Columbia City Council considers westside business park
UPDATE: The city council approved the rezoning of the land for Westbury Village in a 4-3 vote.
Mayor Brian Treece, First Ward councilman Clyde Ruffin, Second Ward councilman Michael Trapp and Fifth Ward councilman Matt Pitzer voted to allow for commercial uses that several residents said would negatively impact the area. That includes 24-hour convenience stores or fast food restaurants.
Travis McGee, developer of the project, said he expected to break ground on the project as early as this summer.
ORIGINAL: Developers of a west Columbia business and residential campus will seek city council approval on Monday night for their plan.
The owners of 45 acres of land west of Scott Boulevard will need five council votes to move forward on the construction of Westbury Village, a village market development at Scott Boulevard and Smith Drive. The Planning and Zoning Commission rejected the proposed layout of Westbury Village in December.
The proposal calls for a 45,000-square-foot grocery store, as well as a dozen lots for commercial use, such as restaurants, banks and gas stations. A 312-unit residential development would also be built between the businesses and the existing neighborhoods.
Residents living nearby criticized the plan at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, fearing the potential future businesses along Scott Boulevard would bring more traffic through their neighborhoods. The commission recommended that the council rezone parts of the land for mixed use-neighborhood and multiple-family dwelling, but rejected rezoning for mixed-use corridor, which allows for businesses.
If approved, developers will reconfigure several streets in the area, including Smith Drive, Faurot Drive and Scott Boulevard. The companies will also pay $160,475 to offset the cost of the city installing traffic lights as part of the reconfiguration at Scott Boulevard and Smith Drive.
