Columbia explores historic preservation measures amid concerns over property sales

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Efforts to preserve historic properties in Columbia are gaining attention as new owners look to redevelop former Columbia College properties and city officials consider additional ways to protect historic buildings from demolition.

During a Historic Preservation Commission event Tuesday, officials discussed an ongoing survey of the Benton-Stephens neighborhood that could help identify potential historic districts and landmarks needed in order to get the neighborhood on the National Historic Registry.

The work comes as the city explores ways to give preservation officials more time to respond to demolition requests. On Monday, the Columbia City Council unanimously approved a request to explore a nine-month administrative delay on demolition permits for properties individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll requested the report outlining the city's legal options. She said the effort was prompted primarily by concerns about nine properties Columbia College sold at auction in June for roughly $2 million, rather than the recent sale of Katy Station.

“It wasn’t prompted by the Katy [Station], although the Katy [Station] certainly added to the bucket of concerns,” Carroll said during Monday's meeting. “My concern was with the Eighth Street properties from Columbia College, which of course aren’t on the National Historic Registry.”

The former Columbia College properties are located near downtown in the Benton-Stephens neighborhood. The new owners of three properties near the corner of Eighth and Lyon streets have explored redevelopment options that include multifamily or single-family housing.

Because the properties are not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, they would not be covered by the proposed administrative delay as currently described.

The commission discussed pursuing a historic district designation for the neighborhood, which could help identify buildings with historic significance and potentially lead to additional preservation protections.

A consultant is surveying the Benton-Stephens neighborhood to identify potential historic district boundaries and document structures within the area. The work began in recent days and is part of a broader effort to understand the neighborhood's historic resources.

LG2 Environmental Solutions Inc., a Jacksonville, Florida-based firm, was selected to conduct the survey. The work includes photographing and researching structures throughout the designated area.

Buildings at least 50 years old can be considered for historic designation, meaning the neighborhood's structures, which date from the 1800s through the 1970s, could be evaluated for their historical significance.

Representatives from LG2 said they have received positive feedback from residents, who have been engaging with the survey process.

Russell Palmer, a senior planner and staff liaison to the Historic Preservation Commission, said the council's action could give the city more time to consider alternatives to demolition.

“In terms of historic preservation, it's obviously a goal for the commission to do what we can within our powers to offer alternatives to demolition,” Palmer told ABC 17 News. “That's kind of the first step. Sometimes the process moves a little faster than we're able to respond and that will help us in that regard.”

The city currently has 33 properties individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, listing alone does not prevent demolition. Under current city code, the Historic Preservation Commission generally has 45 days to review demolition applications for properties considered historic resources, but it cannot prohibit demolition.

City staff told the council Monday that state law allows Columbia to establish an administrative delay, provided an ordinance defines the properties covered, establishes a reasonable time frame and provides a process for exceptions, including dangerous structures or substantial economic hardship.

The council's request calls for a potential nine-month delay to give the commission time to develop preservation recommendations and allow the council to consider additional measures. Any ordinance implementing the delay would need to be introduced at a future meeting.

Palmer said interest in preservation has grown as Columbia has faced several high-profile demolition requests and property sales.

“Our comp plan has a component already that indicates that preservation is an overarching goal for the city. I do think, currently there's a lot of support on council and just around the city at large to preserve properties. We've had a lot of high-profile demolition requests and, properties being sold lately. So it's a point of focus recently.”

The city is also preparing a Historic Preservation Plan that would outline preservation goals and objectives for the next 25 years. The plan is in its final stages of preparation before being released for public comment, which Palmer said is expected to last about 30 days.

The plan could help the city identify historic districts and landmarks eligible for additional local protections. Palmer said the commission's approach is to work with property owners voluntarily to establish those designations.

“The plan will lay out a lot of our goals and objectives and kind of how we see moving forward over the next 25 years. The outcome of the plan, though, is that we can then focus more on establishing historic districts and designating landmarks and things of that nature that allow us to then regulate the property. And those are always going to be voluntary,” Palmer said. “That's always been our approach. So we will work with property owners to establish those. And we like to keep it a friendly approach, as our commissioners have called it in the past. So yeah, that's the point of the plan is to tell everybody where we're going and then hopefully they'll hop on and go with us for the for the road trip.”

City staff expects to submit a final version of the plan to the council in January or February 2027.

The Benton-Stephens survey and the proposed demolition permit delay are separate efforts, but both could help inform how Columbia identifies historic properties and considers future preservation measures.