Boone County development with hundreds of units gets zoning approval
Olivia Hayes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Boone County Commission has rezoned property for a proposed subdivision that will add 219 units to the county’s housing stock.
The new development, Willow Creek East, will be built off St. Charles Road, east of Columbia. The proposal — by Crockett Engineering — includes single-family lots, cottage lots and accessory dwelling units.
“Smaller lot sizes is great. More, more multifamily opportunities, is just great to see. It’s refreshing to see certainly the private sector bring those forward and we are happy to get it through,” Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick said about the new development.
An October housing study by Boone County and the City of Columbia showed a lack of housing across all income levels, particularly for low-income families, young adults and first-time homebuyers. The study reported that an overall shortage of homes is significantly contributing to the affordability deficit.
The Boone County Master Plan projects that roughly 37,000 new housing units will be needed in Boone County by 2050.
According to Empower Missouri’s Affordable Housing Coalition, a full-time worker must earn $20.83 an hour to afford a two-bedroom rental home. Workers earning minimum wage have to work at least 55 hours per week to afford a one-bedroom rental home.
The initial proposal is for 219, but the development could be expanded to more than 400 housing units. Plans have 65% of the space dedicated to single-family lots that will be 70 feet wide, 20% of the space will be for cottage lots that will be 44 feet wide and 15% will be single-family attached lots with an accessory unit no larger than 50% of the primary home. The commission lists the inclusion of accessory units as a smaller and more flexible housing option.
“This is the first, but certainly not the last time, we’ve seen cottage lots and ADUs used in the County. Excited about this development and the opportunities it will bring for more workforce housing,” Kendrick wrote on social media platform X.
So far prices for the units have not been decided, but some residents say costs are already bad enough.
“I pay like $1,000 in rent, and it’s me and my boyfriend living there, and we’re still living paycheck to paycheck, so,” Columbia resident Madison Parker said.
Kendrick told ABC 17 News that the goal with this new development is to keep the costs low. However, that will depend on how fast commissioners can allow builders to break ground.