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Council would plan layout of downtown

The downtown leadership council would include 16 members.

By Jewels Phraner
March 18, 2008

Mayor Darwin Hindman discusses a proposal to create policy and guidelines concerning Tax Increment Financing during the Columbia City Council meeting Monday in the Daniel Boone City Building. Another topic the council addressed is a downtown leadership council that would serve as the administrative body for downtown projects and development.

Photo/Erik Haugsby

Mayor Darwin Hindman discusses a proposal to create policy and guidelines concerning Tax Increment Financing during the Columbia City Council meeting Monday in the Daniel Boone City Building. Another topic the council addressed is a downtown leadership council that would serve as the administrative body for downtown projects and development.

The City Council chambers were nearly full at 7 p.m. Monday night to discuss issues ranging from a downtown leadership council to the addition of four tennis courts at Cosmo-Bethel Park.

Columbia resident John Clark cited the downtown leadership council as “unbelievably important” during the time allotted for public comments at the Monday night meeting. Clark is also one of four candidates running in the First Ward City Council election.

The leadership council’s duties include determining the boundaries of downtown and developing a strategic plan for the area. It was created as one of the ideas stemming from Columbia’s visioning project, City Manager Bill Watkins said at the meeting.

The downtown leadership council would include 16 members (one member was added per an amendment). Three selected by the City Council, and one representative each from the Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission, the Boone County Commission, MU, Columbia College, Stephens College, the Columbia Housing Authority, the Special Business district, the North Central Neighborhood Association, the East Campus Neighborhood Association, the Benton-Stephens Community Association and the Douglass Park Neighborhood Association would make up the leadership council.

The Planning and Zoning Commission representative was later added from a motion made by Fourth Ward City Councilman Jerry Wade.

Linda Rootes and Betty Cook Rottmann, representing the North Central Neighborhood Association, said they were particularly appreciative the council included representatives from the neighborhood associations.

Clark expressed his concern that the leadership council was top heavy with institutional and governmental officials.

Rootes also said the Tenth, Hitt and Locust streets Neighborhood Association are not included in the representation, despite the association being directly affected by any changes made downtown.

The council did not add a representative for the neighborhood association, despite adding an additional Planning and Zoning Commission member.

The council also approved a four-court addition to the Cosmo-Bethel park tennis complex, bringing the total number of tennis courts to 12. There was no public comment or council discussion on the bill.

Finally, the council unanimously approved scheduling a public hearing to discuss an amendment made to the Columbia city code relating to fire sprinkler services in fraternity and sorority houses. The public hearing will be during the April 7 City Council meeting.

In addition, the council also unanimously approved an agreement with the UM system Board of Curators to provide a health clinic experience for MU nursing students. The agreement allows nursing students to work with a local health department or home health agency to gain experience.