For several years, Wright City leaders have taken a stance on population growth and new development as being inevitable, but manageable through responsible regulation. City officials have now put authority to that stance by stalling a new subdivision proposal because of concerns over flooding and recreation space.

The Wright City Board of Aldermen voted on Sept. 22 to withhold approval for a 55-acre subdivision proposed by Houston Homes because the proposal lacked recreational green space. The 154-home subdivision, which would be located along Highway F, was already delayed once before because the subdivision layout placed several backyards into the floodway of Peruque Creek to the north.

To make a long story short, Houston Homes approached aldermen on Sept. 22 to request a special zoning designation that would allow the developer to compact the layout of the subdivision, move lots out of the floodway, and still build a similar number of homes.

However, the special zoning, called a ‘planned development area,’ also has a requirement for a certain amount of recreational green space, noted Alderman Ramiz Hakim. Houston Homes representative Brad Goss said the developer would meet that requirement by leaving 12.5 acres at the northwest corner of the subdivision undeveloped.

But that solution introduced a different problem: Almost all of that undeveloped land would be on the other side of the creek, with no bridge planned for crossing. Hakim said that arrangement would leave serious concern about whether future residents would actually benefit from that green space.

Goss replied that there aren’t plans to build a bridge because that would require involvement from multiple federal agencies which regulate waterways, incurring prohibitive costs and delays to the project. Residents would simply cross the creek to reach the green area, Goss said.

“Are you aware of the dropoff of that creek? It’s substantial. Like, 15 feet,” Hakim noted. “The spirit of green space is for children to have a safe place to play so they don’t find themselves getting in trouble. (With) a 15-foot drop down and then up, I don’t know if I would consider that as green space for children to have a safe place to play.”

This setback seemed to frustrate Goss, who complained that the developer’s attempt to keep yards out of the floodway had only led to a new roadblock from a different part of the city code. He stated that the green space across the creek was simply the hand they had been dealt, and that Houston Homes would create a gently sloped area for residents to access the creek from the south side.

But considering residents would still face a steep climb out of the north side of the creek, aldermen remained unconvinced by this measure. To meet the city’s requirement, the developer would have to provide 1.4 acres that residents could actually get to, they said.

Project engineer Steven Randall with Cochran Engineering proposed an alternate solution of removing the access slope and freeing just enough land to meet the green space requirement on the south side of the creek. Aldermen agreed with that solution, but refused to grant even preliminary approval until engineers redraw the plans and present them again in October.

“Several months ago, we took the word of a developer and approved his plat, and his word did not come through,” said Alderman Don Andrews, explaining that the board needs to be cautious in order to prevent problems for future residents. “At the end of the day, we’re the ones who are going to get the phone calls.”

Aldermen postponed a vote on the development proposal until they review an updated site plan on Oct. 13.