COLUMBIA — The City of Columbia is continuing to make efforts to address the city’s housing crisis after the city council agreed to rezone a parcel of land near the intersection of Scott Boulevard and Smith Drive on Monday.
The nearly 5-acre piece of land was previously zoned for single-family dwellings. It is now zoned as a multi-family dwelling, opening up the possibility for the development of apartments. The council previously voted to rezone the same plot of land as mixed-use office development at the Sept. 16 council meeting, according to reporting by the Columbia Missourian.
Councilmember Nick Foster, whose Fourth Ward includes the property, said rezoning the property was the right decision.
“We need to take steps right away to address our need for housing,” Foster said. “It’s a crisis and we need to respond to it in that way.”
Though, Foster said the city council is committed to addressing the need for housing, some residents who live by the rezoned property feel there are already enough options in the area.
“There is a saturated market in my viewpoint,” said Resident Alma said. “Considering another apartment was not a good decision. On a piece of paper it looks like that’s the logical thing to do but living here is entirely different.”
Other concerned residents, like Sonya Germain, voiced their opinions in front of the city council on Monday.
“The rezoning could negatively affect property values in the surrounding neighborhoods,” Germain said. “Potential homebuyers may be deterred by the proximity to congested areas and the associated traffic, noise, and privacy concerns.”
In a written statement, Chief Executive Officer of the Columbia Board of Realtors, Brian Toohey refuted this claim.
“The Columbia Board of Realtors does not have any data proving that higher-density zoning lowers the property values of neighboring properties,” Toohey wrote.
Dan and Audrey Barraco, the current owners of the property said they are currently searching for a buyer for the property. It is not yet known how many housing units will be built at the property.