O鈥橣ALLON, Mo. 鈥 The steep natural terrain is no longer the only thing developers behind the proposed 239-home 鈥淰illages at Busch Wildlife鈥 subdivision must now overcome.
The O鈥橣allon Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday rejected the 161-acre project, sending the matter to the City Council. A simple majority of council members would now have to vote to override the commission鈥檚 recommendation when they meet on Sept. 26 for it to go forward.
鈥淭here are some types of properties that are financially not developable,鈥 said Carolyn Thomas, chair of the commission. She and other seven others voted against the rezoning request. Only three members, including O鈥橣allon Mayor Bill Hennessy, voted in favor of the proposal.
Shawn Mann, a city resident who has become an outspoken critic of the development, said he is 鈥渁 bit delighted鈥 about Thursday鈥檚 outcome.
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鈥淲e know this is just one battle, and there is still an overall war that needs to be won,鈥 Mann said.
He and a handful of neighbors attended the meeting, hoping to persuade the zoning commission to stop the proposal. The subdivision is planned on largely rural, wooded land along the Highway DD corridor on the west side of O鈥橣allon.
Neighbors complained that the development would bring largely dense housing that detracts from the area鈥檚 rural nature. The homes would be built in three 鈥渧illages鈥 or clusters along both sides of Highway DD. The area is directly north of another Lombardo Homes subdivision, 鈥淭he Highlands at Busch Wildlife,鈥 a 120-home Lombardo Homes subdivision planned in unincorporated St. Charles County.
Residents also said they worried about traffic congestion, overcrowding of nearby schools and the potential environmental impacts on the nearby August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area.
Another concern: A cost-benefit analysis showed that the city would lose 88 cents for every $1 invested by the city in the development. Critics estimated that the city would lose between $6 to $10 million over the 40-year lifespan of the infrastructure needed for the subdivision.
鈥淭his would not be a wise investment. We are looking at millions and millions of dollars we are going to be losing over the years in this development,鈥 said zoning commissioner Debbie Cook, who also serves on the O鈥橣allon City Council. She described the proposal from Lombardo Homes of St. Louis as a 鈥渉orrible fit鈥 before voting against the proposal.
The developer has offered to donate $119,500 to the city, or roughly $500 per lot, according to attorney Drew Weber. He said the developer was also interested in donating some of the 50 acres of trees and undeveloped land to the city for a possible park or nature area.
The zoning commission also voted 9-2 to recommend approval of the final plat for the Villages at Post Farms, a 307-home subdivision on 103 acres, located west of Hopewell and Duello roads. It would be located just across Highway N from the 896-home Harvest at Hopewell development already under construction.