Developers seek annexation and PUD for 276‑home 'Caballo Farms' on 94 acres; council to consider annexation
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Summary
McBride Homes asked the O'Fallon City Council to annex 94 acres and approve an R‑1 PUD for 'Caballo Farms,' a 276‑home, three‑village subdivision with large common‑ground areas. Supporters cited housing supply and local jobs; opponents raised traffic, school capacity and PUD‑criteria concerns tied to Highway N improvements.
Jeremy Roth, principal with McBride Homes, told the City Council on Feb. 12 that his company is seeking annexation and R‑1 PUD zoning for a 94‑acre tract southwest of the Harvest community, proposing 276 detached single‑family home sites across three product 'villages' and substantial open space.
Roth said the plan would preserve roughly 39 percent of the site as tree preservation and set aside about 39.3 acres (more than 41 percent) as common ground, with 80 percent of lots backing to common ground instead of other lots. He described infrastructure coordination with water and sewer providers and said the county and MoDOT list improvements to Highway N — the corridor most frequently cited during public comment — as priorities with a potential 2027 groundbreaking.
Supporters who spoke during the public hearing included local business owners, union contractors and residents who said the project would expand for‑sale housing options in O'Fallon, create local construction jobs and supply more attainable price points for families. Aaron Moore, a local business owner, said, “I support this project because I want to see more affordable single‑family detached homes in O'Fallon.” Several trade contractors and suppliers also emphasized their long working relationships with McBride.
Opponents, led in part by frequent speaker Arnie C. Deanoff, urged the council to reject or delay action. Deanoff questioned whether McBride had demonstrated the 'hardship' that Chapter 89 PUD rules require and warned that Highway N’s limited capacity and the timing of county improvements make the project premature. He also said fast construction can lead to quality problems and argued that the price ranges advertised (some under $300,000 in staff materials) did not equate to truly 'affordable housing' for many local families.
Council members and staff highlighted outstanding conditions and process steps: traffic and grading studies, coordination with the Wing Haven master association for nearby projects, and a required traffic‑impact study. Jeremy Roth said phases of the project would follow infrastructure improvements and that first residents were unlikely before 2027–2028.
Councilman Koskella introduced Bill 78‑30 to annex the tract and approve an R‑1 PUD; the council moved the bill for first reading. No final zoning or annexation vote occurred at the Feb. 12 meeting; the council will consider the ordinance and any conditions at a later reading.
What happens next: the council must complete the public‑hearing record, consider any required traffic or infrastructure conditions and vote on subsequent readings of the bill. The timeline for construction and occupancy depends on coordination with county and state road projects and the sequencing of local approvals.
