The Truesdale Board of Aldermen and planning and zoning commission are eyeing a planned development district on the western portion of the former Good Game Sports property to balance expectations from residents and Clarkson Construction as the contractor works to establish a facility in the city. 

Robert Fry, vice president at Clarkson Construction, was in attendance at the April 16 planning zoning meeting along with the board of aldermen and roughly 25 residents of the Heritage Hills subdivision to discuss his company’s plans for the area. 

Clarkson Construction, a Kansas City company and one of the contractors on the Improve I-70 project in Warren County, hopes to purchase part of the property and convert it to a facility for office space and equipment storage. 

Fry said the company had planned to start bidding projects on the east side of the state and had been waiting for an “anchor job” to establish them in the area. When the company was named as part of the joint venture for the Improve I-70 Project from Warrenton to Wentzville, those plans started to come to fruition. 

He said both himself and Kevin Brimmer with Clarkson have moved to the area and were instructed to find a suitable site for their business. 

“We wanted a building that we could put offices in, maybe have part of it for a small shop in it, a place we could store equipment,” said Fry. “We needed acreage to store equipment, materials; everything that we do our business with.”

He said they want to be good neighbors and want to work with residents and the city to find a tenable solution for their facility. Clarkson had already expressed willingness to work with the city and pledged to construct a berm with trees on the south side of the property to keep it out of view from houses nearby. 

Fry fielded dozens of questions from residents about what Clarkson’s facility would entail and what its impact on residents would be. 

Concerns arose from residents as Fry said the company wanted to conduct rock crushing at the property for the Improve I-70 project as well as to improve the property for the company’s use. 

Residents were also frustrated that there have been temporary lights and movement on the property at night. 

Fry yielded and said they wanted to make the property in Truesdale work so he would find another site to use for the rock crushing operation. He conceded that there would be work done at night on the property since MoDOT’s requirements for the Improve I-70 project were that they could only limit the interstate to one lane of traffic to work at night. 

He said he was unaware the lights had been a problem and would instruct his crews to position them so they do not impact the neighborhood moving forward. 

City officials also wanted to sort out what permits Clarkson needed for the work they are conducting on the property right now along with what they would need in the future. City Engineer John Choinka said he would need further documentation from them outlining their plans. 

There were also concerns from the city about the work on the property since it is currently zoned C-2 commercial, and Clarkson already has temporary buildings and equipment on the property. 

According to city consultant John Brancagione with PGAV Planners, although office space is a permitted use under C-2 zoning, equipment storage and rock crushing are not. He also advised against “spot zoning” the property to industrial. 

“As soon as it moves into anything that requires outdoor storage or the crushing operation that (Fry) is talking about, there’s just no way to permit that in that district,” said Brancaglione. 

He did continue saying a planned development district would provide the city and the company with more options to find a solution. Planned development districts allow for municipalities and developers to negotiate terms outside of the existing zoning code in certain circumstances and involve concessions from developers to allow otherwise unpermitted uses to move forward. 

“This is a good potential business for the city long term that I’m presuming will bring employees in or employed people who live here,” said Brancaglione. 

The ordinances for the district would be very narrow, and would only apply to Clarkson on that specific property, for the specific uses agreed upon between the company and the city. 

Brancaglione also clarified that if Clarkson ever left the property, its zoning would revert back to the original C-2 commercial. 

A planned development district would also require public hearings before the planning and zoning commission and the board of aldermen before it could be approved. 

Fry said they are currently leasing the property and plan to close on the property at the end of the month but did not want to move forward with the purchase if he could not get assurances from the city that their work would be allowed. 

Alderman Kari Hartley, who also sits on the P&Z Board, spoke in favor of the planned development district.

“With the planned development district, industrial, we put those stipulations in place to where, if they are not following what stipulations we put in place, then there are repercussions that the city, or the attorney can do,” said Hartley. 

City officials directed Choinka to work with Clarkson to clear up their plans and issue temporary permits so they can continue their work while they close on the property. 

The next steps will be public hearings at Truesdale City Hall before the planning and zoning commission at 5:30 p.m. on May 21 and before the board of aldermen at 5:15 p.m. on May 28 where citizens can continue to make their voices heard.