Architectural board grants preliminary sign-off to Liberty-series home designs at Reserve at Wildwood

The Wildwood Architectural Review Board on Tuesday reviewed and moved to approve preliminary architectural elevations and floor plans for four Liberty‑series house designs in the Reserve at Wildwood, a proposed 115‑lot subdivision at Manchester Road and Highway 109.

The Liberty series is the smaller of two product groups McKelvey Homes is offering for the roughly 50‑acre site; the board discussed lot types, garage configurations and exterior materials and approved the preliminary presentation so the developer can fold feedback into final submittals. "The Liberty Series can start as small to Franklin. It's the smallest available plan, and I believe that's just above 1,800 square feet," Alex Bartelsmeier, the applicant representing McKelvey Homes, told the board.

Board members and staff described the larger project as a mix of 40‑foot and 50‑foot lots with a Main Street running through the development, cul‑de‑sac clusters and multiple public spaces and trails. Bartelsmeier said the plan allocates about 52 of the narrower (40‑foot) lots and roughly 62 wider lots for 3‑car garages; the total for the subdivision was described as 115 lots. He said the Liberty homes are intended primarily for the narrower cul‑de‑sac lots while a separate "designer" series will occupy the Main Street frontage.

The board discussed setbacks and spacing: a staff speaker said typical side‑yard setbacks for the project would be between about 5 and 8 feet, producing roughly 10 feet between houses in some areas. Members reviewed exterior materials and noted that the siding, gable treatments and stone veneer shown in the renderings would be matched to the existing palette. Bartelsmeier said hardy board and stone veneer will be used and that some variation in color and material will be encouraged so that identical elevations do not abut.

Traffic and drainage near the Highway 109 roundabout drew sustained comment. "I'm not comfortable with the roundabout on 109," Member Parsons said, warning of a steep drop on the west side of the roundabout. A staff member said the city has been coordinating with the Missouri Department of Transportation and the developer's engineers; the staff speaker said a box culvert and other improvements will require MoDOT approvals and that the city will not release site improvement plans until those comments and approvals are resolved.

The board was explicit that the review was preliminary and advisory: the applicant received feedback but no building permits will be issued until infrastructure and improvement plans — including required MoDOT approvals for the roundabout area — are complete. Member Tracy Knight made the motion to approve the Liberty‑series preliminary presentation; the item passed on a voice vote.

The developer expects to present additional plans at later meetings; Bartelsmeier said the company will submit more models for final review before the complete set of home types is locked into the final plan.