The city’s elusive comprehensive plan, which will guide city development for the next decade, was discussed during Monday’s meeting of the Columbus Planning Commission, but no action was taken on the issue.
“We’ve talked about this a couple of times,” City Planner Christina Berry said. “We are trying to balance the plan with the possible upcoming annexation. The comprehensive plan will be mostly used for rezoning and zoning issues. If the plan is passed and annexation goes through, it may be two conflicting things. The consultants that drew up the plan didn’t know we were going through annexation when this was designed.”
The Columbus City Council unanimously voted in July to file its plan to annex four areas in Lowndes County Chancery Court, which settles disputes involving equity, among other civil cases.
The largest area proposed for annexation is along Lehmberg Road from Hobbes Sheffield Road south to Yorkville Road East.
The plan would also bring the Riverwalk into the city limits, as well as the recently built Columbus Middle School at the corner of highways 45 and 373 and part of Woodland Heights Drive, which is east off of Highway 45 North.
The annexation would add about 1,462 residents, 638 homes and 44 businesses, with a total value of $64.4 million.
“I don’t see how we can annex without a comprehensive plan,” commission member Quinn Brislin said.
Commission president Kevin Stafford said the commission would continue to discuss the plan before voting on it.
The commission also on Monday elected Kevin Stafford as commission president and Lance Conn as vice president. Two carnivals were given permission by the commission to set up in Leigh Mall’s parking lot. One begins May 16, and the other will begin July 5. The carnivals will be voted on by the City Council for final approval.
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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