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Planning commission backs waiver allowing individual septic systems for 8‑lot Hills Hollow Estates with maintenance safeguards
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of a waiver that would allow eight individual household wastewater treatment systems on a 31‑acre Hills Hollow Estates subdivision, subject to tertiary treatment, a $20,800 maintenance reserve and other conditions intended to guarantee upkeep for at least 10 years.
The City of Wildwood Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of a waiver that would permit eight individual wastewater treatment systems for the proposed Hills Hollow Estates subdivision on a 31‑acre tract at Pond Road and State Route 100.
The commission’s support on the waiver followed the Department of Planning report and public comments raising both environmental and operational concerns. Director Vinich told the commission the department’s recommendation is “favorable” provided specific conditions are attached.
The waiver would let the developer avoid a centralized packaged wastewater treatment plant and install individual systems for each lot. The department’s report and subsequent commission discussion stressed three protections: (1) systems must meet a tertiary‑level treatment standard, (2) the developer must deposit $2,600 per lot (a total of $20,800) into an account to guarantee maintenance for at least 10 years, and (3) drainfields may not be placed in resource‑protected areas. The report said the money must be replenished by the developer or homeowners association if expended.
Residents who spoke at the public hearing urged denial because of concerns about groundwater and downstream impacts to Bonhomme Creek. Greg Marinac, who lives nearby, asked the commission to “consider the relative efficacy of these individual proposed individual septic system[s] compared with the required system.” Stu Williams and others told the commission they feared failures if maintenance lapsed.
Developer representatives and the applicant said tests and permitting steps required by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and St. Louis County would be followed. Jonathan Hill, who identified himself as the applicant, described the MDNR testing and county percolation checks required for each lot and said, “a lot of this will come down to maintenance.”
Commissioners discussed past experience with communal plants in Wildwood neighborhoods—including Homestead Estates and Three Sisters Farm—and noted both successful county takeovers (by Missouri American Water Company or St. Louis County Water) and historic failures under some homeowners associations. The department said the proposed conditions were modeled on an earlier waiver (West Eden) and intended to “put teeth” into maintenance obligations.
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the department’s recommendation by a majority vote; the written report will be forwarded to City Council for final action. The department said it would require an easement or common area to accommodate a future centralized plant if the subdivision ever sought additional lots beyond eight, and that building plumbing should be designed to allow future connection.
If City Council grants the waiver with the recommended conditions, the project would proceed under the terms the commission outlined; if Council denies it, the developer could be required to install a centralized plant or revise the plan.
Votes at a glance: The commission recorded a majority vote to approve the department’s recommendation; tally reported in meeting transcript as 5 in favor, 1 opposed. The official recommendation and accompanying conditions will be included in the packet forwarded to City Council.
Clarifying details: The waiver request covers approximately 31 acres at the northwest corner of Pond Road and Route 100; the developer proposes 8 lots; the department recommended tertiary treatment and a per‑lot deposit of $2,600 (total $20,800) to guarantee maintenance for no less than 10 years; drainfields cannot be placed in resource‑protected areas; any future increase to a ninth lot would trigger a requirement for centralized wastewater.
Why it matters: The decision reconciles competing priorities—preserving groundwater and downstream water quality while allowing smaller, site‑specific septic solutions where soils and design merit them. The department and commission attached financial and operational requirements intended to reduce implementation risk and create enforceable maintenance remedies.
