The latest annexation proposal to come before the Columbus City Council intentionally excludes residential areas in favor of commercial property.
The council met Wednesday at the Municipal Complex to hear consultant Chris Watson, of Bridge and Watson Planning Consultants in Oxford, lay out the plan, which includes four areas to the north, east and west of the city.
Watson estimates the plan to incorporate multiple businesses and 58 homes will add an assessed valuation to the city of more than $2 million and produce an estimated $150,000 in sales tax annually. Two of the areas lie along the east side of Lehmberg Road, but are separated by the most populated three-quarter-mile stretch.
“We tried to avoid significant numbers of residential areas,” Watson explained. “The tax return you get is usually not a break-even proposition.”
Watson said drainage issues also exist in the residential portion of East Lehmberg which would cost the city more money than the annexation would be worth. Additionally, the low increase in potential citizens won”t significantly affect the city”s racial makeup, which increases the odds the Department of Justice will approve the annexation barring any objections.
Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens asked Watson about the racial composition of the included areas, after Watson explained the majority of the excluded area of Lehmberg is populated by black residents. Watson replied he couldn”t be sure without performing further studies, and chose not to spend city money performing the studies without the blessing of the council.
Mayor Robert Smith, who referred to the plan as a “no-brainer,” asked for a motion to permit Watson to perform the next round of studies, but the council voted unanimously to table the issue until Tuesday”s council meeting.
In addition to the areas along Lehmberg, the plan includes a small residential area north of the city accessible only via city roads, and a sparsely populated area to the east which includes Ruben”s Fish House and the Riverwalk, in addition to 14 homes.
The city is already serving the eastern area and all of the proposed areas are within range of existing city fire stations, thus minimizing infrastructure costs.
Ward 5 Councilman Kabir Karriem asked how the annexation could affect redistricting, which must take place before the next city election reflecting the latest census information. Watson explained the racial makeup of each ward, as revealed by the census, will serve as a benchmark ratio, which cannot change by more than 10 percent while, at the same time, maintaining an equal number of citizens as the other wards. However, he says the racial balance of each ward has likely changed since the last round of redistricting in 2003.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
