Wright City aldermen have denied a change that would have allowed an apartment complex to be built on Highway J near the Interstate 70 North Service Road.Don Collier, the owner of Quail Run Properties in Moscow Mills, in April asked the city to rezone the Highway J property from light industrial to multi-family residential. A property’s zoning describes the acceptable uses for a piece of land under city ordinance.The change would have allowed Collier to build a complex with more than 200 middle-income apartments, renting for $500 to $900 per month.Residents along Highway J and in the nearby Forest Lake subdivision balked at the proposal, attending several public meetings to voice their concerns.Chief among those concerns were the potential for crime, and whether such a development is right for an area that is mostly rural. Opponents also asked whether bringing 200 new families into the area would overly burden local services.“We’re going to have to worry about locking up everything, because you want to come out (Highway) J and put this up on J,” said one woman, who did not identify herself. She pointed to other apartment complexes in the area where she said more people has created more trouble.Jim Hulse said he and his wife had moved to the Forest Lake subdivision about a year ago when they retired.“I’m not sure if we would have bought the property” (if the neighboring lot were zoned for multifamily housing), Hulse said.Corey Pogrelis, another local resident, argued that the property ought to remain reserved for business.“There’s only so much real estate that can be zoned for light industrial in Wright City. Light industrial needs access to the highways,” Pogrelis said. “Housing and apartments can go anywhere there’s water and sewer. Light industrial can’t.”In response to the concerns, Mayor Dan Rowden said the city had been considering allowing the apartment proposal in order to meet future housing needs in Wright City.Last year alone, Wright City issued more than 100 permits for new houses as people have shown interest in moving to the area. It’s a trend city officials expect to continue.“We anticipate that there’s going to be an infusion of people coming into our community and growing the economy, and growing our business and industry,” Rowden said.This point was supported by Brad Schuster, branch president of First State Community Bank in Wright City and a member of the Wright City Area Chamber of Commerce. He said business owners throughout Warren County see a need for moderately priced housing for employees.“Not everybody can afford $1,500 (per month), plus the maintenance on a home, plus tax and insurance. There is a definite need,” Schuster said.Schuster also stated that he has known Collier, the apartment developer, for several years, and that there wouldn’t be a better partner for bringing such a housing development to the area.Several times Schuster was interrupted by residents in the audience, who became argumentative as he continued to speak.Collier, for his part, said he had addressed most or all of the concerns expressed during previous public meetings.He pointed to previous statements by Wright City and Lincoln County law enforcement that his current apartments in Moscow Mills have relatively little crime.Collier promised to put a deed restriction on the Highway J property so that it could never be used for low-income, government-subsidized housing, which had been another fear of nearby neighbors.He said other concerns about overburdening local services, such as the fire department, were nonissues based on his conversations with the appropriate officials.Nevertheless, the aldermen felt there had been too much negative feedback on the proposal for them to go ahead with the rezoning.“I’ve heard many phone calls, I’ve talked to them in person, I’ve got emails, I’ve got text messages. They’re not in favor,” said Ward 2 Alderman Nathan Rohr. “I’m gonna stick with (the voters’) beliefs, and it’s going to be a ‘no’ on my part.”The aldermen voted 4-0 to deny the rezoning, with a word of caution from Ward 1 Alderman John O’Connor.If an activity or use for a piece of land is listed as “permitted” under the appropriate section of the city’s zoning code, the city has little legal ground to block a project, he said.O’Connor told the residents that if they try to protest a future development that fits within the description of light industrial zoning, there won’t be much the aldermen can do to help them.“If it fits the (rules and ordinances), it’s hard to say ‘no’ without creating a lawsuit,” O’Connor said.Some of the busier permitted uses in a light industrial zone are warehouses, truck terminals, incinerators, recreational facilities, manufacturing plants and laundry facilities.Wright City signRecord photo