Humane Society’s request for land for new shelter approved by Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Central Missouri Humane Society's request for a plat of land for a new shelter was unanimously approved by the Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission at a Thursday night meeting.

This comes after a City of Columbia official said earlier Thursday that approving a plat for CMHS would not fit into the city's comprehensive plan. Because of that, city Development Services staff recommended the Planning and Zoning Commission to reject the request.

Crockett Engineering submitted a request to the city on behalf of the Sorrels Family Trust for approval of one plat for the Central Missouri Humane Society, according to a staff report. The land is an 18.62-acre site at 1003 E. Brown School Road, off Highway 763. The case was tabled during the commission’s June 6 meeting. 

The plot is now divided into five parcels.

The current Central Missouri Humane Society shelter located on Big Bear Boulevard was built in 1976. An addition was added 12 years later to make room for more kennels and further renovations were made after winning the 2009 Zootoo.com Shelter Makeover Competition. 

Columbia Development Services Manager Patrick Zenner told ABC 17 News that the request was expected to be denied based on the city's comprehensive plan, potential impacts on surrounding land uses and the understanding that a different zoning designation could better align with the city's comprehensive plan and surrounding residential areas.

Zenner suggested a mixed-use neighborhood (M-N) zoning, which allows less intense commercial uses than mixed-use corridor (M-C) and would require a conditional use permit for constructing a new Humane Society animal shelter.

The area is currently zoned as residential single family. The commission opted to go ahead with M-C zoning for the area, which was what Crockett and CMHS were hoping for. That designation would allow for potential future growth if the Humane Society wants to build a campus that could include groomers, a vet, and other resources for animals. 

The city was concerned that while the Humane Society’s intentions were good, others could take advantage of the new designation for the wrong reasons, but still voted in favor of the request.

A representative of Crockett Engineering claimed to have the support of neighbors. About a dozen people in support of CMHS attended the meeting.

"I don't want to speak for everybody, but I believe most of the folks in the crowd tonight are in support of this development," the representative from Crockett said. "I don't think we have any opposition here tonight."

Check back for updates to this developing story.