The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission voted to deny a Fenton-area entertainment complex from rezoning an adjoining property from residential to non-planned commercial.
The commission voted 3-2 on Sept. 26 to deny the petition from Wow Entertainment at 146 Fiedler Lane in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton. Commissioners Steve Taylor, Jeffrey Spraul, and Johnathan Sparks voted to deny the petition, while Danny Tuggle and Mike Huskey voted against the denial.
Commissioner Jessie Scherrer was absent from the meeting, and Commissioner Tim Dugan’s seat expired Sept. 14, leaving a vacancy on the board.
Get Right Fiedler Lane LLC of Fenton, which applied for the rezoning, previously obtained approval from the county to rezone and develop two adjoining lots totaling 4.8 acres for a restaurant, bar, mini-golf area and gaming center along Springdale Boulevard and Fiedler Lane.
The company was expected to break ground on that project on Sept. 30.
Bill Biermann of the Biermann Law Firm in Chesterfield, who represented the entertainment company at the meeting, said that project will cost nearly $15 million.
Biermann said there were no development plans yet for the newly acquired 2.44 acres. That property includes a vacant, single-family home near the road.
Commissioners at the meeting said they were concerned that if the property were developed or sold, there would be no buffer between commercial businesses and the surrounding single-family homes.
The board advises the County Council on land-use issues in unincorporated areas, and the council, which has the sole authority over rezoning, will consider a resolution to approve or deny the request at a future meeting.
Biermann said during a public hearing at the meeting that he knew it was unlikely the commission would vote in favor of the entertainment company’s request, adding that the company is a “good corporate citizen” that will treat its neighbors respectfully.
“It’s a big ask to come in here and say, ‘Hey, let’s rezone this and basically give us an open, blank slate,’ so to speak, because that non-planned district is very broad in the scope of the allowed uses,” he said. “We have a vested interest in being good citizens and we’re not going to do anything that’s going to adversely impact our development. With that being said, I do understand the concerns (planning and zoning) staff has raised, and I do believe that there are reasonable concerns.”
Biermann said Wow Entertainment has tried for several years to acquire the property at 146 Fiedler Lane.
Taylor told Biermann that while Wow Entertainment sounds like an exciting project, he was hesitant to approve the non-planned rezoning for a property surrounded by residential homes.
“I went through the zoning matrix earlier today, and some of the things that could go in here is a liquor store, a pawn shop, auto repair, car wash, a blacksmithing shop and a dozen others,” he said, adding that he would want to know what is planned to be built next to a residential area before approving the request.
Commissioner Johnathan Sparks agreed.
“I find that if someone was buying properties and building this thing up, they would have a plan for it,” Sparks said. “The fact that the petitioner stated they don’t have a plan – I find that concerning. If I was an investor, I would find that concerning.”