‘We’re being ignored.’ Columbus residents fight against 143-acre development

Midland residents packed a meeting room at the Psalmond Road Recreation Center last month to fight against a proposed rezoning for a mixed use development.

They oppose the project called Midland Downs, a plan to turn the 143 wooded acres at 9101 Macon Road in Columbus into a residential and commercial development. Traffic, crime, and overcrowding in schools are among their concerns. Tense conversations about these issues lasted for almost three hours at the July 21 meeting.

Mayor Pro Tem and Columbus Councilor Gary Allen of District 6 and Garrett Pines Homeowners Association board member Chris Osborne helped set up 60 chairs for the meeting. Shortly before the 7 p.m. start, it was standing room only.

Philip Thayer, partner at Thayer-Bray Construction and developer at Midland Downs Development LLC, fielded questions and concerns from residents.

Mayor Skip Henderson, deputy city manager Pam Hodge, planning director Will Johnson and assistant planning director John Renfroe also attended.

What’s in the Midland Downs project plan?

Midland Downs Development LLC bought the land at 9101 Macon Road in 2014 from Jackson Burgin Inc. for $235,875, according to public records.

The Midland Downs complex is not a new proposal. Thayer said the project was presented back in 2011, and it was approved by the Columbus Planning Advisory Committee (PAC). The original proposal included 214 apartments and a commercial building.

“It was a project where we had two family farms that had been in families for years that we put together, and we wanted to create a residential development for families,” Thayer said during the meeting. “It still kept a feel of the Midland Downs in the surrounding area, and what frankly makes Midland special to Columbus.”

Thayer said he spearheaded the creation of an additional access road, Calumet Drive.

The road was supposed to be the alternative entrance to the apartment complex and commercial building, he said.

Deeds were issued for the construction of Calumet Drive, Yellow Pine Road and a portion of Yarborough Road in 2011, according to council agenda archives.

But further construction for the project constantly was delayed for 14 years. It was unexpected, Thayer said. He didn’t give details about what caused the delays.

“It was just like problem after problem,” Thayer said.

This year, Midland Downs Development LLC requested a major amendment to its plan. The company asked to change the number of units being built from 214 to 342, adding over 100 more townhomes to the residential area.

“We’ve reduced the amount of traffic going into the commercial area,” Thayer said. “We are talking about adding some multifamily [homes], but we have offset some of that with the commercial [area] getting reduced in the area.”

Thayer said this increase is ultimately to help subsidize construction costs, helping the project turns a profit.

“That’s the minimum it takes,” he said.

Despite public pushback, the PAC approved the Midland Downs request at their July 11 meeting The PAC’s action is a recommendation to Columbus Council, which has the power to approve or veto the rezoning.

The PAC is considering presenting the rezoning request at the council’s Aug. 26 meeting, according to Johnson.

Allen deferred the Ledger-Enquirer’s questions to Thayer, who declined to comment further for this story.

Why residents oppose Midland Downs development

Osborne started a petition after the rezoning request was filed.

The petition lists many of the concerns expressed at the meeting. Traffic, crime and overcrowded schools were among the most mentioned. The bottom line, Osborne said, is the volume of people coming in.

“This is not an opposition to growth,” Osborne wrote in the petition. “To the contrary, we welcome new neighbors. This is simply a call for sensible planning that acknowledges that increasing the number of units in the same area designed for 128 fewer is reckless.”

The petition garnered over 400 signatures in the first three days it was active. As of Aug. 5, the petition had 603 signatures.

Osborne led conversations about traffic concerns. He said residents are most concerned about bringing increased traffic to Calumet Drive, which residents claim is the most-used shortcut to bypass heavy traffic on Macon Road.

“Whatever the impact is, traffic is going to increase going back and forth through Calumet Drive,” Osborne said during the meeting.

Thayer said traffic mitigation in this area will require assistance from the Georgia Department of Transportation. The response usually comes after the problem arises, he said.

“They have certain warrant criteria that traffic gets to a certain point, they look at other various data to say, ‘Hey, it’s time for a traffic light,’” Thayer said. “We can drive the request for that at the time when that comes.”

PAC estimates the average amount of daily trips will increase from 2341 trips to 3395 trips, according to their staff report.

Issues with Midland Downs development agitate residents

A city ordinance requires the developer to notify homes within 300 feet of the proposed development, which limits communication to the Garrett Pines neighborhood. However, social media posts about the proposal drew a larger crowd, including some from the Midland Downs community and others living even farther away.

Thayer said the majority of communication with the surrounding neighborhoods would be hosted on Facebook. His answer further agitated some residents at the public meeting.

Judy Rowe is one of those residents. She heard about the meeting on Nextdoor, a hyperlocal social media site for neighboring communities.

“Everyone doesn’t have Facebook,” Rowe said. “That’s a problem.”

Rowe addressed her concerns about overcrowded schools and increased traffic to the city officials during the public meeting. She said she is worried that the increase in family homes would put stress on the nearby schools.

“How are we going to fit [the new students] in [the schools]?” Rowe asked. “I’d like that to be addressed.”

“To my understanding, as the population grows, [the schools] will react to that,” Allen said in response. “That’s all I can say about that.”

Rowe told the Ledger-Enquirer she was unsatisfied with that response.

“We know progress is coming out here, but we don’t want to be run over by people that just want to make money,” she said. “That’s what it boils down to. We have a police department that’s limited right now. We know that we need schools. … Why don’t [the developers] come up with that instead?”

Concerned residents Carlos and John Marrero attended the PAC meeting, and two hours into the meeting in the rec center, they stormed out.

“We continue to come to meeting after meeting, but [officials] are doing nothing,” Carlos told the Ledger-Enquirer. “It’s nothing for two hours, nothing for three hours. Why have this meeting if nothing changes?”

“We feel like we’re being ignored,” John added. “Everything is like, ‘No matter what you say, no matter what you do, this is what we’re gonna do.” So, it’s like, ‘Why are we coming to this meeting for you to waste our time?’”

The Marreros bought their house in the Midland Downs neighborhood two years ago, after John’s mom retired from the Army. John said his family had been living in only apartments, and they wanted to move to a place that was more peaceful and quiet. Now, he said, these apartments threaten that serenity.

“We’re not gonna have any type of privacy or any silence,” John said.

Thayer said during the meeting that it’s unlikely for him to reconsider the number of units proposed in the rezoning request.