Warrenton aldermen denied a rezoning request made by a Wentzville business owner who planned on operating his lawn care business on property located on Booneslick Road. City officials indicated Tuesday night they were concerned about the future use of the property should it be sold or a different business locate there. Bill Houck, owner of Lawn Tech, a Wentzville-based landscaping firm, requested property at 600 W. Booneslick be changed from residential (R-2) to highway commercial (C-3). The land, owned by Barry Schaeffer of Marthasville, is less than 1 acre and located across the street from Butler Supply. The property has been vacant for several years. The rest of the properties in the area are residential. Houck intended to build an indoor storage facility for his business, according to city officials. The board's unanimous decision followed a recommendation by the city's planning and zoning commission to approve the zoning change. The planning and zoning board voted 8-0 with two members absent on July 2, one month after the decision was postponed. The June meeting was canceled due to lack of a quorum. Under the city's comprehensive plan, city attorney Chris Graville said planning and zoning members concluded the boundary of the northwest corner owned by Schaeffer abuts the existing commercial district by approximately 40 feet. The commission felt Schaeffer's property could be eligible to be rezoned as an "extension of the existing district boundaries." Aldermen felt it was in the best interest of the city to ignore the recommendation brought to them. "It's right in the middle of houses," Alderman Jerry Cullom said. "There are residences all around." After some hesitation, all six aldermen voted against the zoning change. In a related matter, aldermen voted to table any action on a boundary adjustment request also made by Houck. He planned on combining two adjacent properties. The board felt the decision on the boundary should be revisited once Houck decides on how to proceed following Tuesday's vote. "This isn't a request to put in a lawn maintenance company," Costello told board members. "This is a request for C-3. This property owner could be approved and own it for six months and another buyer could come along and buy it from him and they are eligible to put in anything in that C-3 zone. You have to go into this eyes open." During a public hearing held at the start of Tuesday's meeting on the request, two opponents voiced their concerns to aldermen. Raymond Welge, a local developer, questioned the future use of the property if it was changed to commercial. He also was concerned about continuing drainage problems affecting his property located south of the area. Sharon Owenby, who lives across the street from the site, was worried about traffic entering and exiting the property from Booneslick. She said motorists rarely travel the 30 mph speed limit and a small crest in front of Butler Supply could lead to accidents. Had aldermen approved the request, a site plan would have been needed before Houck could have proceeded with constructing a building. The plan would have answered stormwater and traffic issues related to the property. Houck did not attend Tuesday's meeting.