For some, finding a landscaper is as easy as asking the kid next door to come mow the lawn.

But for the Columbus Redevelopment Authority, finding one to consistently take care of bush hogging, mowing and clearing debris at the Burns Bottom project area hasn’t been as easy.

Mayor Keith Gaskin, flanked by Councilmen Joseph Mickens and Stephen Jones, told the CRA board Wednesday that is “no excuse.”

“We need to try to keep these areas as clean as possible, even down (in Burns Bottom),” Gaskin said. “My ask is that y’all make that a priority, try to keep it clean. We struggle in the city too because we’re writing up regular citizens with lots that didn’t look half as bad as some of this. I’m sure everybody is doing their best, but we just need to make sure we are hiring people who can do the work.”

CRA, whose members are appointed by the city council, oversee the maintenance of the Burns Bottom redevelopment area — five blocks near the Roger Short Soccer Complex between Third and Fourth Street and Second and Seventh Avenue North that is being prepared to market to developers. Most of the lots in the former single-family neighborhood are under CRA ownership, and most of the dilapidated houses have been torn down.

But the grass on those lots still needs mowing and some lots still need debris cleared.

During its regular meeting Wednesday, CRA President Marthalie Porter said the board has never had a scheduled landscaper to consistently do that work in the 15-acre neighborhood, only occasionally contracting when necessary. Though the board is making it a priority, Porter said finding a landscaper with the availability to do the job has been hard to nail down.

“I know it might not seem like it, but we have been trying hard to get (a consistent landscaper),” Porter said. “But it seems like the different landscapers are all so busy, and then you get the 15 acres into their schedule.”

Porter and board member Jason Spears said Styron’s Lawn Service has done landscaping in the area before and will now be asked to come out to the neighborhood regularly to mow and spray chemicals to curb overgrowth.

“We hadn’t really had a formal agreement in place, which is why we’re trying to get that in place now,” Spears said.

Despite the overgrowth, Jones told The Dispatch after the meeting he is confident the CRA will solve the issue.

“We’ve gotten so much rain that it’s been hard to keep a handle on a lot of stuff,” Jones said. “They say that they have to do better. So, I take them at their word that they’ll get it done.”

The CRA was established in 2015 to target redevelopment in the city’s urban renewal zone, which includes Burns Bottom.

The city council in 2017 approved issuing a $3.2 million bond for CRA for land acquisition, site prep and marketing in Burns Bottom. It also completed the sale of the old Lee Middle School to a private developer, who converted the school into apartments and an event space.

PUD/ future development
During the meeting, Porter said the Columbus Planning Commission, which oversees zoning requests, is recommending the city council accept a Planned Unit Development form from CRA.

Board Attorney Jeff Turnage said the form would combine the zoning requirements for the different-sized lots within the project area and establish more mixed-use lots for the project.

The measure will be discussed for final approval at Tuesday’s council meeting.

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