the designation gives the council and Planning and Zoning Commission less control. Mayor Darwin Hindman called the request "surprising" and said it was "very unlikely the council would approve C-3 zoning." "The simple fact that anybody who’s paying attention to anything knows is that this is a very sensitive area," Hindman said. "It is a gem, and all of us have a high responsibility to make sure that the watershed is properly developed. The thinking unquestionably has been that the entire development needs to be planned to ensure that." Mark Farnen, who works for Woodruff Communications and has been hired to do public relations for Sapp, said yesterday that his client wanted the area zoned C-3 in order to be competitive with other developments in town, which were also granted C-3 zoning. "I think it’s considered to be in the prime commercial spot for the whole development," Farnen said of the 22-acre parcel. "We felt like that piece in particular would be more competitive and marketable with C-3 zoning. The vast majority going in there is of the planned nature." While becoming more common in Columbia, planned commercial developments can make it more difficult for developers to secure tenants because the city council would have to approve of plans, City Manager Ray Beck said. Farnen also noted that planned developments are often more expensive because of the revisions that take place once the public and council have mulled over plans and asked for changes. The move is likely to elicit opposition from people concerned about the impact the development would have on the Little Bonne Femme watershed, which includes Rock Bridge State Park. "The less control the council has on how it will be built, the more concern there will be," said Barbara Hoppe, who belongs to a group called the Little Bonne Femme Protection Forum. The annexation and zoning request filed Thursday is extensive and includes a water-quality protection plan. It details a number of measures that would be taken to minimize impact on the surrounding watershed, including retention ponds, porous pavement, landscaping and swales. The 40-acre lake on the tract is the primary storm water retention feature on the site and could be used to control runoff in the entire area, consultants hired by Sapp have said. Farnen said that his client has been prepared to file the annexation request for months but was hoping to first get a response from the city about purchasing a chunk of parkland that surrounds the lake. While a couple of work sessions have been held on that possibility, the council has made no decision yet. Hindman said that the formal annexation request would put more pressure on the council to make a decision on the park. A council work session focusing on the park is scheduled for 6 p.m. June 23. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |