Looking for a new home in a nice subdivision? At the moment, Columbia is not the place to look. The city has been stretched to its limit and is unable to expand any further.
Columbia Mayor Justin McKenzie said it has been several years since there has been a new subdivision in Columbia. He said he knows there is a challenge when it comes to the school districts as well in determining the location for places to live.
“We are very restrictive in what we can do in the way of new homes,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie said he is concerned that the lack of new homes and/or subdivisions is keeping people from moving to Columbia.
“A lot of people would like to live in a new home and in nice modern subdivisions,” he said.
The community is not having a problem of people coming to visit with events such as “A Columbia Christmas,” Freedom Fest and cruise-ins, but the lack of new housing prevents the city from growing, he said.
Tanya Holland with Tanya Holland Real Estate agreed it has been a while since there has been any new developments. She also said people know when looking here to move that the homes are older. In fact, she said, she has people from all over wanting to move here, but there isn’t a whole lot of room for new homes.
“People want land and to be able to put a mobile home on it,” she said Monday.
Holland said there were a couple of lots for sale in the Lakeview Subdivision that sold very quickly for new homes to be built.
Lori Watts, president of the Marion County Development Partnership, said she has had some causal conversations about the need for housing options in the city.
One of the ways the city is trying to combat the problem is by annexation. The Columbia Board of Aldermen voted in favor of annexation in August 2019. If the annexation is approved it would add 3.1 square miles to the city, making the city a total of 10 square miles.
The petition has already been filed with the Marion County Chancery Court, and the first hearing has already been held. The case was assigned to Chancellor Deborah Gambrell, who after the first hearing recused herself and requested a special chancellor for the matter. The Mississippi Supreme Court has appointed Senior Status retired Hinds County Chancellor William Singletary to oversee the matter.
The population of Columbia has been on a steady decline since peaking at 7,773 in 1980. From 2018 to 2019, the population dropped 1.2% or 70 people.
The next step in the annexation matter is a status conference. One had previously been scheduled for April 28 but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. It is now scheduled for Monday, Nov. 30, at 9 a.m. in the Marion County Chancery Courtroom.
