The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of a 299-home development on land that formerly was part of the Liguori religious community in Barnhart.
If the County Council signs off on the development, about 112 acres behind the St. Clement’s Redemptorist Community and Liguori Publication house will be rezoned from single-family residential to planned single-family residential.
The council will also vote to approve a development plan for the subdivision, called Liguori Bluffs.
The commission voted 7-1 Nov. 13 to recommend the County Council approves the plans, with Commissioner Michael Siebert voting against the petition.
The County Council, which has the sole authority over rezoning in unincorporated parts of the county, will consider the rezoning request and development plan at a future meeting.
According to County Services documents, Liguori Bluffs will have lots ranging from 7,000-13,000 square feet. The homes will range from smaller Craftsman-style to ranches and two-story houses.
The development plan also includes walking trails, sidewalks on both sides of the streets and two vehicle entrances, one from Metropolitan Boulevard and one from Marriott Lane.
County Services Director Mitch Bair said the county has updated requirements for land developers because of the recent passage of the new master plan, called the Visualize Jefferson County Master Plan. The County Council approved the master plan by a 5-0 vote on Nov. 10.
The 118-page document is the county’s official guide for land use, economic development and natural areas.
To align with the new master plan, Bair said the county is requiring Liguori Bluffs to include multiple walking paths and preserve green space as part of the development.
“We also have tree preservation and replacement as part of this,” he said. “That was largely due to knowing where we were with the (adoption of the master plan). This is the first project that you’ve seen with that requirement on there.”
Drew Weber, an attorney with Hamilton & Weber in St. Charles who is representing Rolwes Development LLC in St. Louis for the application, said large areas of existing green space at the site will be preserved once construction begins.
“There are a lot of trees and wooded areas on this site as it currently exists,” he said. “The idea is to maintain that buffer between this development and the neighboring developments. There are some clusters of trees that will remain inside the development, which will provide some attractive home sites with some privacy.”
Commissioner Johnathan Sparks commended the developers for working with the county to meet the new requirements.
“A lot has been discussed about the beauty and the nature of Jefferson County, and how we can retain that, but also bring in people who want to live here,” Sparks said. “We have a developer here who could put in five or six houses per acre and is choosing to be a good steward of what the people in Jefferson County want to see. I think that’s a good feather in their cap.”
Concerns
Eight people spoke against the development, with some saying they weren’t necessarily opposed to the subdivision but had questions and concerns. Many concerns revolved around traffic and preserving the rural feel of the area.
According to a traffic study, tweaks were made to the development plan to better anticipate the number of cars coming in and out of Liguori Bluffs daily. A right-hand turn lane will be constructed on Metropolitan Boulevard, and the timing at the light signals at Hwy. M and Metropolitan will be changed so that southbound traffic doesn’t back up onto I-55 during rush hour.
The Liguori Bluffs property was purchased by the Catholic Church in 1947 to serve as a place to publish the once highly circulated Liguorian magazine. The Redemptoristine Sisters joined the Redemptorist members in 1960.
Members have dwindled in recent years, said Brother Gerry Patin. Thirty-four men remain at the St. Clement’s Redemptorist Community health care center, with the oldest being 96 years old and the youngest in his 70s.
Patin said he was concerned the new homes would be built too close to the Order’s cemetery, where 365 priests and brothers are buried.
“It’s a holy, contemplative place,” he said. “Are their backyards going to be right on our cemetery? We’ve had people come in from some of the neighboring subdivisions, with four-wheelers running across the property. We’re just a little concerned, and we hope there’s some kind of buffer around us.”
Mike Falkner, vice president of planning at Sterling Engineering Co. in St. Louis, said a buffer zone between the Redemptorists’ remaining property and the new subdivision was taken into consideration when the property was purchased.
“The property was set up so we could end up with a buffer on the fathers’ property so they felt safe, that they had control over that property in between their facility and the new homes,” he said.
Imperial resident Hannah Jumper raised concerns that the county’s current services, including local hospitals, public transportation and parks, wouldn’t be able to handle another large subdivision. She said the county should preserve its rural feel.
“When I think about Jefferson County, I see the place where I loved to grow up, but I also see a place that’s bursting at the seams,” Jumper said. “I’m asking (the commission) to think about our current infrastructure and how it would respond to an additional 299 families. Our schools are equipped to make room, while our police and fire departments have the capacity, but can the local pharmacy and the post office keep up?”
Commission member Chris Moenster said the proposed development fills a need within the county for diverse, affordable housing.
“The landowner wants to change the zoning to get a permitted land use that solves a problem this county complains about constantly,” he said. “Balancing that with the difficulty of trying to preserve the rural nature of this county is difficult. But I think we’ve learned in the past that not everybody wants 10 acres and a brush hog. Some people want their three-quarter-acre lot and lawnmower.”