The Open Door Animal Sanctuary’s plans to build a welcome center got the cold shoulder from some people who live near the proposed site at Hwy. MM and Duda Road in House Springs.
However, the nonprofit agency’s request to rezone the .96-acre tract from residential to planned commercial received a warmer reception from the Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission, which voted 6-0 on Dec. 15 to recommend approval.
The Jefferson County Council, which has the sole authority to rezone property in unincorporated areas, will likely consider the plans at a meeting in January.
David Vonarx of VonArx Engineering in Hillsboro, who represented Open Door at the hearing before the P and Z board, said the animal shelter planned to build a two-story office building on the site.
“They will be able to use it for people to drop off donations of pet food and other items and they’ll hold board meetings there,” he said. “It will be a place for people to fill out initial paperwork for pet adoptions.”
Vonarx said no animals will be boarded at the new building. Open Door’s main facility is to the north of the site on Duda Road.
He said the site for the proposed welcome center is a corner lot that formerly had a house on it that burned down.
Five residents from the area said they didn’t believe the welcome center would be an improvement.
Jason Lindsey, who owns the adjacent property, said he was concerned about his property values.
“I have the building down the street that I bought in 2015 and have made significant improvements,” he said.
He also said people dump animals they want to get rid of on his property in hopes they’ll end up at Open Door, a no-kill animal shelter.
“When I purchased my property, I found that there was a feral cat colony,” he said. “People abandon their animals in hopes that Open Door will take them.”
Neil Bingaman, who also lives nearby, said he is worried the welcome center would generate more traffic on Tina Drive, a residential cul-de-sac across Hwy. MM from the site.
“With another entrance (off Hwy. MM to the welcome center), we will have traffic build up,” he said.
Jennifer Perkins, who lives in a subdivision off the east side of Duda Road, agreed. “My concern is with the traffic on Hwy. MM,” she said. “It backs up from Hwy. 30 to this area. Adding more traffic to the area will add more headaches and problems.”
Bingaman also said he feared stormwater would run off the site across Hwy. MM into the yards on Tina Drive.
“I can’t see where the detention pond (in the plans) would be large enough to handle that,” he said.
Terry Gibb, who also lives on Tina Drive, agreed. “Traffic will be atrocious,” she said. “Will there be animals in this facility? I personally can’t afford to feed every cat in town.”
Ed Clark lives in the same subdivision as Perkins.
“There are a lot of problems with animals being dropped off,” he said. “I think these plans are kind of vague. What exactly are they going to do there? Is it going to be a drop-off area, or are they going to expand?”
Perkins expressed similar concerns.
“Right now, maybe this will be a welcome center,” she said, “but in the future could it be a QT (convenience store) or a liquor store?”
County officials said the new zone would be planned commercial, so any changes to an approved development would be subject to a new public hearing.
Vonarx disagreed that Open Door’s proposal for the site was unclear.
“They plans are not at all vague,” he said. “They’re very specific. There are no animal uses listed in our petition. I don’t know how it could be more precise.
“As far as the traffic goes, the facility will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. It will primarily be used by employees” and visitors who want to apply for adoptions or to drop off donations of animal items.
“All animals will be kept at their regular facility,” he said. “The building will be primarily for storage of dog and cat food and office space.”
Concerning stormwater, he said all plans will comply with county regulations.
“Open Door is providing an essential service to the county and they want to continue to do it and do it more efficiently,” Vonarx said.