The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended approval of a townhome development called Rockwood Meadows to be built near the intersection of Hwy. 109 and Hwy. W in the Jefferson County portion of Eureka.
The commission voted to recommend denial of two previous development proposals on the 6-acre property over the past 15 years. A proposed mixed-use multi-family residential and commercial development was denied in 2010, as was a similar proposal in 2016 that had 192 residential units but no commercial component.
A portion of the property was sectioned off into a separate parcel about five years ago to create the existing BP gas station. If finally approved, Rockwood Meadows would include two- and four-unit townhomes on the north and south sides of the gas station, with two entrances to the complex, one from Hwy. 109 and the other from Hwy. W.
The commission voted 5-4 on Jan. 8 to recommend approval of the development to the Jefferson County Council. The proposal also included a request for rezoning from a planned unit development zone district to a planned mixed residential zone district.
The County Council, which has the sole authority over rezoning, will likely consider a resolution to approve the rezoning request and development plans at a meeting this month.
Commissioners Danny Tuggle, Johnathan Sparks, Rodney Wideman, Chris Moenster and Drew Ishmael voted in favor of the development. Commissioners Mike Huskey, Jessie Scherrer, Jeffrey Spraul and Michael Siebert voted against it.
The development plan for Rockwood Meadows includes 16 buildings and 56 total residential units. William Levinson, president of Benton Homebuilders in St. Louis, said the townhomes would be rented for about $2,200 a month.
The “luxury townhomes,” Levinson said, would have two to three bedrooms and two and a half baths. He said his company has built similar complexes in St. Charles County, St. Peters and Lake St. Louis “with great success.”
“We’re excited to bring our product and our concept to Jefferson County,” he said. “We’ve identified this site as an ideal location due to demographics. These are high-end homes. We cater to high-end clients, and we want (the townhomes) to look and feel that way.”
Opposition
Four Jefferson County residents spoke against the development at the meeting, citing the potential for flooding and overburdening local schools and first responder agencies. Several residents said the property would be better suited for commercial development, rather than residential.
“I think this is a bad idea,” said Sean Wigglesworth, a House Springs resident. “It’d be better zoned commercial, I think, for tax revenue, for money being spent. If you had 56 people living there, they’re more likely to go spend their money in St. Louis County than spend that money in Jefferson County because they’re right there (near the St. Louis County line).”
Commissioner Sparks, who voted in favor of the proposal, agreed with Wigglesworth and other residents, saying he would love to have commercial businesses on the property. But, he said, the property has remained vacant with no commercial developers bringing proposals to the county since 2010.
“It’s going on 20 years, and it’s just dirt, and so it’s had the opportunity to flourish in that capacity,” he said. “That’s where something commercial should be built, but how long do you wait?”
Spraul, who voted against the proposal, said it would be challenging to build on the property. The entire property lies within the 100-year floodplain, with the Meramec River to the north of the property. The area has flooded in the past, with the most recent severe flooding event in 2017.
“I’ve lived out in Jefferson County for a long time, and I’ve seen that underwater more times than I can count,” Spraul said. “If it were a good piece of property, someone would have (built on it) within the last 20 years. Maybe it’s just that some pieces of property are not meant to be developed.”
Per the county code, county planner Josh Jump said, developers are allowed to build in the 100-year floodplain, with certain constraints. The developer would need to gain permission from federal and local authorities before building could begin in the floodplain.
“There are significant water issues on this property; there is no other way to put that,” Jump said.
Design
Levinson said the two-unit and four-unit townhomes will have “nice, attractive front doors” and extensive landscaping facing Hwy. 109 and Hwy. W, with two-car garages on the interior street of the complex. The homes will be built with board and batten siding and simulated shake siding, along with offsets and architectural shingles. Each unit will have a washer and dryer, granite countertops and 9-foot-tall ceilings.
“They’re maintenance-free inside and out,” Levinson said. “We take care of everything. We do the lawn, we do the mulching, we do the landscaping, we do the power washing. It’s not left up to the individual resident.”
Jump said townhomes in this general style have been well received in other areas of the county, highlighting a new development going in off Romaine Creek Road in Fenton, called Hillcrest, and the Villas at Miller Crossing complex on Vogel Road in Arnold.
“It gives a different type of housing option for people to look for,” Jump said.