Council hears first reading for rezoning at 21 Steventale Court; approval conditioned on purchase of adjacent lot with Highway 72 access

The Rolla City Council held a public hearing and completed the first reading of an ordinance to rezone property at 21 Steventale Court from R‑1 Suburban Residential to C‑1 Neighborhood Commercial. The measure will return for a second reading and final vote at a future meeting.

Tom, city planning staff member, described changes the applicant has made since the prior council discussion: the applicant obtained the property to the west under contract to gain driveway access to Highway 72 (that adjacent lot already carries commercial zoning), provided a site plan showing roughly nine on‑site parking spaces, and reported outreach to nearby neighbors. Tom said planners believe the combined properties can provide vehicular access and parking that address earlier concerns about traffic using the residential street.

Planning and Zoning recommended approval by a 6–0 vote with a condition: the C‑1 zoning would not be effective until the applicant closes on the adjacent western parcel and records an access easement or otherwise guarantees access to Highway 72. The commission included that condition to ensure traffic and circulation concerns raised in prior hearings were resolved.

During the council public hearing, residents were invited to speak; no speakers from within the 185‑foot notification band registered opposition at the meeting, and staff said mailed notices had been sent to owners within the statutory 185‑foot radius (staff said the city mails out to 400 feet to broaden notice). Council members asked about paving requirements, the proposed dine‑in and takeout elements of the business, and whether MoDOT access permits would be needed. Tom answered that the western lot already has Highway 72 access and that the plan would require paved ingress/egress and parking; he said no further council action would be required after the applicant records the access easement because the western lot is already zoned commercial.

Nathan Sherman, council member and planning commission representative, reminded the new council members that a rezoning vote changes the list of uses allowed on the property to everything permitted in the C‑1 zone. “At the end of the day, your rezoning decision should not be based solely on what that person may or may not want to do. It should be based on anything and everything that's allowed in a C‑1 zone,” he said.

Why it matters: rezoning the parcel to C‑1 would allow commercial uses along Highway 72 that the comprehensive plan identifies as appropriate for that frontage. The condition to make rezoning effective only after the adjacent lot is acquired and an access easement recorded addresses neighborhood traffic concerns by ensuring a direct outlet to the arterial highway instead of using the residential street for restaurant traffic.

Next steps: the ordinance received its first reading by title; council will take the second reading and a final vote at a subsequent meeting. If the council approves on final reading and the applicant meets the condition (closes on the adjacent lot and records an access easement), the zoning change would become effective per the condition recorded by staff.

Sources and evidence: staff presentation, Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation (6–0, conditional) and council public‑hearing transcript.