Richland Road Redux

After a somewhat contentious Planning and Zoning Commission hearing on an application to annex and rezone 271 acres on Columbia’s east border, the commission decided to spend its next work session talking about staff/commission communication.

Airport’s Master Plan May Realign Rangeline

Columbia residents living on Rangeline Road near the Columbia Regional Airport may be attending a meeting about the airport’s master plan and its effects on their street in the future.

The master plan wants to extend the runway to allow for bigger planes, which would call for a realignment of Rangeline Road near the airport. The realignment won’t take out any houses and Boone County Commissioner Karen Miller said she didn’t know how much land would be affected.

Miller discussed the idea of a public meeting about the realignment at the city and county government meeting on June 24. She said the area is in her district and she wants residents in the area to be given notice about what’s going on so it won’t be a big surprise to them. No date for the public meeting has been set.

Jill Stedem, public information specialist with Columbia’s Public Works Department, said the realignment of Rangeline Road has not been approved yet. She said the city has been in contact with some of the neighbors in the area but a public meeting specifically about the realignment would be held if the realignment were passed.

Public Information Meeting Went Unattended

No one, including the applicants, attended a public information meeting Monday night about changing the zoning of a property near the St. Charles Road and Richland Road intersection.

Bette S. Weiss is asking for zoning which would allow the property to be used for downtown uses such as restaurants, stores and offices. The property currently houses three residences, all owned by Weiss. If the application is approved, she would more than likely sell the land to a developer, Department of Planning and Development Planner Steve MacIntyre said.

The public information meeting was the first step in the process. The application must also pass the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council. MacIntyre said he doesn’t know what the probability of the application passing is.

It’s tricky to anticipate what will happen with the application down the road, MacIntyre said

Monday’s meeting was the second public information meeting for this tract of land and the tract is on its second application. The first application was withdrawn after a neighboring development application at Richland Road withdrew its application.

Columbia’s Daily Dish (June 25, 2009)

· DLC moves forward with urban design planning (CM)    After hours of research and discussion about the future of downtown, the Downtown Leadership Council has released an interim report that outlines the next steps toward a redevelopment of the central city.

· Planners seek input on new I-70 interchange (CDT)    As the west side of Columbia grows, traffic engineers and planners say congested Stadium Boulevard won’t be adequate to move that traffic to other parts of the city.

· Funding for MKT bridge repairs needs to be increased, official says (CM)     The city will have to shuffle some money around to come up with enough to pay for repairs to two bridges on the MKT Trail.

Columbia’s Daily Dish (June 19, 2009)

· Planning and Zoning Commission denies Richland Road annexation request (CM) — Despite the city staff’s recommendation, the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously opposed annexing 271 acres owned by Richland Road Properties LLC and East Richland Road Properties LLC  on the east border of Columbia.

· Forsee and curators ask Nixon not to veto funding bill (CM) — After consulting with the UM System Board of Curators on Friday morning, President Gary Forsee and the board sent a statement to Gov. Jay Nixon asking him not to veto House Bill 22, a capital improvements bill.

· Open house to address Scott Boulevard extension (CM) — Columbia residents are invited to the Activity and Recreation Center on Monday for an open house on plans for an extension of Scott Boulevard and Interstate 70.

· City puts hold on vacancy (CDT) — Two applicants were already in the running for a vacancy on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, but citing the need for a larger pool of candidates, the Columbia City Council reopened the application period this week.

Columbia’s Daily Dish (June 18, 2009)

· Columbia residents, leaders differ on idea of curfew for teens (CM)     While Columbia officials and residents begin to line up for or against the idea of a curfew for teens — raised recently by Mayor Darwin Hindman and Councilwoman Laura Nauser — several neighboring communities have had a teen curfew for years and say they’ve seen a reduction in youth crime.

· MU to receive grant to reduce carbon footprint (CM)     MU was selected to receive a $35,000 to $50,000 grant to help develop ways of reducing the university’s carbon footprint, according to a news release from the Rocky Mountain Institute, which administers the grant.

