Council holds first reading on rezoning for 75-home subdivision at 900 block of Colorado Avenue

The City of Republic held the first reading of an ordinance proposing to amend the Frisco Square Plan Development District (PDD) to allow a 75-lot single-family subdivision on about 18.49 acres in the 900 block of Colorado Avenue. Chris Taber, principal planner, told council the site is currently planned within the Frisco Square PDD and that the existing zoning allowed multifamily development (8.45 acres of multifamily for up to 147 dwellings at an overall density of about 17.4 units per acre) plus 3.3 acres of single-family R1H and green space. The applicant seeks an amended PDD to allow 75 single-family lots with R1-style setbacks and minimum lot standards; staff said the proposed plan is consistent with the city's ordinances and comprehensive land-use goals. Taber provided specific development dimensions included in the application: a minimum lot area of 5,500 square feet, minimum width of 50 feet and depth of 110 feet; setbacks of 25 feet front and rear, 6-foot interior side setback, and side-street setbacks of 15 feet on local streets and 20 feet on collectors. The developer's plan also designates three stormwater detention areas (north-northeast, southwest, and center) to handle runoff; staff stated the parcel does not contain a special flood hazard area but contains two identified sinkholes and proposed a 30-foot no-build setback around mapped sinkholes to be placed on common lots in accordance with the city's sinkholes/karst ordinance. Taber said the water system, lift station and treatment plant have capacity to serve the development and that the traffic impact study was reviewed by MoDOT staff and others; no roadway improvements were required at full build-out according to the review. Chris Wynne, civil engineer representing the developer, told council that the proposed 75 single-family lots would represent a lower overall dwelling count than the previously approved multifamily allowance (147 apartments plus 19 single-family lots under current approvals), and said the smaller lots were necessary because of on-site constraints (two sinkholes and natural drainage) that require multiple detention areas and reduce buildable acreage. Wynne acknowledged neighbor concerns raised at the Planning & Zoning meeting—he said five or six adjacent residents spoke, “pretty much all spoke against it”—and described that stormwater, density and wildlife were the main issues raised. Wynne said the project will meet applicable stormwater code and that plans will be reviewed at the infrastructure permit stage. Council members asked questions about the change from multifamily to single-family, the stormwater review process, and comparative density; council was told that the proposed density would be about 4.05 units per acre compared with 6.22 units per acre for nearby R1H zoning and that density calculations are performed using the full acreage intended for development. Council advanced the ordinance for first reading with a unanimous 8-0 vote; no final rezoning decision was taken at this meeting. Council members and staff reminded the public that first-read decisions are preliminary and that interested parties can review Planning & Zoning materials; staff and the developer encouraged anyone with questions to contact planning staff before the next council meeting. Because this is a first-reading item, further review and a final council vote will be required before any rezoning becomes effective.