Amid Columbia's housing crisis, the City of Columbia's Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a housing development plan last Thursday. The site, called The Vantage, would add 240 units to Columbia south of the Richland Road and Rolling Hills Road intersection.
A Boone County information map shows parts of The Vantage overlap with 100-year floodplains, where a "100-year flood" has a 1% chance to occur every year. Floodplains help absorb flood water, and building impervious surfaces like concrete in these areas decreases their effectiveness at storing water.
While Commission Chair Sharon Geuea Jones voted to approve the development plan, Jones criticized the decision to build in the floodplain.
"I don't think that's a smart way to do this, because you're putting people's homes in an area where we are seeing more and more likelihood of flooding," Jones said. "And I know it's one percent, but it's 1% over 100 years, and what we have seen is that those tend to flood every 10 years now."
Columbia Development Services Manager Patrick Zenner said the city will still take regular precautions in their approval process, as The Vantage is zoned differently than other residential developments. The developers will have to obtain a floodplain development permit and follow other specific building requirements.
"There aren't any shortcuts," Zenner said. "We go through the same rigorous process for each type of project."
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