Following a public hearing at their Thursday, Oct. 22 meeting, Wright City aldermen approved rezoning approximately 120 acres of land for a new McBride Homes subdivision known as Timber Run.

The rezoning of the property, located west of the existing Auburn Meadows and Peruque Creek Manors subdivisions and south of Highway H and The Shire subdivision, to the city’s PDA-R, “planned development area - residential” district, was recommended unanimously by the Wright City Planning & Zoning Commission, noted McBride Associate General Counsel Katie Peroutka.

Mayor Michelle Heiliger pointed out, however, that residents spoke at the Oct. 19 planning and zoning meeting, raising questions and concerns about various aspects of McBride’s plans, including buffer zones around neighboring property, stormwater discharge from The Shire subdivision, and installing fencing along the western side of the subdivision.

“So it was a great conversation, we appreciate everyone that came out, but I wanted to make sure that in this hearing we shared the comments from the previous hearing,” she said.

Peroutka noted that following the discussion at its recent meeting, the planning and zoning commission required McBride to meet four additional conditions for its rezoning plan to be approved. 

These included that parking be allowed only on one side of streets in the subdivision, that McBride install landscaping rather than a sidewalk along Highway H, that there be a 20-foot-wide access strip to a large area of common ground within the subdivision, and that a fence be installed along the western side of the subdivision. Peroutka said McBride was agreeable to all these conditions.

Noting that the city has been working to get developers to plan for future street connections when laying out their subdivisions, Alderman Don Andrews asked if a stub street could be built or right-of-way dedicated for this purpose. After some discussion, Peroutka and city officials agreed that an area of common ground could be dedicated as city right-of-way for a potential future street connection, without requiring McBride to actually build a stub there.

Andrews also asked what kind of fencing McBride planned to use. Peroutka said the company “would be proposing a really beautiful, decorative, black, 4-foot aluminum fence.” 

Marie Hollenbeck said her family has owned a 72-acre farm directly to the west of the proposed subdivision for more than 140 years.

“As the fourth generation, my sister Diane and I feel a particular obligation to continue the tradition of being good stewards and caretakers of that property,” she said. “While we realized for the past several years that the property now before you for rezoning would likely be developed into a residential neighborhood, I have to admit that this type of development would not have been our preferred choice for a subdivision.”

Hollenbeck questioned McBride’s plans for the density of the subdivision, 62 percent of which will be common ground, along with the placement of a buffer area between the subdivision and her family’s farm being located outside of the fenced area, and the 4-foot fencing itself. 

“We don’t believe that fence adequately addresses the concerns we have about individuals, and particularly children, coming onto the farm property,” she said.

Hollenbeck said she would prefer a 6-foot chain link fence. City officials said, however, that they didn’t think a chain link fence would look good or be more effective at keeping people out.

“I hate to say it like this, because I understand exactly what you’re asking for, but a 6-foot chain link fence is going to make it look like a prison. That’s what it would look like to me,” Heiliger said.

“In my opinion, a chain link fence is going to be easier to climb,” said Andrews.

“And you’ve got to maintain it, and things are going to grow up, I mean, you know what a 4-foot chain link fence in a neighborhood looks like if they’re not maintained,” Heiliger added.

Peroutka and McBride Senior Vice President of Land Development Jeremy Roth said the 4-foot fencing was what McBride planned to require homeowners in the subdivision to install if they put up their own fences, and that they felt the fencing would be sufficient to prevent trespassing.

“But Mr. Roth, you are not the one facing the liability if a child wanders away from their home and into the pond,” said Hollenbeck, “and the ponds were there when you purchased the property, so you were aware of that.”

Peroutka said McBride understood Hollenbeck’s concern.“I would just submit that, I mean, if a child is going to scale a fence and wants to trespass and break the law, or if anybody, I mean, they’ll climb a 6-foot fence as easily as they would a 4-foot fence,” she said.

City officials made similar comments. “Are kids going to go and trample through woods and stuff? Yeah, but I think that that line creates almost an extra border, an extra barrier, and then they’re in the woods, and I think that creates almost a sense of anyone else’s property being further away,” said Alderman Karey Owens.

“I understand your concerns and where you’re coming from, but also I think that this plan is reasonable,” she said, adding that the 4-foot fencing was a good “middle ground between nothing and 6-foot, and creating extra barriers.”

Aldermen voted 3-0 to approve the rezoning. Alderman Kim Arbuthnot was absent.