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Smithville planning staff details zoning, site plan reviews and thresholds for technical studies
Summary
City planning staff explained the step‑by‑step development review process—from pre‑application calls to development review committee meetings—highlighting required technical studies (water, sewer, stormwater and traffic) and city thresholds that trigger traffic impact studies (50 peak‑hour trips or 500 daily trips).
City planning staff led a detailed briefing on how development applications are reviewed in Smithville, walking aldermen through the sequence of phone consultations, development conferences, technical studies, development agreements and public notices that precede hearings before the planning commission.
Jack, a city planning staff member, said the process begins with a preliminary call to determine whether a request implicates zoning, infrastructure or combined rezoning/subdivision actions. He described four primary technical areas staff commonly requires: water system hydraulic analysis, sanitary‑sewer peak and daily flow studies, stormwater analysis and traffic impact studies.
“Again, this is a scenario where trip generation determines the necessity of the study…As you’ve heard before, and I’ll reiterate it here, our standards of 50 peak and 500 daily is the most stringent around,” Jack told the board, describing the local thresholds that trigger a traffic impact study (TIS). He added that when a project requires a waterline extension the city’s engineer runs an updated hydraulic model, and that sanitary‑sewer studies must predict peak and daily flows to avoid system overload.
Jack said the Development Review Committee—identified in the code and currently including Chuck Soules and Jack, with Dave Klein of the Smithville Area Fire Protection District brought in as needed—meets with applicants and their design teams to scope required technical studies. He said stormwater analyses must show that post‑development runoff does not leave a site faster than pre‑development conditions and that parkland dedication fees are generally paid at final plat recording for each phase.
The staff presentation also covered coordination with MoDOT for state highway impacts, certified‑letter notification to adjoining owners within 185 feet and a 15‑day newspaper notice before planning commission hearings. The board discussed meeting frequency for planning and noted some future work sessions may address code changes such as accessory dwelling unit (ADU) policies.
There were no formal votes or land‑use decisions taken at the work session; staff said applications and studies will be completed before matters are scheduled for public hearings.
