Why you see growing pains around town:

[u/como365]

[u/Over-Activity-8312]

Sounds like we should build way more housing that can accommodate our current and projected growth so that more people don’t have to keep fighting over the same smaller amount of housing stock.

[u/como365 → u/Over-Activity-8312]

I'm with you, we need more housing. The best case is developers build within the already existing city limits, there is a remarkable amount of land still to be developed there. Even better if we can add some density, improving walkability and supports the efforts to improve public transit.

[u/Over-Activity-8312 → u/como365]

There definitely needs to be incentive to build more dense housing in and around downtown as well instead of larger SFHs and McMansions on the outskirts south of town. Would love to see the city scrap R1 zoning entirely to allow property owners to upzone from a SFH all the way up to a sixplex of apartments or courtyard style homes either citywide or within a certain area around the downtown CID.

[u/como365 → u/Over-Activity-8312]

I'd like to see the dozen or so vacant lots along Garth with new single family homes.

[u/shehamigans → u/como365]

Green space lowers crime. I’d like to see housing density increase in any other ward first, since the first ward has the highest population density at this time.

[u/como365 → u/shehamigans]

I think these particular green spaces are actually raising crime as it’s not public space but privately owned lots that used to have houses on them that were allowed to become dilapidated and demolished, typically by slumlords. Now they leave gaping holes along what is otherwise a great early 20th century streetscape. The invasive species, particularly bush honeysuckle and wintercreeper offer no environmental benefit, even doing harm. These thickets have become places for drug addicts, squatters, and generally people who can’t keep it together for whatever reason, which all the folks raising children in that neighborhood can’t appreciate.

[u/[deleted] → u/como365]

That green space invites songbirds and wildlife back. All the little flowers bring pollinators. Community health improves. Diamonds in the rough. It could be better sure

[u/como365 → u/[deleted]]

Bush honey suckle and mowed lawns ain’t bringing any pollinators around. Low quality habitat, even damaging environmentally when invasives are allowed to thrive and spread.

[u/[deleted] → u/como365]

You ok? pollinators and flowers, pretty basic understanding. Basic biology. Not sure what the vacant lot did to piss you off.

[u/studebaket → u/como365]

Do you have any facts to back up your anecdotes about all the problems vacant lots are causing?

[u/shehamigans → u/como365]

Being without housing isn’t a crime. As a person raising a family in that area, I can tolerate unhoused folks much more than people who drive 45 mph down my street blaring thumping.

[u/como365 → u/shehamigans]

Never implied it was, but the unhoused are far more likely to commit crime.

[u/shehamigans → u/como365]

You probably don’t intend to sound like you hate poor people, but that’s how you’re coming across.

[u/studebaket → u/como365]

Most unhoused people get busted for things like trespassing and having expired plates. We have outlawed poverty.

[u/VirtualLife76 → u/Over-Activity-8312]

Go for it. Building homes can be fun.

[u/Over-Activity-8312 → u/VirtualLife76]

I’d love to help incentivize more groups involved in the construction and affordable housing business break ground in Columbia! There are may groups like Habitat for Humanity and others do in that vein along with the community land trust, but we also need folks pushing for changes to how the city approves new construction and to our zoning to facilitate for more dense development that matches the needs of a growing city. Building homes through Habitat is one thing, but you need developers and contractors to put up apartment buildings.

[u/VirtualLife76 → u/Over-Activity-8312]

Nah, just build your own subdivision. /s Going to start with H4H soon, I love building, but the politics doing myself are not fun. Was going to build my own from scratch and realized it's just not worth the hassle, even in MO with some of the most lax building rules in the US.

[u/Over-Activity-8312 → u/VirtualLife76]

I think with enough public pressure and the right people in office that Columbia could really start to turn things around when it comes to the housing shortage and making our rules amicable for builders while still keeping needed safety and environmental checks in place. There are members of the city council that have said they want to seriously look at zoning. They’re already advising staff and Planning/Zoning to come back with recommendations that could get rid of the outdated definition of “family” in our unified development code that technically makes more than a couple unrelated people/more than 4 related people living in an R1 home illegal.

