New details released in new Columbia police station project

City planners released new details on the police department’s substation in north Columbia.

The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the city’s request 8-0 for the Planned Development Plan for the station.

Designs from McClure Engineering show the two-story building will have 33 parking spots for the public and 107 parking spots for police. The two lots will be separated by a secured gate, said Tom Wooten, the engineer working on the plan.

The city budgeted $9.69 million for the design and construction of the building at Rangeline Street and International Drive, paid through the quarter-cent capital improvement sales tax. Residents in the north side neighborhood have told city leaders about their hopes for a community room in the new station, a facility they say the area lacks.

City planner Rachel Bacon said the public could park on International Drive if the 33 public spaces fill up. Commissioner Rusty Strodtman said he hoped the overflow parking would accommodate the public when using the community room.

“I was thinking at first that 33 wasn’t adequate enough,” Strodtman said. “Obviously, it’s a police station, but I do know the neighborhood was very adamant about using it as a community room, too.”

The city will need to extend a water main across International Drive to reach the site, according to Bacon. She did not know how long the extension would have to be, but said the Utilities Department was helping design it.

Before construction, the city will also need to obtain a floodplain development permit. A portion of the police parking lot is located in a floodplain overlay district, Bacon said.