ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — The quiet and rural part of St. Charles County is what attracted Shawn Mann to Defiance.
"This area is labeled is rural residential and low density housing," Mann said. "This is three acres or more per house per lot. The other sizable portion is low density, one acre lots or fourth of an acre lot."
Mann wants to keep it that way.
He can't deny the growth his community has seen, though, and he worries about a new proposed subdivision.
"We're in opposition to the development as proposed. We're not against development, we're against higher density development," Mann said.
Mann is part of a group called "Friends of Highway DD."
The group of advocates live along the highway and want to spread their message.
Originally, a massive development by KM Investment Group IV LLC spanned 356 acres with 556 lots off of Highway DD.
The proposed development is located in unincorporated St. Charles County on the borders of Busch Wildlife Conservation Area and Broemmelsiek Park.
Mann is making his voice heard Monday night at a St. Charles County Council meeting at the Family Arena.
It'll be the first reading for the development.
At the end of June, a packed house at the Family Arena pushed back against the idea.
During that meeting, KM Investment Group IV LLC, said they plan to leave the flood plain near Dardenne Creek untouched, preserving 120 acres of green space and trees.
“We’ve completely left those alone," Brad Goss said on behalf of the developer. "We’re not reclaiming that we’re leaving that undeveloped and we’re leaving a very large buffer with respect to that, preserving all of the trees in that area, and again, that is to comply with the master plan.”
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted against recommending rezoning for the land.
However, that's changed within the last few days.
Mann explained, "The developer came back and in his plan, he left out 57 acres but no other changes to the other segments of the development. Now the Planning and Zoning Commission has decided to reverse their decision."
But Mann isn't changing his mind.
He worries about the idea of adding in medium and high-density subdivisions in the area, which means less space between side yards.
"You're going to have an additional 2,000 cars per day," he said. "People come out here to enjoy the wildlife, the natural setting and all of that is at risk of being destroyed."
He worries about overcrowding.
St. Charles County Councilman Joe Brazil echoed the same message.
"We're seeing major traffic problems, the schools are filled," Brazil said.
He said the plan doesn't line up with their 2030 Master Plan.
"Fifty-seven acres have been removed from the project, which does help, but the fact that the tail end of the Master Plan calls out three-acre zoning and they aren't doing three-acre zoning. I can’t support it until it confines with the Master Plan," Brazil said.
Now, the St. Charles County Council will have to make a decision on July 31.
If they deny it, developers could pivot.
"The developer has a chance to bring the proposal and ask the city of O'Fallon, Missouri, to approve that," Mann said.
While time will tell what happens next, Mann encouraged everyone to speak now, in order to preserve their peace and quiet.
"We want folks to be seen and heard," Mann said.