Jefferson County Council members showed few qualms when they voted to approve the development of a large apartment complex on the site of the old Bayer’s Garden Shop in Imperial, despite the Planning and Zoning Commission’s divided vote on the matter weeks prior.
The council voted unanimously April 18 to approve Lorenzo LLC’s request to rezone the site, as well as its development plan for the 156-unit apartment complex called The Station.
The P and Z Commission had forwarded the petition to the council with no recommendation, since the six commissioners present at the March 13 meeting could not agree on whether to approve or deny it. Commissioners Jessie Scherrer, Johnathan Sparks and Chris Moenster voted to approve the application, while Commissioners Mike Huskey, Jeffrey Spraul and Michael Siebert voted to deny it. Commissioner Danny Tuggle was absent from the meeting.
The nearly 9-acre property at 5926 Old State Road off Imperial Main Street poses several development challenges, with the biggest among them being the need to elevate Old State Road – the road leading to and from the property – out of the floodplain.
A few residents who live near the site, which can be seen from I-55, spoke against the petition, citing stormwater drainage and safety concerns. The apartment complex would be built between I-55 and railroad tracks.
Dan Govero’s business, Govero Land Services, is next door to the old Bayer’s Garden Shop site, and he raised concerns about potential flooding and safety during the P and Z meeting.
“We’re for the project; we just have some concerns,” he said. “The railroad tracks are very close, and I’m concerned about children getting out on the tracks. Also, along Rock Creek and along the highway, there are very steep banks, and I feel they also need to be screened off to keep kids from getting down in the creek or on the highway.”
The complex will have one road for apartment residents entering or leaving, which was a cause of worry for some people who spoke about traffic congestion on Imperial Main Street. Lorenzo LLC commissioned a traffic study, which transportation firm CBB completed, and it found that the addition of the complex would result in little to no impact on traffic in the area.
The property in question falls within District 4, which Councilman Charles Groeteke represents. He said he wasn’t a “real big fan” of the development plan but found no issue with the application since it meets the requirements in the county’s Unified Development Order (UDO).
The road may also make it difficult for first responders to reach the complex in an emergency, Groeteke said; however, Rock Community Fire Protection District representatives found no issues with the development plans.
“On this particular rezoning, staff has worked diligently to provide a plan that will benefit Jefferson County, and I recognize the work that has been put into this process,” Groeteke said. “Ingress to the proposed project was subject to concern for the commission and remains a concern for area residents. I’ve been through this before with another project, and I believe the UDO needs to be amended to make requirements for entrances the same as residential subdivisions. Hopefully, this will be addressed in our upcoming UDO changes.”
The Station is described as a luxury apartment complex in the developer’s application and would include five apartment buildings, a pool, fitness center, nature walking trail, pavilion and dog park. The complex will have 36 one-bedroom units, 72 two-bedroom units and 48 three-bedroom units.
Monthly rent would be set at $1,350 for the one-bedroom unit, $1,650 for the two-bedroom and $1,950 for the three-bedroom, said Christopher Johnson, a Lorenzo LLC representative.
He also said the county has a high demand for smaller residences, especially for young people moving away from their families or seniors looking to downsize.
“This is a project that this developer is proud to bring to the community,” he said. “This will be a beacon, if you will, to this community, and we’ve taken that into consideration in the design elements. We do high-end developing, and we pay extra attention to vegetation and the exterior look.”
David Vonarx of VonArx Engineering in Hillsboro designed the complex and said Lorenzo Debrecht, owner of Lorenzo LLC, has invested approximately $100 million to $200 million in the last five years to bring apartment buildings to Jefferson County.
The company’s previous projects include Sugar Creek and Turtle Creek Apartments in Fenton, West Village Apartments in Festus and Stoney Pines in Barnhart.
The Festus City Council approved another one of the company’s developments, Legion Apartments, in February, which, when finished, will include 152 apartment units at 849 American Legion Drive.
“The County has told us many times that they never have problems with Debrecht properties,” Vonarx said. “They have a track record.”
Flooding concerns
According to the P and Z staff report, Lorenzo LLC will be required to take the property out of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s floodplain designation before any development can begin.
The process, called Letter of Map Revision (LOMR), is detailed, technical and can be costly, said County Services Director Mitch Bair. It requires the property owner to petition FEMA for a new designation of the floodway.
Per FEMA, the site has three separate areas of protected flood areas: Rock Creek, a 100-year floodplain and a 500-year floodplain.
“(LOMR) is a common practice, and this process essentially draws the specific floodplain limits (rather than the general floodplain data gathered in a non-site-specific manner) and provides that no impacts to flooding will occur based on said revision,” the staff report states. “This is a federal statutory process, and the county has no provision disallowing said practice. It is argued that deterrence, absent development tradeoffs, could be construed as a statutory taking of property rights and result in monetary damages being awarded.”
Bair said the developers first went to the county with the rezoning request and development plan approval because the LOMR process is so extensive.
“Given the business of development, what someone wants is assurance in the zoning and development plan before they undergo that process.”