The Wright City board denied a request for a zoning change to build an apartment complex at their June 27 meeting. 

The board heard from Dan Sanders of MACO Development Company, a developer out of Clarkton, Missouri. The company was proposing a zoning change on a 17.4 acre property from A-1 Light Industrial to MR-2 Multi-family Residential which would have been located on Highway J north of the service road. 

They were requesting the zoning change to construct an apartment complex that would be built in two phases. The first of the two would be a 60 unit complex with a second 52 unit complex to be constructed later. 

Sanders said they were planning to construct the apartments with financing through the Missouri Housing Development Commission, a state agency that provides grants for housing developments. 

The financing required that MACO Development pursue and receive the zoning change before applying for financing the commission’s application window closes. 

The request came as the Wright City board has already turned down a number of requested zoning changes for housing developments in order to protect the city’s dwindling number of commercial and industrial lots. 

“We are consistently seeing people come to us and asking us to rezone commercial or industrial property to residential,” said Alderman Ramiz Hakim. “It’s very difficult for us because we don’t really feel like we’re in a place where we should tell people what they should do with their property, but in the same breath, we are responsible for the growth of the city.”

The first phase of the development would have included two story walk up units, according to Sanders which would range in rents from $500 a month up to $1,000 a month. They would be specifically earmarked for workforce housing and under the terms of the financing, MACO Development would be required to maintain it as affordable housing for at least the next 30 years. 

That requirement would have been tied to the deed of the property so even if MACO Development were to sell before the 30 years were up the new owner would still have to adhere to the previous agreement. 

The apartments would also be income restricted to make them available as workforce housing with thresholds for various different sizes of families. 

“This is not section 8 like I said, this is workforce housing,” Sanders said. “You’re going to have young families that are trying to get a start here to maybe even save some money to eventually buy a house.”

During the public hearing preceding the board’s decision, several members of the public spoke out against the housing development, many of them were displeased with the location and felt that while the additional housing was needed, the location was less than ideal. 

"We talk about controlled growth in this town. I come to these meetings all the time, and it’s very important we stick to that,” said Rod Smith, a speaker at the meeting. “So we have the look that we’re after, I just don’t think that’s a good fit.”

The sentiment of controlled growth and maintaining the city’s division of zoning districts, especially with the extensive need for road repairs in Wright City was echoed by other attendees. 

“I oppose the rezone of this area from light industrial to multifamily residential. Our city’s infrastructure is currently not equipped to handle the influx of people, vehicles and additional traffic that such a change would bring,” said Jennifer Pullman. 

In light of those comments, and others, the board decided unanimously to deny the zoning change. Hakim along with the other board members did express that they were supporters of the development and hoped that MACO Development would consider finding a different plot of land to use and continue to work with the city to make it a reality.