Wright City’s Board of Aldermen postponed a decision on a zoning change request by a developer for the District at Roelker Planned Development Area. This is the second time the development has been delayed by the board as it was previously sent back down to the planning and zoning commission during the Aug. 22 board meeting. 

The developer, Houston Homes LLC, has requested to rezone the roughly 58 acre property on Roelker Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway from M-1 light industrial to a residential planned development area. The developer also requested that motion be tabled for the following meeting. 

Despite the plan to table the meeting, Alderman Ramiz Hakim requested the board open the zoning change to public comment. 

“I know it’s zoned for light industrial, I’m concerned that there would be more light industrial on that sector of road. So I would be interested in favor of anything that moves away from more light industrial along that corridor,” said Kim Purl, an attendee at the meeting. 

Alderman Karey Owens also spoke out in favor of the development, saying she felt the developer had worked with the city enough for her to accept the concessions. She continued saying the need for more affordable housing in Wright City was too great for them to deny a development like this. 

“I think this gives us some tax revenue we’re looking for out of some commercial space. This gives us some help with Roelker Road which is desperately needed, and this gives us some more housing options for folks just starting out,” said Owens. 

Alderman Kim Arbuthnot echoed those sentiments saying the development would fill a need in Wright City and with the hoops the developer had already jumped through, she did not see a reason to deny it any further. 

“I also do feel, like Karey said, we asked, we asked and we asked of this development and this developer came through with everything we asked for,” said Arbuthnot. “So I think to say no at this point is very, very unprofessional of us.”

The development has seen a number of changes as the developer has requested concessions from the city’s zoning code and the city has requested alterations to those concessions. 

Under the plan as it was presented, the city would have allowed a number of exceptions including cutting the minimum lot size requirement from 8,400 square feet to 4,632 square feet, significant cuts to minimum setbacks and an increase to the minimum lot coverage. 

The development would also include commercial frontage for businesses along with a large number of homes in the high density proposed development. 

The zoning change request returned to the board of aldermen, this time with a negative recommendation from the planning and zoning commission, which voted four to two against the development. 

The property owner, John Timmerman, also spoke during the meeting and expressed some frustration at the delays the proposed development had faced. 

“From a business standpoint, things run out, and the time has run out,” said Timmerman. “So when you table something that we all should have been voting on tonight and given him your approval so he can move on to bring people to this wonderful town, it’ll never happen unless you put them somewhere else.”

Alderman Ramiz Hakim tried to alleviate some of his concerns, saying that just because of the negative recommendation from P&Z and the postponement of the board’s decision, it did not mean the development was dead. 

“We haven’t taken a formal vote but I feel like you have half the board that says they way that it’s been submitted right here and right now is acceptable,” said Hakim. “So we’re not that far from getting there.”

He clarified after the meeting that he would have voted against the development in its current form. 

Alderman Don Andrews declined to state whether he was for or against the development, saying only that he was worried about losing the city’s industrial zoning. 

The Wright City Board of Aldermen will make a final decision on the development at their Nov. 7 meeting.