Columbia’s Daily Dish (June 17, 2009)

· Plans made for Columbia street mural and bicycle boulevard (CM)     Following in the footsteps of communities across the country, city leaders have made a plan to paint a mural on the pavement at the intersection of Windsor and Ripley streets.

· City tests out lower speed limits for neighborhoods (CDT)     Based on local data that challenge existing studies on speed limits, the Columbia City Council has requested a draft ordinance that could lower the residential speed limit to 25 mph throughout the city.

Columbia’s Daily Dish (June 16, 2009)

· Joint Communications issues dominate premeeting of City Council (CM)     Staffing and organizational issues at Public Safety Joint Communications dominated the Columbia City Council’s precouncil meeting, as did concerns about the Office of Emergency Management and the Roots ‘N’ Blues ‘N’ BBQ Festival.

· UPDATE: Bicycle harassment ordinance passes unanimously (CM)     A bicyclist harassment ordinance passed unanimously at the City Council meeting Monday after nearly an hour and a half of discussion.

· City Council approves new neighborhood association (CM)     A new neighborhood association in downtown Columbia was approved Monday night by the City Council.

· City Council approves plans for sidewalk construction on West Worley Street (CM)     Plans for a new sidewalk on the north side of West Worley Street are moving forward after the City Council unanimously voted to approve them, despite objections from some local residents. 

· Police reorganize response areas (CDT)     The Columbia Police Department is taking its first step toward a geographic policing system by reorganizing the neighborhoods where officers are assigned to patrol.

City Council Approaches MoDOT About Speed Limit

City Manager Bill Watkins sent a letter to MoDOT asking for a lower speed limit on U.S. 63 through Columbia.

In the letter addressed to District Engineer Roger Schwartze, Watkins asked MoDOT to lower the speed limit to 60 mph and asked why I-70 already has a lowered speed limit of 60 mph while U.S. 63 does not.

Schwartze said MoDOT just received Watkins’ letter and will be conducting speed studies and looking at accident information for the stretch of U.S. 63 that runs through Columbia to determine whether or not to lower the speed limit.

Schwartze said he doesn’t know how long it will take to lower the speed limit, if it is lowered, because he does not know the traffic engineers’ schedules, but he thinks the speed studies should be started quickly. He said he can’t say what the likelihood of lowering the speed limit will be because the data has not been compiled yet.

As far as the differing speed limits on I-70 and U.S. 63, Schwartze said that is determined  by the legislature. He said in cities with populations greater than 50,000, which would Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia on I-70, the speed limit is regulated at 60 mph.

Schwartze said he talks with Watkins regularly and doubts he will be meeting with the City Council but said MoDOT will be responding to the letter.

Columbia’s Daily Dish (June 12, 2009)

· Friday is the official switchover to digital television (CM)     If you haven’t heard about the digital television transition and use a TV set with an antenna manufactured earlier than 2004, then your TV may go blank forever unless you take action.

· New bridge design will reduce flooding in McBaine (CM)      Officials say a new bridge over Perche Creek on Burr Oak Road will be safer than the current structure for drivers and will help prevent flooding in McBaine, thanks to a new design.

· Columbia Library will get additional parking spaces for patrons (CM)     Plans to construct a new parking lot for the Columbia Public Library at the intersection of Garth Avenue and Walnut Street was approved by the county library board Thursday night.

· Columbia considers cyclist harassment ordinance (CM)     Gail Ludwig, an MU assistant professor of geography, prides herself on being a very careful cyclist. She knows the hand signal she needs to do to when she makes a left-hand turn. She uses cycling as her main method of commuting. And while she doesn’t have too many “horror stories,” she’s had some experiences on her bike she wishes had never happened.

· Idea of city chickens is complex (CDT)     Board of Health members last night pondered a familiar question with a twist: How can a chicken cross the road — into the city limits?

· New law to affect those building by streams (CDT)     Clean water and flood control are common goals, but there are differing views about whether a new stream buffer ordinance is the best way to achieve them.