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O'Fallon board approves gravel parking variance at 1630 Kenmore Court amid methane concerns
Summary
The O'Fallon Board of Adjustment approved a variance allowing a gravel parking area at 1630 Kenmore Court despite public concern about a possible reclaimed landfill and methane gas; staff recommended approval citing local precedents and existing gravel access roads.
The City of O'Fallon Board of Adjustment voted March 13 to approve a variance allowing a gravel parking area at 1630 Kenmore Court, a property owned by INC Environmental Recycling LLC.
Spencer, a city staff member, told the board the applicant requested permission to use gravel for parking and said historic aerials indicate the property may be part of a reclaimed landfill. "The applicant is requesting a variance to allow a gravel parking area," Spencer said, and staff recommended approval based on the criteria in the staff report, noting that many surrounding roads and driveways are also gravel and that some pavement limitations can apply where methane buildup is possible.
The recommendation drew opposition from Arnie C. ACDinoff, a city public advocate who urged the board to require site improvements and environmental cleanup. ACDinoff said prior hazardous-waste sightings have occurred in the neighborhood and that methane reports "put up a lot of red flags" requiring investigation by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "For those reasons, I have to oppose this application," he said.
Mike Hackmeister of Cochran Engineering, representing the applicant, said the applicant sought gravel for truck turnaround areas and that nearby properties and privately maintained roads in the area are gravel as well. "I think Spencer covered a lot of it," Hackmeister said.
The board held no recorded public roll-call tally in the transcript but the chair announced the variance had been approved. The transcript does not record a motion maker, a second, or a vote-by-name breakdown.
Why it matters: staff cited site conditions and local precedent for gravel surfaces in the neighborhood, while a public advocate warned that unresolved landfill boundaries and reports of a green substance seen previously on nearby properties raise environmental and safety questions. The board's approval leaves open potential follow-up by state or federal regulators if methane or contamination issues are later substantiated.
Next steps: The transcript records no immediate direction for environmental testing; board members or staff could pursue inquiries with state or federal agencies as urged by the public advocate.
