A large crowd of people who attended Jefferson County Council’s June 13 meeting went away happy.
The council voted 5-1 to deny a rezoning application for an apartment complex proposed to be built at 515 Barbagallo Drive near Seckman and Old Lemay Ferry roads in Imperial.
About 80 people, some dressed in red shirts and carrying signs opposing the proposed apartments, showed up at the meeting to let council members know they stood firmly against the development of West Elm Place, the three-story, 24-unit apartment complex proposed by LL Investments LLC in St. Louis.
The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission had voted unanimously on May 12 to recommend denial of the request to rezone the 1.48-acre site where the apartments would have been built from planned unit development to planned mixed residential.
The P and Z board makes recommendations on such requests to the County Council, which has the ultimate authority to rezone property in unincorporated areas.
At the May 12 meeting, those who spoke against the plan said the apartment building, which was to include 14 two-bedroom units and 10 three-bedroom units, would not fit in with the surrounding area.
At three stories, the apartment building would be taller than any other building in the area, they said.
They also said they were worried the apartments would increase traffic in the area and endanger pedestrians, particularly for those waling to and from the nearby Seckman schools campus.
Dan Govero of Govero Land Services of Imperial, who represented the developer at the public hearing, said the apartments are in demand and that the lot has never been developed commercially despite being on the market for years.
Councilman Brian Haskins (District 1, High Ridge) cast the sole dissenting vote.
“This proposal met all the standards of our UDO (zoning standards),” he said. “People on Planning and Zoning and the County Council can get influenced if a lot of people show up to speak against something, and that’s understandable. But what about the people who own the land? If they meet all the regulations that the county requires, why do we then turn it down?”