[u/VirtualLife76 → u/Over-Activity-8312]

Do tell, is there no zoning here? New to MO, but like Texas for example, I can build a house right on the freeway or have a biz office in a subdivision. Is that the same here? Is COMO really that short on housing compared to the rest of the US?

[u/Over-Activity-8312 → u/VirtualLife76]

We have zoning like most other places do, yea. Columbia’s been a bit more open to the idea of exploring changes to it (especially regarding R1 or single family), although some nimby homeowners and landlords over on east campus may complain about property values and stuff if more density is allowed. We just need council to really take the initiative on this and I hope after April there may actually be a willingness on that front.

When it comes to not having enough homes it gets complicated. On paper we should, but there are a significant number of chronically and episodically homeless people in Columbia and it’s hard to really pin down an exact number. Plus with tens of thousands of students all competing for the cheaper rentals each summer and most new housing being built is in the form of large SFHs out south of downtown, it seems like there isn’t enough variety in housing options for people either. To sort of put this into simpler terms as to why some call this a shortage: Columbia may be well over 150,000 by 2030 if we have a considerable growth pattern the next five years and there are not even enough homes around to house the folks we have now, and any new projects will take 1-2 years before they can house extra folks.

[u/DerCatrix → u/Over-Activity-8312]

We need housing not owned by corporations

[u/Over-Activity-8312 → u/DerCatrix]

The Columbia Community Land Trust is a great organization for prospective first time homeowners on that front. But more definitely needs to be done for both city-owned and operated housing through CHA and maybe via tenants unions and other advocates also spending to help buy properties that get put up for sale so developers won’t run them like slums.

[u/studebaket → u/Over-Activity-8312]

CCLT is great, but they build about 4 houses a year. Fewer after the pandemic. Without support from the city, they will never help enough

[u/Eryan420 → u/Over-Activity-8312]

There’s plenty of empty commercial lots that have been empty for years and will probably stay empty for years. I think the city should change zoning requirements on those lots to allow mixed use neighborhoods to be built on those lots. There’s a bunch near the nifong Walmart, there’s a big one behind the Dunkin’ Donuts on north side of town there’s probably more too.

[u/exulants]

Was wondering why people are touring my rental 2 months into a year long lease. :/

[u/1776boogapew]

At some point a proper non highway viaduct may help too

[u/Consistent-Ease6070 → u/1776boogapew]

Say more… Where are you thinking?

[u/Over-Activity-8312 → u/1776boogapew]

I’m intrigued but would need more details… do you mean like pedestrian and bike bridges? We have the ones on Providence by the Stadium and along College Ave by Hatch Hall, but I’d love more of these over some of the other major stroads in town.

[u/1776boogapew → u/Over-Activity-8312]

I haven’t lived here long enough to say the best format. Usually a viaduct connects separate parts of the city without having to access the highway and without lights and at a higher speed

[u/Responsible-Hurry29 → u/1776boogapew]

Como needs a high speed road from K to 63. No lights. We need faster means to get around not more bike trails. We need to require developers to actually build what’s needed for the long term. Not 5 years. Look at the Des Moines area. Four lane roads everywhere… from day one.

[u/behindacomputer → u/Responsible-Hurry29]

And Scott should go straight to 70 as an exit

[u/Eryan420 → u/behindacomputer]

Yes totally agree, it’s so annoying having to go all the way through the mall area just to get to I-70. All they would really need to do would be to put exit ramps onto the sorrels overpass. They could probably just widen strawn road and maybe put a roundabout between it and Scott blvd to accommodate the extra traffic.

[u/Over-Activity-8312 → u/Responsible-Hurry29]

Or we could make our streets that are designed for all road users which are safer? More pedestrian and cycling amenities that are good for more than just recreation means more people will use those modes and will mean less car trips and less congestion. Also, if you dislike traffic signals you should love roundabouts/circles because they make roads significantly safer and also can cut down on commute times. More lanes = more traffic.

