Townhouse development proposed in Columbia area where residents worry about infrastructure
Columbia’s South Kilbourne neighborhood could soon be getting more housing.
Developer Lafaye Custom Homes is hoping to turn a 1.8-acre lot at the corner of Overbrook Drive and Suber Street into an enclave of 32 townhomes.
When finished, it would join other similar multi-unit housing developments in the area, including a row of townhomes across the street at 3845 Overbrook Drive and an apartment complex next door called Concord Oaks.
Several area residents have voiced reservations about the project as the developer works to secure city approval to move forward.
At one recent City Council meeting, would-be neighbors of the project said they worried it didn’t fit the character of the area and that it would increase traffic in a residential corridor. Residents also worry about the loss of a house built in 1946 that currently sits on the property.
Some residents also questioned if aging water and sewer infrastructure in the area can support 32 new homes.
Pastor Jeff Scott at Calvary Baptist Church, located across the street from the proposed townhomes, said at one point last November, a water line broke that made the road in front of the church impassable for three weeks.
The city has slowly been replacing aged water lines, but the work is expensive and slow-moving.
Wyman Bowers, vice president of Lafaye Custom Homes, said he has been discussing the project with the South Kilbourne Neighborhood Association for months. He believes the current site plan that will be reviewed by the Columbia Planning Commission March 9 is a “win-win” for residents and his company.
Neighbors have asked where the influx of new residents would park their vehicles, worried their streets would become crowded with new people. In response, Bowers said his team doubled the number of parking spaces from what is legally required — from 34 spaces to 68.
Bowers said the project also will add needed sidewalks, which are scarce in the area.
In response to the infrastructure concerns, Bowers said he doesn’t have control over making those repairs, but he believes the added development will put more attention on those needs.
Lafaye Custom Homes has established a niche as infill developers, Bowers said. That means they look for undeveloped land, usually in the middle of an already developed area. He said they have done similar projects in the Rosewood and South Kilbourne area in the past.
Bowers said he believes more housing of any kind will add value to the area.
“Unless we get more housing, the price of homes to buy or to rent is just going to continue to increase,” he said.
The company has not yet decided whether the homes will be for purchase or used as rentals, and a price point for the units also has not been determined, Bowers said.
The project could begin construction in 2023, Bowers said, but noted it can be a slow process to go from a site plan to construction.
