While the Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission ultimately recommended approval of the proposed master plan at a recent special meeting, several members took issue with what they said was a lack of attention to preserving the county’s farms.
The commission voted 5-3 at a May 15 special meeting to pass along its recommendation for approval to the Jefferson County Council. The council, which has the ultimate say in whether the master plan should go into effect, will discuss it at a future meeting.
The master plan serves as the county government’s official guide for land use, economic development and natural areas for the next decade. It will be used to reform the county’s unified development order (UDO), which is included in the county’s code of ordinances and must be followed by land developers. County officials say they will analyze and amend the UDO in the coming months.
Commissioners Michael Siebert, Jessie Scherrer and Mike Huskey voted against the plan. All three claimed the proposed plan mentioned very little about the county’s farmers or overlooked their importance.
County officials and experts at Houseal Lavigne, a community planning consulting firm based in Chicago, began working on the master plan in March 2022.
The plan may be viewed at visualizejeffersoncountymasterplan-hlplanning.hub.arcgis.com.
County Services Director Mitch Bair said “a lot of hard work” has gone into the master plan document, and it has cost the county just under $300,000 to complete.
He said the county had 12 stakeholder meetings, three community vision workshops and two open houses as part of the process to develop the plan. Additionally, more than 600 people filled out an online survey detailing what they’d like to see in the county in the next 10-20 years.
“The quarterback doesn’t throw to where the receiver is; he throws to where the receiver is going to be,” Bair said. “That’s what we’re trying to do (with the plan) – projecting where that growth is going to happen based on development trends and then making sure we’re putting good planning principles in place, to make sure it happens in a better manner than it’s been happening.”
Agriculture
Scherrer said that only a small portion of the entire master plan document is dedicated to agriculture, adding that he was concerned that stakeholders like the Jefferson County Farm Bureau, Cattlemen’s Association, Future Farmers of America, beekeepers and gardeners were not consulted in the drafting phase of the plan.
“When I look at this plan, parts of it are really good. It addresses a lot of concerns,” Scherrer said. “(But) I’m sure (farmers) have lots of questions about what’s being done in this plan to protect agriculture in the future.”
Dennis Kehm, deputy director of county services, noted that the proposed plan allows for agriculture as a primary or secondary use of land in all areas of the county.
He said the land use matrix, on page 37 of the plan, shows that agricultural practices are permitted without the landowner needing to petition the county for approval first. Depending on the zoning for a particular area, other proposed developments, such as an industrial plant or large subdivision, on the other hand, could be required to go before the P and Z commission for approval before building.
Bair said that while existing farmland may appear on the master plan’s growth map in an urban or suburban growth area, that doesn’t mean the county is encouraging developers to buy the land and build commercial or residential developments there. The growth framework map, on page 35, shows urban, suburban and rural areas in the county that, with responsible development, would match the county’s characteristics and meet the needs of the community, according to the plan.
“There’s nothing in the plan that says you have to sell your farm,” Bair said. “There are legacy farms in the urban and suburban areas, but it’s up to somebody who wants to sell it in order to develop it. If we suddenly said we’re going to deed restrict every single farm in this county, and say you can never sell it for anything but farming, is that what we’re looking for?”
“I got no problem with that,” said Huskey, who owns a century farm near Hillsboro.
“Well, you may not, but your kids may, or your grandkids may,” Bair responded.
Growth
Bair told the commissioners that the proposed master plan accounts for anticipated residential and commercial growth and, by stating responsible land development priorities in the plan, the county can prevent haphazard growth and blighted areas.
“Let’s face it, guys, the growth is not going to stop,” he said. “There’s investment happening along I-55, and look at what’s already happening on Hwy. 67. We’ve had a lot of conversations with people who want to develop in that area. As that just gets larger, you’re seeing major, significant retailers and employers interested in this county.”
According to the master plan, the county has grown over the past 20 years, with the population increasing by 13.5 percent. However, growth has slowed in the last 10 years, with the population increasing by 2.8 percent.
The plan states that, while growth has slowed, the rate is still higher than the rest of the St. Louis metropolitan area.
“The numbers are there (and) the math doesn’t lie,” said Commissioner Johnathan Sparks. “There is a direction this county is going, whether you like it or not.”