Developers share concepts for 150-unit townhome complex

COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL

COLUMBUS — Columbus City Council previewed concepts for a townhome complex on Montezuma Street, decided not to move forward with sponsored city pool parking and more during its meeting, Monday, Sept. 28.

RIVER BEND TOWNHOMES

Owners, developers and project managers of Four Eagles Companies Mike and Jim Lemming shared design and layout concepts for a new townhome and duplex complex titled “River Bend Townhomes” with 151 units on Montezuma and Rampart Streets in Columbus.

“We’re really excited about this opportunity to bring this development to this city. We know that it’s needed, and we are excited to be a part of that solution,” Mike Lemming said. “We will be the developers, the builders and the project managers as well, a one stop shop. We intend to own this for quite a while, so we are not flipping it to a noname apartment owner.”

The complex will have 37 one-bedroom and 86 two-bedroom townhomes and 28 duplexes available for rent only across seven and a half acres. Amenities will include a leasing office, workout facility, open space for a dog park or playground and fencing with two gated entrances. The complex will also allocate 281 parking spaces across 17 standalone garages, 56 duet garages (for the duplexes) and 206 on-site spaces (mostly for the townhomes).

“We think we will be able to break ground later this fall on development, which will take about six months,” Lemming said. “…We’re not going to build 150 at a time, so we are going to start with about 40 units in the first calendar year. We will see how the demand is and continue to build out as we go.”

Lemming said vertical construction on those 40 units will likely start around May to June 2027 with move-in availability starting around fall 2027. He added rental rates have yet to be determined but are estimated to fall around $1.25 to $1.75 per square foot.

Lemming described their company as “semi-local,” spanning Houston and the Brazos River Valley to Colorado County and said they will utilize contractors local to Colorado County to Houston.

In response to a question about managing stormwater runoff and drainage, Lemming said they intend to connect to a preexisting, underutilized pipe that will drain into the creek past the park.

When asked about tax revenue from the complex, Columbus Mayor Lori An Gobert said the city would not see tax revenue from the complex at a minimum in the upcoming fiscal year.

OTHER COUNCIL BUSINESS

The council declined to make a motion to allow the Columbus Cardinal Athletic Booster Club to utilize parking spaces at the city pool for sponsored parking during home varsity footbal l games.

Contractors for the splashpad at Midtown Park uncovered “significant concrete and metal debris” during excavation. Heavy machinery was brought in to clear the scene, so concrete installation will begin soon.

Sealcoat work in the area east of Milam Street to the river between Walnut and Tait Streets has been completed. Public works crews will be surveying and sweeping the area to clear any remaining rocks and debris.

The city has installed about half of the 192 replacement water meters in place of those no longer functioning.

The city received a shredder as part of the H-E-B Keep Texas Beautiful grant but is seeking a replacement from the supplier due to receiving on dinged up with visible signs of repair work, according to Faichtinger.

The city’s fire hydrant painting project is approximately 98% complete, according to Interim Deputy City Manager Kevin Faichtinger. The hydrants are painted Cardinal red and white with orange bonnets for flows between 500 and 1,000 gallons per minute and green bonnets for flows between 1,000 and 1,500 gallons per minute. The colors quickly and easily notify firefighters how much water is available from each hydrant during a fire event.

“I’m hoping that everyone in town has noticed the fire hydrants. This is something that I’ve wanted done for the last six, seven years,” Faichtinger said. “The fire hydrants, some of them that we found, were put in the 40s and 50s. They’ve never been painted as far as I can tell.”