A proposal to build 77 triplex-style homes in east Columbia was rejected Tuesday night by the Columbia City Council after more than a dozen residents of an adjacent neighborhood spoke against it.
Endorsed by Columbia's Planning and Zoning Commission in September, the Ashford Place development would have consisted of 77 single-family attached dwelling units built on undeveloped land north of The Brooks neighborhood along Route WW in east Columbia. Most of the structures would have had three homes per residential lot.
The triplexes would have become accessible through extensions of Sagemoor Drive and Bethpage Road, with Sagemoor connecting the subdivision to East Broadway. Currently, The Brooks neighborhood houses single-family detached properties in that area.
But it was the potential impact on traffic that persuaded a majority of City Council members to vote no. The proposal failed by a vote of 3-4 after more than two hours of testimony and deliberation.
Residents said the proposal wouldn't be a good fit for the neighborhood.
“Our concerns are not about who lives in these homes, whether they are rented or owned, or about issues such as property values or crime. Our concerns are about the design of the plan and the implications it creates for traffic, safety, parking and long term precedence,” one resident, Peggy Kirkpatrick, told the council.
First Ward councilperson Valerie Carroll detailed her concerns for the Sagemoor Drive extension, citing potential issues with speeding should the project not follow the correct traffic safety protocols.
“My concern here is that we have a design that sets us up for encouraging speeding,” Carroll said.
Expanding on Carroll's concerns, Stephanie Bell, a legal representative of residents on Kingston Heath Drive, spoke on the unreliability of trusting a traffic impact study of the area conducted in 2017.
"The developer claims a 2017 traffic study covers this project," Bell said. "The study is nearly nine years old and relies on data that is as old as 12 years. Industry standards require data within 18 months."
Clinton Smith, the city's community development director, spoke at length regarding the project’s viability, focusing on the location’s appropriateness for single-family home development.
“On the spectrum of housing and how we would look at impacts next to them, single-family detached is probably the least impactful, and single-family attached is probably the next least impactful,” Smith said.
Later on in the discussion, council members were conflicted when presenting their thoughts on the project. Third Ward councilperson Jacque Sample recognized the need for housing, but was concerned about the path taken to achieve those goals with the Ashford Place project.
"This is difficult because Columbia does need housing. However, my concerns lie with what I feel is a lack of infrastructure. I do feel like we're doing this backwards," Sample said.
Carroll, Nick Foster and Don Waterman voted for the proposal. Sample, Vera Elwood and Betsy Peters and Mayor Barbara Buffaloe voted against the proposal.
If the project had been approved, preliminary development obligations between the city and Troy Miller Properties LLC, the applicant wishing to develop Ashford Place, would have begun. The future of development on the property is now uncertain.
Historic preservation
Earlier in the meeting, a conditional use permit was approved by the council for the construction of a detached accessory dwelling unit on a property located on South Glenwood Avenue. The approximately 800-square-foot additional unit would be attached to the property’s three-car detached garage.
However, public comment was split on the necessity for the project, with concerns for historic preservation clashing with adherence to city rental policy throughout the discourse. Former First Ward councilperson Pat Fowler challenged the current council’s stance on rental properties.
“We seem to have a predisposition, whether we realize it or not, that somehow there’s something wrong with rental property,” Fowler said.
FY 2026 budget
The fiscal year 2026 annual budget was amended to reallocate funds.
Among the changes is an appropriation of more than $291,000 from the city to enter into an agreement with the National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform.
The agreement with the the institute will provide Columbia's Office of Violence Prevention with services including gun violence problem analysis, violence reduction landscape analysis, violence reduction strategic plan creation and more.
Other items
- Parks and Recreation staff introduced a report requested by the council regarding restroom access in the downtown area of Columbia. The staff discussed the possibility of installing permanent restroom facilities in multiple areas.
- The council also approved the date for the First and Fifth Wards municipal election, which will take place April 7. Under the City Charter, a regular election for municipal officials is held every April.
- Public Works Director Shane Creech and Chief Financial Officer Matthew Lue presented the proposed renovations for the first floor of the Daniel Boone City Building. The remodel would be approximately 2,350 feet around the former Daniel Boone Tavern lobby, with the total estimated cost for the project being $800,000.
- Council members also approved a proposal to allow them to participate in council meetings virtually under certain circumstances.
