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PLANNING AND ZONING
Growth at a Glance for 2006
The City o O’Fallon has experienced considerable growth during the past ten years, and 2006 turned out to be no exception. While the number of new single family homes declined from an all-time high of 384 in 2005 down to 304 in 2006, this still represented the third highest yearly total for O’Fallon. This drop in home starts was consistent with what was seen both regionally and nationally. There was a general cooling in new home construction, due in large part to modestly higher interest rates and an overbuilding of new spec homes. For 2007, we believe new home construction in O’Fallon will remain strong, although somewhat lower than the highs of 2005. For the past 10 years the O’Fallon housing market has remained very solid and somewhat resilient to
major interruptions in the overall market, averaging 261 new home starts annually between 1996-2006. We believe this is due to a number of factors, including a strong school system, readily available land, and good access to I-64, St. Louis, and Scott AFB. While new housing starts were solid but down somewhat in
2006, home remodeling activity was up, from 230 in 2005 ($3,107,700) to 247 in 2006 ($4,929,809).
New commercial and office construction was also strong in O’Fallon during 2006 (14 buildings at $22,746,465), although down slightly from 2005 (17 buildings at $29,484,395). Interestingly, commercial remodels and redevelopment projects were up significantly in 2006, where we had 70 remodel projects at $5,143,933, with 2005 seeing 49 projects at $1,864,592. Multi-family construction was minimal, with two 12-unit buildings being built.
Plats and annexations were also down significantly in 2006. In 2005, we had five preliminary (conceptual) subdivision plats presented to the City showing 907 new single family lots, while in 2006 that number declined dramatically to two small concept plats totaling 69 new lots. Final subdivision plats for actual construction (on land where prior preliminary concepts plats had been approved) also declined dramatically from 14 plats and 900 lots in 2005 to 16 final plats and 469 lots in 2006. It should be noted that a number of the final plats from 2005 have either not been constructed to date or the developer withdrew from the projects prior to construction, so the numbers from 2005 do not reflect subdivisions actually built – several of these have been suspended by the developers
due to the general residential construction slow down. In keeping with these declines, annexations are also down significantly, from 500 acres annexed to the City in 2005 to 200 acres in 2006.
Spring Projects
With spring and warm weather just around the corner, the Planning & Zoning Department is preparing for a busy building season and the associated questions that many homeowners have. At this time of year, we receive a large number of questions regarding pools, fences and decks. Handouts on these subjects are available at City Hall or on our web site at www.ofallon.org. We encourage anyone having questions or concerns about these issues, or any other building related issues, to call our department at 624-4500, ext. 4 for assistance. You may also reach us via our Builder E-Mail Answer Line at building@ofallon.org. There are many issues related to additions to your property that may
include set back requirements, lot coverage, code requirements and inspections. Building permits are required on many projects to assure your construction is up to current codes and is performed in a sound and safe manner.
 A building permit is required for swimming pools, both above ground and in-ground models. There are significant code issues that apply to all pools, particularly as they relate to life safety. Two of the most important areas are proper grounding and ground fault protection of electrical equipment and maintaining a 48” barrier for protection for small children. Due to the potential for drowning of small children, the City of O’Fallon strictly enforces this code.
Fences do not require a building permit unless they are over six-foot high. It is highly recommended that you have your lot surveyed for proper property line identification. Placing fences in utility or drainage easements may cause a problem for you or your neighbors. We recommend reviewing subdivision drainage plans to ensure that placement of your fence does not obstruct a drainage way.
Decks, whether attached or detached, require a building permit. Decks are a wonderful addition to your property and will yield years of great service when constructed soundly and safely.
Our department welcomes your questions and will gladly offer advice on any building code or zoning related issue.
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