Council rejects two residential rezones, approves dealership conditional-use; zoning variance review upheld

The Saint Charles County Council considered several land-use items on Monday and took mixed action.

Bill 54-15, a request to rezone agricultural land to R-1E (single-family residential) as filed in application RZ 25-10, failed on the council floor after members expressed concern about dividing long-established larger lots into smaller residential parcels. Council members who opposed the rezoning said the neighborhood’s character and lot patterns — many established decades ago — would be harmed if the parcel were subdivided into multiple small lots. The roll-call vote recorded more no votes than yes votes and the ordinance failed to pass.

Bill 54-16 (preliminary plat to re-subdivide Lot 47, Woodcliff Estates Plat 6) likewise failed after council members repeated concerns about lot size compatibility with neighboring properties.

By contrast, bill 54-17, an amendment to a prior conditional-use permit (CUR19‑05B) for automobile and truck sales to Benson Automotive Properties LLC, passed by roll call.

Separately, a variance matter that had been denied by the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BAR25‑01a), involving septic/sewer and lot-size issues for a property owned by a council member, was brought to the council for review. The council conducted discussion about whether the county should make one-off exceptions or instead pursue a code amendment for multiple communities with similar 1900s-era lot patterns; staff said they would work on a unified approach to avoid future one‑off votes. The council record shows the board’s decision was reviewed during the meeting; council members discussed policy implications for other unincorporated towns that were platted long ago.