Columbus Council’s vote decides controversial rezoning request after residents organize
It was standing room only again Tuesday night as the Columbus Council decided the fate of a controversial rezoning request of a parcel of land on Macon Road that’s led to hundreds of residents organizing against the development.
Councilors unanimously voted against rezoning 111.56 acres at 5201 Macon Road, which would have made way for a new residential development.
Dave Erickson, a general contractor representing Wizer Home Builders of Opelika, brought the request to rezone the land to the council after theColumbus Planning Advisory Commission recommended denying the proposed development.
The area would have continued to mostly be zoned for single-family homes if the request had been approved, but the lot sizes would have been smaller.
A small portion of the land would have been rezoned for multifamily housing, making way for townhomes bordering an undeveloped property zoned for apartments.
The site plan listed 337 units in total with 84 townhomes and 253 single-family homes. All of the units would be for-sale only, Erickson said.
This was the second developer to attempt to rezone the land after Proterra of Atlanta failed to get their rezoning request approved last year.
Residents of the nearby subdivisions organized to prevent the rezoning 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.
During a Jan. 7 meeting, councilors’ questions echoed residents’ concerns about flooding and traffic. Councilor Toyia Tucker of District 4 asked Erickson whether the development could be accomplished without changing the zoning.
The rezoning request was in line with zoning for similar Columbus subdivisions over the past three decades, Erickson argued during the Jan. 7 meeting. Wizer could do the development without changing the zoning, he said, but this wouldn’t be as efficient.
The large pushback from nearby residents limits what the property owner, listed as Calhoun Investments LLC of Fortson, could do with their land, Erickson said during the first reading.
Reaction to Columbus Council’s vote
He was disappointed in the council’s vote and in the city, Erickson told the Ledger-Enquirer after Tuesday night’s meeting. People talk about the housing needs of the city a lot, he said, but when the opportunity for a “normal” subdivision came, it was shouted down.
“I don’t think that’s in the best interest of the city,” Erickson said.
The contractor did not comment whether Wizer plans to continue to try to develop the property.
Gregory Foster, a Columbus resident from the Chatham Woods neighborhood, told the Ledger-Enquirer any developer should make getting community feedback a priority.
“You would be surprised by how much a developer would get if he came to us and spoke to us intelligently,” Foster said.
He is not against development, Foster said, but he worries about the chance of renters moving into the new development. The area has a close-knit community, he said, and people are committed to making things better in their area.
They recently had problems with wild hogs, Foster said. And over the holidays, neighbors worked together to put up about 25 fences to keep the hogs out, he said.
“That’s the commitment we’re looking for,” he said. “I don’t think you get that type of commitment from people that are transient.”
Erickson promised in multiple meetings that none of the units in the proposed development would be sold to corporations or used as rental properties.
The council’s vote showed Columbus residents could come together for a common cause, said resident and community organizer Karen Gaskins. She hopes their neighborhoods’ success inspires others in Columbus to become more civically engaged to fight for their communities.
“Our councilmen did listen,” Gaskins told the Ledger-Enquirer. “They did the will of the people.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 10:40 AM.