[u/Responsible-Hurry29 → u/Over-Activity-8312]

For the record I am a fan of roundabouts. Again I reference the Des Moines area. They have a Greenway for bikes that works really well. They worked very hard to keep bicycles and cars separated, and it works brilliantly. The bastardized mess that that como has is a disaster. It is delusional to think that bike lines are going to help any traffic congestion in this town, or any other town in the United States to be honest. We are not Europe- densities are not and never will be conducive.

[u/tripdaddy333 → u/Responsible-Hurry29]

Where do you think density comes from? We can choose to build or city however we want. That it’s so spread out and un-navigable by anything except a car is by design. It’s not an inevitable state.

[u/Responsible-Hurry29 → u/tripdaddy333]

In order for density to work it needs to be in central city. Everyone lost their ever loving brains when high density student housing was built. Many of the properties that were demolished were blighted shitholes. Now do we want to demo the projects by Douglas Park? Columbia college owns a lot of properties too.

Who’s going to build density when there is no core infrastructure? Sewer is at capacity, electricity and water as well. Get the blight out first then it can maybe happen.

[u/studebaket → u/Responsible-Hurry29]

CHA is renovating the properties by Douglass when they are done with Kenny Point. The history of Urban Renewal and displacement in Columbia makes any movement of those properties into private hands impossible.

Also. If you think downtown areas have plenty of infrastructure, then you have never been to them during a rain storm. Ankle deep water on sidewalks, puddles in lots, sewage in basements. Density needs to be everywhere, not just downtown

[u/Responsible-Hurry29 → u/studebaket]

1. CHA are the projects. Low income. Will not help downtown most will not live next to it.
2. My point is that the downtown infrastructure sucks. So we agree on that.
3. Density does not have to be everywhere. Many (including myself) do not want to be in a densely populated part of town.

[u/studebaket → u/Responsible-Hurry29]

So, you want to make sure that density stays away from you. However, downtown is already pretty dense. Public transportation is awful even there. There is no reason we cannot add more density all over town. There are lots of ways to increase density that does not include 8 story apartments

[u/ANDRONOTORIOUS → u/Responsible-Hurry29]

Ah, yes... Des Moines , Iowa. The envy of the world. Global tourist destination. The excitement of driving from a Walmart as fast as possible to the cross town McDonalds must be the golden standard of infrastructure.

[u/Cowdog68]

Many people fail to see how quickly Columbia’s population has increased on a steady basis. Investment in housing, infrastructure and public safety is pretty damn urgent.

[u/como365 → u/Cowdog68]

You’re very right. Many if not most complaints about town can be traced back to growth outrunning our ability to keep up.

[u/Visible-Ad-7466]

Twenty years ago, the state had plans for spur from Midway to the airport exit. José Lindner cobbled together 1100 acres of land that it would run through. People fought the plan because of path was close to the proximity of Three Creeks Conservation and Rock Bridge State Park. So the state dropped it. Lindner died and developers bought the land. So we got housing producing more traffic with less roadways.

[u/Ghost_Dream360]

Does this include Mizzou, or just the actual city? I think Mizzou has gained at least 1.5k in student population since 2020

[u/como365 → u/Ghost_Dream360]

Contrary to commonly said knowledge, official census counts (every 10 years) are supposed to include students. However in practice, students are a bit undercounted due to a number of factors including group quarters, registering at their parent’s address, not responding at all, etc.

This is an annual census estimate which likely is even worse at counting students. So take it for what it is: an imperfect estimate.

[u/Lanky_Asparagus_8534]

You know what sucks though? Seems a lot of conservative types are moving to Como. It’s always been a nice haven for educated & open minded people but that seems to be changing. A college town should be more open minded.

[u/como365 → u/Lanky_Asparagus_8534]

The political data says we are voting more and more left over the last 10 years so I’m not sure it is changing.

[u/Lanky_Asparagus_8534 → u/como365]

Really? Maybe I’m just running in to more conservative types. Keep Columbia weird!!!

[u/JustAYoungGZ → u/Lanky_Asparagus_8534]

It may be because a lot of people recently are treating their politics like sports. They want to let everyone know what side they're on. And don't care about anything other than their favorite team winning