The oft-delayed comprehensive plan for the City of Columbia finally had its first public review Monday night during a meeting of the Columbia Planning Commission.

Columbia City Administrator Doug Brimm provided an overview of major issues addressed in the plan.

“It is with a certain degree of excitement that we have the public hearing scheduled this evening for the draft comprehensive plan that is intended to serve as the road map for Columbia’s growth and development for the next 20 years,” Brimm began. “This is one of the most important documents any municipality has. All decisions that are made with regards to land use, zoning, planning, economic development should be in concert with the comprehensive plan.”

Much of the discussion Monday night focused on how Columbia can foster a continuing trend of increased demand for residential properties in light of geographic limitations specific to the city.

“We do anticipate a high level of growth,” Brimm began, noting there are currently “350 homes in various stages of planning, whether through the subdivisions process or the actual building permit planning process.”

While the number of people who choose to reside in Columbia increases, the city faces the challenge of where to provide housing options.

“We’re running out of space, frankly,” Brimm continued. “It’s something that we’re starting to see an upswing in what we call ‘infill development’… That’s where you’re taking homes down or you’re building on lots that for whatever reason haven’t developed, typically because of access to utilities or other obstacles or impediments.”

Brimm then explained the city’s “unique situation” where options are “extremely limited.” 

Due west is the Mississippi River, and there will be an increase in Bottoms parcels labeled as “floodplain” when the latest FEMA maps are finalized. To the north is the Village of Dupo, and to the east are large tracts of karst topography unsuitable for residential or commercial development.

“What this comprehensive plan is intended to do is set a course for the territory that is in city limits currently, but where do we anticipate growing in the next 20 years?” Brimm asked, adding the area south along the Route 3 corridor  is the “path of least resistance” and would be the logical place for expansion.

Brimm then introduced John Brancaglione of PGAV Planners, author of the most recent version of the comprehensive plan which will replace the “20/20 Master Plan” adopted in 2005. 

Brancaglione began with an overview of demographic data contained in the plan before addressing the issues Brimm described.  

With the rate of residential growth in Columbia over the past decade being the highest in the St. Louis region – similar to areas like St. Charles, Mo. – Brancaglione said single-family units should not be the main focus of development. 

Brancaglione said inflation, higher cost of home ownership and other factors have made renting more attractive to the younger demographic. Furthermore,  many “empty nesters” and residents nearing retirement are choosing smaller, rental properties.

The draft plan suggests town houses, “row” houses and “upscale” multi-family dwelling units offer a way to meet the demands of potential residents while maintaining the vision for Columbia expressed through input given by current residents.

The plan also states that, as a part of a “large metro area, Columbia cannot divorce itself from its role as a ‘bedroom community,’” one which a majority of residents do not work where they live.

The draft plan further states “residents want their children to be able to return to Columbia to live and work. To achieve that goal, the city needs to offer the ‘live, relax and play’ components (social gathering places, bars and restaurants, sports facilities, reasonable access to services and retail commercial entities). This will help develop a core of the younger population who are passionate about and want to live in the city. While job creation is an important component  of the vision, having affordable housing options to attract and support young professionals and new families is of equal importance.”

Brancaglione continued his review of the draft plan, focusing on possible commercial development along the I-255 corridor and enhancing the appeal of Main Street businesses, among other topics. 

A video of the entire public hearing may be viewed on the Columbia, IL – Government  Facebook page.

Several times during his presentation, Brancaglione referenced a prior version of the comprehensive plan, referring to a draft submitted by Shockey Consulting Services, the company originally hired to assist with development of the new comprehensive plan.

Brancaglione told the commission his version diverged from what Shockey Consulting produced in that “it focuses more on information that I believe is helpful in making the kinds of decisions a commission and city council should make.”

When the comprehensive plan process began in 2021, Shockey Consulting Services was chosen to oversee the project, but PGAV – who also oversaw creation of a Columbia business district plan this year – took over the project some time after the termination of community development director Scott Dunakey, who was let go in May 2023 in part due to issues pertaining to the earlier draft versions of the comprehensive plan, which did not jibe with city officials’ expectations.

For example, regarding the “implementation strategies” section of the new draft plan, Brancaglione  on Monday said the “previous effort at trying to get this done was pretty preachy” and “somewhat dictatorial.”

He clarified by saying the implementation section requires the input of not only the commission and city council but also the city’s public works staff and other officials.

The new version, Brancaglione argued, acted more as a guide for what should garner the city’s attention rather than an explicit demand for action.

Furthermore, Brancaglione said he tried to save the city money on “billable hours” by using most of the data compiled in the previous version of the plan, but that enough time had passed since its gathering that it bordered on being “dated,” and he updated where necessary.

One such data point, Brimm pointed out, was information concerning where Columbia residents work.

In the initial data set, Cook County was 10th on the list of counties in which the Columbia work force resides. Per the updated information, Brimm said Cook County jumped to third on that list, which he credited to the remote work environment created during the era of COVID-19 restrictions.

At the end of the hearing, Brimm said the draft comprehensive plan would be discussed during the Dec. 16 Columbia City Council meeting, with passage of the plan anticipated in January.

The Columbia Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of this plan pending several minor amendments, mostly involving typos or Monroe County being named as Madison County.

The draft copy of the comprehensive plan may be viewed at Columbia City Hall or online at columbiail.gov.