Standing just outside the City Council Chambers in a charcoal grey suit, Tim Crockett watched stone-faced as Columbia resident Robin Rotman presented a spirited public comment in opposition of Crockett’s Canton Estates development.
At least two dozen residents from Friends of Rock Bridge and Gans Creek Allies joined Rotman in her mission at Monday night’s City Council meeting, many wearing a green pin with a simple message: “Save Gans Creek." The proposed subdivision would border Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, which includes the Gans Creek Wild Area, sparking environmental concerns for residents.
Neither side truly won Monday night. To move forward, Crockett needs a waiver allowing early resubmission, and the council determined it was not ready to hand the waiver over just yet. Council members agreed to wait until a November work session with the county, since the development land is currently outside city limits, to further explore the issue.
The Canton Estates development, proposed by Rob Hill via Crockett Engineering, was first put forward in April. After hitting a brick wall of public opposition and Planning and Zoning hesitancy, Crockett Engineering withdrew in June. It submitted a new concept review Aug. 30, once again drawing the ire of the proposed development’s neighbors.
“If there was ever a development proposal where the developer should not be allowed to cut corners, where the public input process should not be curtailed, it’s this one,” Rotman said.
City staff found that Crockett Engineering’s new concept review submission was not “substantially different” from the proposal made earlier this year. As such, in order for it to move forward with its proposal at this point, the firm needs to acquire a waiver from the council allowing it to reapply early. Rotman, as well as Friends of Rock Bridge President Kevin Roberson, made public comments asking that the council not provide that waiver.
“I wanted to make sure that you know that we care deeply,” Roberson said to the council, “and this is still important to us.”
Roberson pointed out that Hill himself is a member of Friends of Rock Bridge — “He’s proud of that,” Roberson said — and was hoping that Hill or Crockett Engineering would reach out to the group to address concerns after the withdrawal of the previous proposal. Roberson said they never did.
When Hill started a petition in support of the development back in April, he noted high demand for housing and accused environmental groups of trying to "dictate policy," according to previous Missourian reporting.
In September, the average single-family home in Columbia was listed on the market for only 17 days, down 52% from a year prior, according to the Columbia Board of Realtors. Housing inventory was down as well.
First Ward Council Member Pat Fowler was the first to propose denying the waiver. She also asked the council to look into a conservation overlay requested by environmental groups at the previous council meeting, "given the sensitivity of the wild area as an irreplaceable asset to the state of Missouri," she said.
The council did not agree on the conservation overlay Monday night but decided to discuss it further with the county at the joint Nov. 15 meeting.
