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Committee backs Bethel Grove: 49.1-acre planned subdivision, annexation and pre‑annexation agreement recommended
Summary
O'Fallon staff presented and the Community Development Committee recommended approval of a planned-use development, annexation and a pre-annexation agreement for the Bethel Grove subdivision: 49.1 acres, 53 lots, SR1 zoning, variances for street trees and temporary office/display-home arrangements.
The Community Development Committee recommended approval of a planned-use development ordinance and related annexation and pre‑annexation agreement for Bethel Grove, a proposed 49.10-acre subdivision that would add 53 single-family lots to O'Fallon.
City staff said the proposal, from developer Rich Goraz (Bethel Grove LLC), would annex contiguous unincorporated parcels, rezone them to single-family residential (SR1) with a planned use, and create lots ranging from about 18,341 to 80,000 square feet. The applicant proposes homes between about 2,000 and 2,400 square feet; staff reported a net density of 1.08 dwelling units per acre, below the maximum for the future low-density residential designation.
Staff said the project meets bulk and area regulations for SR1, contains proposed drainage directed to two existing wet ponds and a new detention area, and will install sidewalks and public utilities. The city recommended two variances: moving required street trees from the public landscape buffer to private front lawns to avoid future conflicts with utilities and sidewalks, and allowing an existing pole-barn structure on Lot 50 to serve temporarily as a builder office while Lot 49 serves as a model home; after development, the display home and Lot 50 would be sold together and the temporary uses removed.
Committee members asked about access for existing homes on Country Lane, drainage into Ogles Creek, and whether the new Outlot C detention area would accommodate increased runoff; staff responded that existing drives would be preserved through outlots and that construction plans would need to include pond and outlet modifications reviewed at the permit stage. Public commenters asked for drainage details and said they wanted to see outlet analyses before final council approval; staff said those analyses will be part of the construction-plan review required before permits are issued.
The committee voted to recommend the planned-use ordinance, the annexation ordinance and the pre-annexation agreement to council in a set of votes. Staff listed conditions and engineering requirements in the recommended ordinance and will continue plan-level review before building permits are issued.
