The Jefferson County Council recently approved a new master plan, which will serve as a guide for growth in the county for at least the next decade.
The council voted 5-0 on Nov. 10 to approve the plan, called the Visualize Jefferson County Master Plan. Councilmen Brian Haskins (District 1, High Ridge) and Scott Seek (District 5, Festus) were absent from the meeting.
The 118-page document is the county’s official guide for land use, economic development and natural areas. The guide can be accessed at visualizejeffersoncountymasterplan-hlplanning.hub.arcgis.com.
County services director Mitch Bair said any updates made to the county’s unified development order (UDO) will be heavily influenced by the new master plan. The UDO is the county’s land development code, including rules for subdivisions, design guides, stormwater management and sign regulations.
“(The master plan) sets our framework with how we want to go forward as we rewrite the UDO, and that will be our next project to move into directly, because this master plan will render our current UDO even more obsolete, if you can imagine that,” Bair said.
Highlights
Bair said the land use and development section, which begins on page 27, may be the most important section in the entire master plan.
The section highlights priority areas of growth in the county: where neighborhoods, businesses and manufacturing facilities should ideally be built.
A matrix on page 36 shows what land uses are prioritized in various urban, suburban and rural growth areas.
A map on page 37 further describes areas for growth in the county and what areas should be preserved for rural or agricultural uses only.
Areas that have been identified as suitable for urban growth include land along I-55 from Pevely to south of Festus; and areas identified as suitable for suburban growth include central Jefferson County from Hillsboro to De Soto, as well as parts of House Springs and Barnart. Most of the Hwy. 30 corridor southwest of Cedar Hill is identified as ideal for natural, rural purposes.
“I think the most important part, what everybody will use and what will be dog-eared, is our land use and development sections – you get the matrix and the growth map of the county,” Bair said.
The master plan identifies certain county development needs, such as a regional airport, due to multiple large businesses taking an interest in the area, such as the James Hardie manufacturing plant in Crystal City.
The plan also identifies some of the county’s best assets and how they should be used, with one being the significant amount of Mississippi River frontage on the eastern side of the county.
Last fall, the Jefferson County Port Authority finalized its purchase of Herculaneum river port property from the Riverview Commerce Park (RCP) for $20 million. The port is located on former Doe Run Co. property along the Mississippi River in Herculaneum and is used for the loading and unloading of shipping vessels.
The Herculaneum port is the first publicly owned terminal facility in Jefferson County, according to the Port Authority, and its proximity to both rail lines and I-55 makes it an appealing destination for those looking to speed up the supply chain.
Further to the north, the county is working with the Port Authority to develop Kimmswick Park near the dock where riverboat cruises land, complete with a pavilion, playground and picnic tables.
The master plan also reflects growing interests in developing residential and mixed-use properties along the Hwy. 30 corridor, from the Jefferson County portion of Fenton through Dittmer.
Another important section, Bair said, was the implementation section, which begins on page 93. The section includes directions on how to make the master plan available to the public and explain key takeaways and goals to staff, officials and board members. The section also has an “action matrix” beginning on page 104, listing goals from each section and labeling them in order of priority.
The final section, a glossary of terms beginning on page 113, was added later in the revision process, Bair said. He said that the glossary explains jargony terms that the average reader may not understand with definitions and graphics.
“The last part is the glossary, which is very important, making sure we’re all talking on the same terms,” Bair said. “Those of us who do this every day forget that not everybody talks like we do.”
While the master plan includes some details he doesn’t agree with, Councilman Billy Crow (District 2, Arnold) said all in all it’s an improvement over the former master plan.
“In my opinion, this is not a perfect document,” he said. “I think everyone would agree that compromises were made, and there are things that I disagree with, particularly on the map, but that being said, it’s a step in the right direction.”
Councilwoman Lori Arons (District 3, Imperial) said one of the reasons she decided to join the County Council was over issues of land use and the master plan. Before becoming a councilwoman, she often spoke at meetings and operated two Facebook groups called Jeffco Voters Voices for Responsible Development in Jefferson County and Involved Citizens for Responsible Growth in Jefferson County.
“I went back and watched all of my times I spoke to the council over the years, and most of the time I spoke about the importance of the master plan,” Arons said. “So, for myself, being at this moment and approving, finally, the master plan, I am very proud that we finally have something that we can work from and begin to make the changes to make our county better. I’m glad and thankful for all the people and the time and effort that they gave to make this plan the roadmap for the future of Jefferson County.”
Developing the plan
Drafting the new master plan began in spring 2022. Over the course of three and a half years, the county spent a total of $314,309.80 on the project; organized a survey, which received more than 500 responses; and held three community visioning workshops organized in different locations, four advisory panel meetings and two open houses reviewing plan drafts; and held numerous County Council ad hoc meetings going over the fine details of the document, Bair said.
The Planning and Zoning Commission sent the County Council its recommendation to approve the plan in May, and since then, the ad hoc committee has revised the document, with some sections changed and more sections added on.
“There’s a lot of heavy lifting to go into this, and I think the effort was really focused on making sure we had something that’s going to give us good guidance moving forward,” Bair said. “And it’s something that, especially us as planners who use it every day, can make solid recommendations to this council, and it’s something that you’re comfortable with using to craft policy moving forward for hopefully the next 10 to 15 years.”
Council members Crow, Arons, Bob Tullock (District 7, House Springs), and Tim Brown (District 6, De Soto) all participated in ad hoc committee meetings, and Councilman Charles Groeteke (District 4, Barnhart) served as chair. County residents Alan Leaderbrand of Fenton and John Giancola of Imperial also volunteered to sit in on committee meetings.
“We literally went through the master plan page by page, chapter by chapter, and then we reviewed it, then we reviewed it again, and then we decided to make recommendations to staff,” Tullock said. “We finally concluded everything in September, and here we are. Thanks to everyone involved, and a special thanks to Councilman Groeteke. He was the chairman of this committee, and I think he did an excellent job throughout the entire process.”
Bair said the county services team, including Dennis Kehm Jr., Josh Jump and Rachel Hall, “did a lot of the heavy lifting” on the project, and thanked them for their work.
Groeteke echoed Bair’s sentiments.
“I appreciate all of the staff’s work on this,” he said. “We went through a lot of gyrations to get to this point. I think we’ve got a pretty decent plan. It is a plan moving this county forward, and I look forward to discussions with the UDO.”