ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Hundreds of people packed the Family Arena in St. Charles for a second time, this time to see the St. Charles County Council consider a controversial housing development proposed for Highway DD.
The last meeting was for the St. Charles County Planning and Zoning Commission where it recommended the county council deny the proposed development 5-3.
After the planning and zoning meeting a few weeks ago, the developer KM Investment Group IV has made some changes leaving roughly 57 acres untouched and out of the plan.
Representatives for the developers say they are still meeting the requirements of the St. Charles County Master Plan.
“Our overall density is 1.57 units per acre well within what the master plan calls for one to four units per acre in over 87 percent of our site,” Developer Representative Brad Goss said.
The proposed Tall Tree development would be on Highway DD and is now reduced to 469 lots or homes.
The developer says they’ve met with the Francis Howell School District and there is room and are working with the Wentzville School District.
The homes closest together will be near Frontier Middle School and get further apart down Highway DD.
Their traffic study shows they would have to add in-turn lanes, widening the road.
Residents still aren’t happy with the changes.
“I think we really need to just kind of take a pause and start being more proactive versus reactive. And a big concern for me is I have two kids right now. They can't even go to the closest elementary school as it is because of zoning,” resident Karisa Cantwell said.
Other residents were also concerned about the wildlife and negative effects a higher-density subdivision would have.
“So all the sugar coating, all the 1.56 acres, colored pictures, I don’t care if there’s one acre that has high-density housing that’s high-density housing and we don’t want it here,” resident Tom Regan said.
The developer said they do not plan on annexation to O’Fallon.
The St. Charles County Council will likely make its decision on July 31.
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