Spring Hill BOMA joint meeting discusses future infrastructure, growth

Spring Hill city leaders rounded out the month of July by coming together to discuss and consider changes and updates which adhere more to the city's ongoing growth.

The joint meeting between members of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Municipal Planning Commission took place Monday, covering an array of growth and planning-related topics. These ranged from identifying roads and other infrastructure to fire safety, design requirements and even establishing an ordinance for trees and other plant life.

The intent for Monday's meeting, Mayor Jim Hagaman said, was to bring both boards together and discuss a multitude of updates and changes needed to maintain smart growth.

"We are in the driver's seat, and we are here for the best interests of the citizens of Spring Hill, the people that we serve first and foremost," Hagaman said. "The citizens must win first."

Simplifying design, parking maximums to promote business

Many of Monday's topics focused on various aspects of the design process, such as what is required at a preliminary plat stage versus a final site plan.

Spring Hill Development Director Peter Hughes said the city currently has 74 requirements needed during the early preliminary stages, which is about double the average of cities of similar size, population and growth rate.

"We are asking for too much information that is not necessary, or information that's being captured at another point," Hughes said.

Parking requirements was another aspect discussed, specifically whether the city should implement a maximum limit on proposed developments. Hughes said this has created issues for developments such as hotels and large retail stores, which often include more parking than needed.

"Specifically at hotels, we've run into problems where they are having to seek parking variances, or they're having to put in a substantial amount of parking that isn't necessary," Hughes said. "

It has also created issues for other businesses and developments whose land parcels might not have enough space to meet the minimum requirements for parking. By updating the city's parking policy, it could open new doors for future businesses, while creating a logical balance between spaces for vehicles and pedestrians alike.

"We have people that can't open a business because they can't provide parking that's required, and so I think there are some very specific areas where we can implement this," Hughes said. "There are economic benefits to it, and the biggest one that I see is when you drive past The Crossings, Home Depot or Lowe's you don't see a sea of pavement, but a monetized area where we can see more tax dollars to help our infrastructure needs."

Spring Hill becoming 'Fire Wise'

Improving public safety is another top priority for city leaders and various city departments, particularly Spring Hill Fire Department.

Fire Chief Graig Temple presented a new initiative he hopes the city will implement in the coming months, one which would not only boost public fire safety awareness, but also at little cost to the city.

Temple introduced the Fire Wise initiative, which would provide additional resources and educational materials to citizens, such as recognizing potential fire hazards around the home.

"We need to do a better job at educating our citizens as to what are the proper aesthetics to have around their house ro cause less fire problems, quite frankly," Temple said. "Fire Wise is a program the National Fire Association does typically on the West Coast ... and what is will allow us to do is start educating the public a little more aggressively, providing them with information to build barriers around their homes."

Temple added that funding for the program could be made possible through grant applications, which could also include improved Public Works services in regard to things like brush removal.

"It would allow us to really push a lot of information, and also tap into a lot of resources we don't have access to, and obviously the money is there for grants," Temple said.

Jay Powell is a general reporter for The Daily Herald. Get up-to-date news in your inbox by subscribing to The Daily Herald newsletter at www.ColumbiaDailyHerald.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Spring Hill BOMA joint meeting discusses future infrastructure, growth