Commissioners weigh 15,000 sq ft minimum in proposed subdivision regulations

The St. Clair County Commission spent a prolonged portion of its work session debating proposed changes to the county's subdivision regulations that would set a 15,000-square-foot minimum lot size and create a limited grandfathering process for select previously advanced subdivisions. Chairman Baitman said the commission is trying to strike a balance between growth management and property rights as the unincorporated parts of the county experience rapid development.

Supporters said the change is intended to slow unplanned growth and protect quality of life. "Slowing down the growth deliberately takes on some legal implications about how people use their land, but slowing down the growth from a fiscal and quality-of-life issue is not all bad," Chairman Baitman said.

Opponents warned the rule would raise development costs and limit entry-level homebuilding. A local realtor who addressed the commission said the proposed 90-day grace window is too short for projects that already have engineering and financing in process: "I know of 10 projects that people have looked at that want to come that are good builders, good projects, but if you give 90 days, there's no way that they can come up with $10 million in 90 days," the commenter said.

County Engineer Clay Phillips told the commission the proposal includes two named subdivisions that would be explicitly grandfathered: Lake Village on 231 and Mil Creek Crossings on Roberts Mil Pond Road. He also described an administrative variance process and said the regulations would require compliance with health-department septic/perk standards and traffic/ingress reviews by engineering staff.

Commissioners discussed practical questions about septic systems, on-site engineered systems and responsibility for maintenance if a private operator goes out of business. "The expectation is probably if we got a problem like that, the county probably is going to have to front that cost," one commissioner said, noting county intervention could be necessary for health and safety failures.

The commission did not take a final vote during the work session but indicated the measure would be placed on the agenda for the following Tuesday meeting, where it could be adopted, tabled or amended. Commissioners acknowledged the document is imperfect and said variances and later adjustments are possible, but several said they do not want to delay action indefinitely.

The commission also discussed extending the proposed 90-day grace period to provide more time for projects already underway; staff said that option remains on the table for final consideration at the formal meeting.

Next steps: the subdivision regulations will appear on the commission's agenda for Tuesday for a formal motion and vote unless commissioners agree to table the item beforehand.