With less than 30 days to decide whether to sue, North Main residents gathered Monday night at Earlewood Park Community Center to talk strategy: how could they push against a Murphy USA gas station widely opposed by neighbors that city officials just OK’ed for the gateway intersection at Sunset Boulevard and North Main Street.
Columbia’s Board of Zoning Appeals approved the 16-pump Murphy plan Feb. 5, granting a special exception for a gas station and convenience store at the prominent corner, despite rejecting similar plans for a Circle K in 2023.
Neighborhood critics of the plan say they’re now weighing a court appeal to challenge the city board’s ruling, a move that could cost thousands of dollars. At the same time, residents say they feel misled about the fate of a title loan office currently on the corner, which developers said would be removed, but which city officials confirmed will instead be rebuilt. Talk of a redevelopment that would help shift the corridor toward something more walkable, vibrant and connected has percolated for years — a vision reinforced by city design plans, a major streetscaping project and fresh retail momentum bringing new restaurants, cafés and other small businesses that have slowly reshaped parts of North Main…