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Residents press questions as Blue Onyx describes 28-home Stillwater Grove plan
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Summary
At a Nov. 19 public hearing, Blue Onyx representative Mike Faulkner presented a proposal to rezone 6.84 acres at Bates Road and 364 for 28 attached homes; neighbors raised fence, stormwater, access and traffic concerns and the board read the rezoning ordinance for the first time but did not take final action.
A developer seeking to rezone 6.84 acres known as Stillwater Grove described plans for 28 attached single-family homes at the northwest corner of Highway 364 and Bates Road during a Nov. 19 public hearing in Dardenne Prairie.
Mike Faulkner, vice president of Sterling Engineering, said the Blue Onyx Development LLC proposal would rezone the site from R-1A to R-1D and build 14 buildings with two attached units each. He said lots would be roughly 5,400 square feet with 45-foot frontages, sidewalks on both sides of the street, two-car garages, and two large detention basins; Faulkner said the developer plans to "over detain" runoff in the basins to help mitigate downstream drainage concerns tied to MoDOT discharge through the site. He also said the developer tried to secure alternate access from MoDOT but was told a deed restriction on the north/right-of-way makes that route difficult and that seeking a change would require approval in Jefferson City.
The hearing brought multiple resident concerns. "Please remember that as you continue to ponder the fate of multifamily housing in Dardenne Prairie," said Cheryl Bratton, an Inverness resident who urged the board to consider national rental-market data. Charlie Costello, who said his property sits below the east retention basin, urged the board to require a fence, asked for proof that MoDOT will not permit a service-road entrance, and asked whether the city will require a downstream hydraulic study and a performance bond. "I don't believe them," Costello said about the developer's access claim and asked the board to seek documentary proof before final approval.
Board members asked technical questions about building depictions, garage depth and model sizes. Faulkner said ranch models would be about 1,590 square feet and two-story models between about 2,581 and 2,744 square feet, with prices "starting somewhere in the low $400,000s." He said most homes along the southern boundary would be ranch-style with walkout basements to reduce overlook concerns, and the developer offered a "green fence" (landscaping) as an alternative to a six-foot traditional fence in areas where large trees remain.
City planning materials included a first reading of Bill 25-54 to rezone the property and a related conditional-use item read as Bill 25-55. The board read Bill 25-54 by title only but did not vote on final passage that night. Alderman Ney said he has "extremely low" confidence in Blue Onyx's readiness and said the firm "is a little bit behind the 8 ball" on due diligence; other board members asked the developer to work with staff on items raised by residents.
The public hearing closed without a final vote on the rezoning; the board will proceed with the statutory and local-review steps required for rezoning and any conditional-use permit. The applicant provided plans showing setbacks, cross sections and proposed mitigation; residents asked the board to insist on documentation about MoDOT access, a hydraulic study for detention basins, clearer landscaping/landscaping plans, and a performance bond or other surety if the project advances.