Developer still wants to rezone land off Macon Road. How do Columbus councilors feel?
It was standing room only during the Jan. 7 Columbus Council meeting as residents again spoke against a second developer’s request to rezone a parcel of land on Macon Road.
While residents pushed against the project, outspoken councilors questioned if the project could be done with the current zoning.
The effort to have the land rezoned comes from Wizer Homes, a developer seeking to build residences on more than 100 acres of land. Wizer is the second developer to try to build in this spot, but hundreds of nearby residents have opposed it. The first developer, Proterra, failed to get a rezoning plan approved last year.
Dave Erickson, a general contractor representing Wizer Homes, brought the request to rezone 5201 Macon Rd. to the Columbus Council after the planning advisory committee recommended denying the proposed development of 111.56 acres on Macon Road. More than 800 nearby residents signed a petition against it.
The area still would mostly be zoned for single-family homes if the request is approved, but the lot sizes would be smaller.
One portion of the land would be changed to allow for multi-family housing. That would allow for townhouses, which would border undeveloped property currently zoned for apartments.
The site plan listed 337 units in total with 84 townhouses and 253 single-family homes. All of the units would be for sale only, Erickson said.
Why neighbors are against the development
Residents of the nearby subdivisions organized to prevent the first rezoning request from Proterra because of concerns about increased traffic, worsening flooding in the area and worries that the proposed neighborhood would not fit in with the existing neighborhoods.
Erickson argued the rezoning request was in line with zoning for similar Columbus subdivisions over the last three decades and that the large opposition from nearby residents limits what the property owner, listed as Calhoun Investments LLC, could do with their land.
“This zoning request has the potential to set the housing policy in Columbus for many years in the future,” Erickson said during his presentation to the council.
What Columbus councilors have to say
The grassroots efforts of residents who live near the property were impressive, Councilors Toyia Tucker of District 4 and Charmaine Crabb of District 5 told the Ledger-Enquirer.
“Their actions really set a strong example of civic engagement and serve as a reminder that the strength of our city truly lies in the hands of its citizens,” Tucker said. “So, their efforts to stand up for what is best for the area doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Both Tucker and Crabb questioned Erickson about whether Wizer Homes could move forward with developing a subdivision that works with the property’s current zoning.
This is possible, Erickson said, but it wouldn’t be as efficient with modern building techniques and the needs of current homebuyers. Homes are now built differently than the houses in the current neighborhoods nearby — new homes sit on smaller lots, he said.
During the meeting, Councilor Gary Allen of District 6 expressed concern about potential flooding for some homes near a wetland area in the proposed site plan.
“When you build homes in a wetland area, you’re asking for problems,” he said. “The city, over the years, has had to buy homes that we allowed to be built in a wetland area.”
Two detention ponds intended to decrease flooding from stormwater are included in the site plan from Wizer Homes.
Traffic leads 1 councilor to oppose Columbus rezoning
Councilor Byron Hickey of District 1 told residents in a November community meeting that he would be opposed to the rezoning request, and he reiterated his intentions to vote against this request again during the council meeting.
Hickey said he had not felt any pressure from his constituents on this issue, but said he came to his decision after speaking to residents’ about their concerns.
“Their request was reasonable,” Hickey said. “Their concerns were reasonable. And I agree with each and every (person) that I spoke with.”
He believes the project would create a traffic problem in the area in the long term, Hickey said, which led to his decision to vote against the rezoning. He asked other members of the council to support him in voting against it.
Councilors Tucker and Crabb told the Ledger-Enquirer they will likely be voting against the rezoning.
Councilor Joanne Cogle of District 7 said she has to do more research before making a decision.
The residents against the rezoning request have made it clear they’re not against development, Crabb told the Ledger-Enquirer, but they do not want the area rezoned.
“They expect development to happen in those 111 acres,” she said. “They just want it to be developed under the current zoning.”
The council will vote on the request at its Jan. 28 meeting at 5:30 p.m.
