The owner of land at Bell Road and Westwoods Road wants to annex into Wright City before developing a mix of homes and commercial properties.A preliminary plan for the 36-acre area shows a mixed development, with commercial offices or stores along Westwoods Road and a neighborhood of over 70 residential properties just north of that. The development area is just across the road from Wright City Middle and West Elementary schools, and also is adjacent to the site of a future city park at Westwoods Road and Wildcat Drive.However, before plans for any of that development are finalized, landowner Osage Fund LLC wants the property to be annexed by Wright City.“This is a preliminary (plan). There could still be changes made as it goes through the review process of planning and zoning,” Wright City Administrator Jim Schuchmann said during a public meeting. “Based on what (Osage Fund) has put before us, I think it’s a good arrangement for the city.”City Attorney Paul Rost said proceedings to annex the property are separate from approval of the development project itself. Once the property is annexed into the city, the development plans will be reviewed and approved by the city’s planning and zoning commission and the board of aldermen.But if the development plans aren’t eventually approved, Osage Fund has also asked Wright City to agree to “de-annex” the land, returning it to unincorporated Warren County.“They’re saying, ‘Hey, we want to annex into the city, but if this doesn’t work out, then we want the option to be able to de-annex,’” Rost explained.The Wright City Board of Aldermen approved a pre-annexation agreement Feb. 14. The agreement would allow the developer to de-annex and become unincorporated if it doesn’t get the permissions it needs for its development. The agreement also outlines a set amount of time for each step in the process of getting the development plans approved.Rost said the agreement doesn’t commit the city to anything other than allowing the developer to de-annex if its plans aren’t approved by the city.Wright City administrators will hold a public hearing Thursday, Feb. 28, at Wright City Hall for anyone interested in the annexation to provide comments or concerns. The board of aldermen will discuss it again during a public meeting March 14.

The site of a proposed neighborhood and commercial properties is just north of two Wright City schools and adjacent to a future city park on Westwoods Road.