Platte County board approves rezoning and preliminary plat for Montebella 7th despite resident concerns

Platte County staff recommended and the board approved a rezoning from agricultural to R‑7 and the preliminary plat for Montebella 7th, a 36‑lot phase of the Montebella subdivision, during the meeting.

Staff said the preliminary plat shows proposed street grades, internal local streets to be 20 feet wide with asphalt surfaces, and a detention basin in private open space. The county engineer reviewed and approved the drainage study and construction plans. Staff added the developer will extend sanitary sewer and water lines through the property and that, under the county’s thresholds, the 36 lots did not trigger a required traffic study because they do not generate the county’s 100 vehicles‑per‑peak‑hour threshold.

The presentation listed agencies that were circulated for comment, including the Parkville Special Road District, Platte County Health Department, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), regional sewer and water districts and local school and fire districts; staff reported no substantive comments from those entities on this phase. Staff also said the phase will be accessed from the existing internal street network and will not connect to Green Hills Road because of steep topography.

During public comment several Montebella residents objected to adding 36 lots. Katie Franklin, who said she lives in the Montebello community, urged the board to deny approval, citing what she described as insufficient maintenance of existing amenities and rising homeowner association (HOA) costs. Franklin provided line items she said the HOA paid this year, including about $56,100 for fountain maintenance and $75,100 for grounds and fountain maintenance (figures provided by the speaker), and said adding more homes would further strain community upkeep.

Another resident asked how long developer control of the HOA might continue; staff and board members responded that HOA covenants are private agreements and that the county is not a party to those contracts, but that covenants as written can allow developer control to continue until the covenants provide otherwise.

An applicant representative who was sworn at the hearing said the project meets county regulations and declined to add further detail beyond staff’s presentation. After closing public comment an unidentified board member moved to approve the rezoning (agenda item 3a) and the preliminary plat (agenda item 4a) with conditions; the board voted in favor and the motions passed unanimously (vote count not specified).

Next steps: staff noted the rezoning will proceed to the county commission for the zoning change from AG to R‑7 as required, and the developer will need to complete required construction plans and conditions before recording the preliminary plat.