Council tables rezoning and special-use requests tied to proposed clean-earth landfill at 13140 Missouri Bottom Road

Bridgeton — The City Council on Jan. 1 tabled two linked agenda items that would have changed land use on property addressed as 13140 Missouri Bottom Road and allowed a front‑lot clean‑earth landfill pending additional review and conditions.

Zach Greitens, the city’s planning and zoning officer, told the council the applicant seeks to rezone the rear northern 17.85 acres from R‑1 (single‑family) to M‑1 (manufacturing limited) and to establish a special‑use permit for a clean‑earth landfill on roughly 7 acres at the parcel’s front. Greitens said the planning commission recommended rezoning 12–0 and recommended the landfill special‑use permit 9–3, and he reviewed a list of nine conditions the commission attached, including required floodplain permits, annual site‑disturbance renewals, documentation of reviews by MSD and other agencies, phased filling, compliance with municipal code chapter 5 50, installation of an automated truck wash to reduce sediment track‑out, and inspection/repair of Pruitt Farm Road when required.

The petitioner, Greg Flerlage, described recent purchases of nearby property and said he views the area as destined for commercial/industrial uses. Flerlage said the front fill would come initially from material generated by his construction operations and that he did not expect a long‑term increase in truck traffic: “I’m not gonna add to that traffic,” he said, describing an intent to use his company’s material first. Greitens and the applicant both emphasized that any future industrial development would require separate site, stormwater and permits and additional reviews.

Council members pressed staff and the petitioner on phasing, floodplain questions, traffic and how buildings and storage on the site would be addressed as fill/grades change. No members of the public offered testimony for or against the requests during the hearing; planning records and the staff report were entered into the record.

Council member Luther moved, and Council member Luke seconded, to table both the rezoning and the special‑use permit. The motion to table carried by unanimous voice vote. The items will return to a future council agenda for further review and potential action.

Why it matters: Rezoning from residential to manufacturing and a permit to accept fill for floodplain elevation would change how the site can be used, trigger environmental and transportation reviews, and require coordination with MSD and other agencies before construction or long‑term operations could proceed.