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PrintMembers of the North Central Columbia Neighborhood Association voted this week to make changes to their proposed Urban Conservation Overlay District in an attempt to appease opponents and expedite its approval.
At a meeting Tuesday, North Central President Linda Rootes suggested eliminating the design review board from the overlay district. The review board, which was the most hotly contested aspect of the plan, would have had the authority to review development projects in the neighborhood and to advise city officials on whether plans should be approved.
Without an official design review board, the NCCNA itself would become the de facto review board. Already, residents talk to the NCCNA before applying for rezoning or major changes to property.
Association members also discussed recommending that the overlay district be approved as a plan rather than a city ordinance. Like the Metro 2020 plan, it would be available for reference by the Columbia City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission, but it would not be binding.
Rootes and fellow NCCNA members Gary Kespohl, Paul Land and Sid Sullivan will continue to work on modifying the document in hopes of speeding the decision-making process.
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