ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — St. Charles County residents are concerned about a proposed housing development off Highway DD.
St. Charles County said nearly 3,000 letters of notice were sent out to residents in the area, so they decided to hold Wednesday's St. Charles County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting at the Family Arena for a public hearing on the proposal.
Neighbors and wildlife enthusiasts say it's too close to the Busch Wildlife Conservation Area.
Nate Farabee said the Avondale Hills neighborhood is quiet with several acres between each home, and he wants to keep it that way.
“Me as well as a lot of other people that live out here, moved out here to get away from all this suburban sprawl that's been going on. And we like having the rural vibe,” Farabee said.
The proposed development could take that away by bringing an additional 556 homes to only 356 acres of land.
“It's going to take away from the natural beauty of the area. There's a lot of wildlife out here that's going to negatively impact that,” Farabee said.
They also feel two lanes on Hwy. DD is not enough to handle even more cars.
“The traffic will be really bad," Farabee said. "It seems almost at least once a week over in front of Frontier Middle School there's an accident. And if there's another 3,000 people out here, it's just going to get so much worse."
The traffic issue is something MoDOT and St. Charles County have studied in this area.
“So they've identified there's a need for things like some turn lanes, some deceleration lanes and acceleration lanes. Eventually, Highway DD will be widened,” St. Charles County Planning and Zoning Division Director Robert Myers said.
Myers said the developers planned for one and a half homes per acre while preserving about 120 acres of trees and open space.
“Our tree preservation ordinance requires a minimum number of trees that are preserved," Myers said. "And actually, they're proposing to preserve about double the minimum amount. In fact, they're proposing to preserve over 80 acres of mature tree stands as part of this development.”
But Farabee still wants to keep the peace and quiet they live for and he feels there’s a solution.
“I understand people, populations are growing. People need somewhere to live. But honestly, just sticking to like a three-acre minimum lot size would be perfect,” Farabee said.
The St. Charles Planning and Zoning Commission will be meeting at the Family Arena at 7 p.m. where people can voice their concerns on the record.
If you can't make it Wednesday this won't be the last opportunity to speak.
You can also send an email to planning@SCCMO.org or a letter to this address:
201 N. Second St., Suite 410
St. Charles, MO 63301