Residents raise traffic concerns as Columbia considers 240-unit apartment project
Mitchell Kaminski
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A proposed 240-unit apartment complex, called “The Vantage,” could bring new housing options to Columbia, but some nearby residents worry about added traffic along Rolling Hills and Richland roads.
On Thursday, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to send the proposal to the city council.
The development, planned on 50.8 acres south of the Richland Road and Rolling Hills Road intersection, would include four apartment buildings with one- to three-bedroom units, a clubhouse, pool, pickleball court and two dog parks. Two buildings would sit west of Rolling Hills Road, two to the east, with access from both Rolling Hills and Richland roads.
The site, made up of Tracts 2, 4 and part of Tract 5, was originally designated for a mix of commercial and residential development. All apartments would be built on Tract 2, converting land previously set aside for 80,000 square feet of commercial use. City staff say the area is better suited for housing, citing a 2024 Boone County and City of Columbia Housing Study that identified a shortfall of roughly 900 multi-family rental units each year.
To help mitigate impacts, the developer, Tori-Ben Farms LLC, would provide a 16-foot-wide trail easement along the North Fork of Grindstone Creek, convey 1.5 acres for a future park or trailhead, dedicate additional public right-of-way and contribute funds for a future roundabout at Richland Road, Rolling Hills Road and Grace Lane.
A traffic study found the project would not create conflicts with planned road improvements. However, future projects already planned under the city’s Capital Improvement District aim to ease congestion in the area. Those projects include widening Rolling Hills Road to four lanes and upgrading the Richland-St. Charles-Grace intersection, both projected for 2031. Improvements would add turn lanes, bike lanes, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, stormwater upgrades and asphalt overlays.
City spokesman John Ogan said the project is not expected to affect the timing of the CID projects.
Patrick Zenner, Columbia’s Community Development manager, added the Vantage development itself does not trigger the need for the road expansions.
“The development of the Vantage is a component that will go into the ultimate increases in volume of traffic along Rolling Hills, but it is not triggering the need to do that,” he added, noting other future developments along the corridor, many not yet under construction, will influence when full improvements are needed.
“The areas further impacted by the unknown future construction are only in the Stadium extension. And so that’s why I don’t foresee lane widening on Rolling Hills,” Zenner said.
Zenner said sidewalks along Rolling Hills Road and portions of Richland Road would be built as part of the Vantage project, allowing residents to benefit from infrastructure immediately rather than waiting for the larger projects.
“The short-term benefits gained if the other projects were delayed are significant enough that we want to make sure those improvements, as infrastructure improvements, are put in, can have the opportunity to be used by the residents, at least in the Vantage,” Zenner said.
Nearby residents, however, voiced concern about how the project could affect traffic at already congested intersections. Similar concerns were raised by nearby residents over Ashford Place, a proposed triplex development that the City Council rejected in January.
Gail Houseworth, of the Brooks Subdivision, said the study did not account for the full scope of impacts.
“When you’re adding 240 more dwelling units to two sides of an intersection, you can expect that that’s going to get a lot worse. The scope of their study, it doesn’t go into the streets that evolve out from that, where I personally know that there is a good deal of backed-up traffic during peak hours,” Houseworth said.
Dale Halley, also from Brooks Subdivision, said traffic is his main concern.
“We’re fine with the development. The new housing is needed, for sure. But the problem the city has is they’re not building the streets prior to building the houses. And I know that there’s council members that appreciate that and they expressed their appreciation. So we just really want to see the infrastructure put in first. And then you can build the houses so that people can get to and from them,” Halley said.
A retired engineer, Halley added his perspective on planning infrastructure ahead of development.
“The first thing you build is infrastructure. And so roads is one of the first things you build because you can’t build anything else without a way of getting there. If they build the roads first, the houses will be built rapidly. Right now, the way the city does it and I understand the constraints, is they depend on the developers to build the roads, give them to the city. But it creates a lot of problems along the way,” he said.
Zenner acknowledged the challenges but explained the city’s approach.
“I think when you start to add all of that existing and planned background traffic, that’s what triggers the need for the roundabout of Rolling Hills and Richland because the intersection that presently exists there fails and basically becomes gridlock. So the roundabout is meant to address the issue of the gridlock. The expansion of the carrying capacity of Rolling Hills is going to take probably a number of years, beyond the installation of roundabout, to reach a point that warrants putting in the rest of the lanes that were originally accommodated for,” Zenner said.
The development plan and Statement of Intent would require final plat approval before any construction begins, ensuring infrastructure and access meet city standards. Staff supported the rezoning, noting the project aligns with Columbia’s goals for livable, sustainable communities with diverse housing options.
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