Rolla planning commission approves site plan, recommends rezoning for Merriweather water booster station

The Rolla Planning and Zoning Commission on July 15 approved a site plan for a proposed Rolla Municipal Utilities water pressure booster station at 931 Merriweather Road and recommended the rezoning of the parcel from R-3 (multifamily residence) to the P (Public) zoning district. The commission’s approval of the site plan allows the project to proceed at the planning level; the rezoning will go to the Rolla City Council for final action.

The project site, a heavily treed lot near Phelps Health Hospital that RMU purchased from the Audubon Society in late May, is planned to house a small pump building to increase water pressure for the surrounding area. Tom, a city staff member who presented the proposal to the commission, said the Public zoning district is used for public or semi‑public uses, including utilities, and noted the comprehensive plan supports necessary utility improvements in existing developed areas.

Chad Davis, engineering manager for Rolla Municipal Utilities, answered residents’ questions during the public hearing. “We did purchase the property from the Audubon Society in late May,” Davis said. On tree clearing he said, “we're gonna try to minimize how many trees we clear,” but added that the layout requires clearing most trees along the Merriweather Road frontage and that the site plan may be refined during final design and bidding. Davis described the building as a concrete block structure with limited openings and a metal roof; he said the pumps will be variable‑speed and the station will be remotely monitored. “It'll probably be checked daily when it's in operation,” Davis said; he also said it will not be a staffed location and that maintenance visits should be infrequent beyond routine inspections and grounds upkeep.

Commissioners asked about driveway access and noise. Davis said the station will be accessed from Merriweather Road, not White Columns Drive, because of vertical relief on the White Columns side. On noise, he said the pumps are relatively small, would operate on variable frequency drives and would be inside a concrete block building with insulation, and he didn’t anticipate noise issues.

The presentation included a site plan showing the pump building nearer Merriweather Road, a retaining wall integral to the west side of the building, and buffers of trees remaining on some adjacent properties. Tom told the commission that because this is a city project, the commission has authority under the city code to review and approve the site plan; the rezoning recommendation, however, will proceed to the City Council.

After the public hearing, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of the site plan and the rezoning request; a second was heard and a roll call vote recorded four yes votes (Chairman, Ryder, Jordan, Morris). The motion passed and the commission approved the site plan and recommended the rezoning to city council. The commission discussed and decided no additional mitigation conditions were required at the time of the vote.

Details not specified at the meeting include final pump manufacturer or exact horsepower, exact number of trees to be removed beyond the statement that most frontage trees will be cleared, and project funding sources. The presenters said the site plan could be adjusted during final design and bidding, and that the city will maintain grounds and driveway snow removal as with other RMU facilities.

The rezoning request will appear next before the Rolla City Council for its consideration; the commission’s action does not itself change the zoning designation.