Some Truesdale residents in the Heritage Hills subdivision say they are disappointed after the city of Warrenton approved neighboring land for residential development.Heritage Hills is located off of the Interstate 70 south outer road, east of the Warrenton exit.Warrenton’s Board of Aldermen voted Oct. 16 to apply residential zoning to 17-acres south of the neighborhood, between it and the Norfolk Southern railroad, allowing housing to eventually be built there. The land had previously been zoned for agriculture, consisting of woods and a field.The zoning change will allow single-family residences, or multifamily dwellings with an additional permit.There is not yet any plan to develop the land. It is owned by Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), a missionary organization with a campus on Highway M east of Truesdale. Representatives of CEF said they intend to sell multiple sections of land north of Highway M, and requested the rezoning to make the land more marketable.At the same time, CEF requested the rezoning of another 105 acres between the railroad tracks and Highway M to be designated for light industrial use. That rezoning was also approved by Warrenton aldermen.Heritage Hills resident and Truesdale Alderman Mike Thomas said residents of the neighborhood prefer for the land just south of their backyards to remain undeveloped. Without any specific plan for the 17 acre portion, Thomas said current residents are afraid of what Warrenton might unknowingly allow in.“We’re hearing zoning, but I’m not hearing a plan,” Thomas told Warrenton’s board. “If the property is available for sale now, why can’t it be sold as it is and let the next person who buys it then approach you as a board ... and make their (zoning) request?” He expressed additional concern about potential stormwater runoff if the area is developed, and said trees on the agricultural property act as a sound barrier between Heritage Hills and the railroad. To preserve the land as it is, a number of Heritage Hills homeowners had extended an offer to buy the 17-acre property from CEF, and had not yet had any response as of Oct. 16, Thomas said. Warrenton aldermen downplayed worries about the impact of future housing development, pointing out that anything other than single-family homes would require a developer to come back to the board of aldermen for another round of approval. Ward 2 Alderman Gary Auch also noted that the city has a detailed plan for future growth that marks the entire area south of Heritage Hills for light industrial use. Auch said the residential zoning would offer better protection for neighboring homeowners. “If I was living in Heritage Hills, I certainly wouldn’t want an (industrial) use in my backyard,” Auch commented. “To me, the safer position would be to go with the rezoning for residential and not run the risk of having it go (industrial).” Ward 1 Alderman Greg Costello added that Warrenton’s building codes specifically address the problem of stormwater runoff, requiring builders to prevent any additional water from leaving the property. The board of aldermen voted 5-1 to approve both the residential rezoning and the industrial rezoning. Ward 1 Alderman Mike Shilharvey was the sole dissenting vote on both. Warrenton’s Board of Aldermen meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in Warrenton City Hall. The next meeting is Nov. 6.

A line of mailboxes at the entrance of the Heritage Hills subdivision in Truesdale serves almost 50 homes. The entrance road is accessed from Veterans Memorial Parkway. Residents of the subdivision say they were promised that mailboxes would eventually be moved in front of each home, but now are told one large box unit at the entrance will serve all homes. 

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