P&Z board opposes two Warrenton housing projects

Adam Rollins, Staff Writer
Posted 12/17/21

Two multi-family developments proposed in Warrenton this month were opposed by the city’s planning and zoning commission, signaling possible rejection if those projects go to the board of …

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P&Z board opposes two Warrenton housing projects

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Two multi-family developments proposed in Warrenton this month were opposed by the city’s planning and zoning commission, signaling possible rejection if those projects go to the board of aldermen for final approval next week.

The proposed projects are a 10-unit housing complex on the open land on East Walton Street, behind the Orscheln store; and a 66-unit townhome development south of Morgan Street and west of the Forest Ridge subdivision. Members of the planning commission, a volunteer citizen advisory group, voted unanimously to recommend rejection of both projects during their Dec. 2 public meeting.

East Walton

For the development behind the commercial center that houses Orscheln (and formerly Kroger), planning board members agreed with a city staff assessment that a residential site would clash with the commercial property that it would share an alley with.

“From a planning, technical perspective, you have a commercial shopping center with the loading docks in the back. No planning perspective makes sense to plop residential right behind it,” said City Attorney Christopher Graville, speaking on behalf of Warrenton’s city planning staff. “(The planning board’s) job is to make sure we’re planning to avoid conflicts.”

Developer T.G.L. Properties has proposed three buildings containing a total of 10 housing units to be situated on the property, which is also directly north of Khoury Park and within sight of Black Hawk Middle School. Development representatives argued that the site has poor visibility and is therefore unattractive for commercial development, but that the proximity to school and park make it a good spot for housing.

But planning commission members said they agreed with the city staff’s assessment that the area should be left for commercial development. Commissioners also said they see increased traffic around the already-busy school as a detriment.

Forest Ridge

The issue of the townhomes south of Morgan Street was a little trickier. Developer Beckemeyer Construction has proposed 17 buildings, containing 66 homes, on over 13 acres of land. The development would extend Morgan Street southward, with an option to also connect to Brune Parkway and the Forest Ridge subdivision to the east.

While the development is in a residential area, and plans could meet Warrenton’s zoning requirements, planning officials said their primary concern is that the city’s existing infrastructure can’t support traffic to the site. Specifically, Morgan Street is “substandard” to handle developments and traffic that are already planned in that area.

Commissioners also worried about a facet of the developer’s plan to build each building 1 at a time and then sell them to individual owners. A project representative said that plan is to make the project more financially feasible.

“Eleven or 12 different owners of the structures, independent of one another, seems like it could be a nightmare for everyone there,” commented commissioner Scott Costello. “At some point, the consistency of care and quality of the neighborhood suffers for that.”

Residents on both sides of the proposed development also expressed concerns about having a high-density development connected to their neighborhoods.

What’s next?

Both housing developments, along with a proposal for a gas station and restaurant at the corner of Highway 47 and Warrior Avenue, will come before the Warrenton Board of Aldermen on Dec. 21. Aldermen will once again hear public comments regarding the projects before making a final decision to approve or reject the developments.

It’s also possible that the developers for the spurned housing projects could withdraw their petitions to the city government in order to revise their proposals. That’s been a common tactic of developers in the past when a project doesn’t get recommended for approval.

Planning and Zoning, Warrenton, Housing

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