Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton
June 22, 2007
It has been a while since the City Council was engaged in a big policy debate, but a new one is coming. At last week’s Planning Commission meeting, more than 50 residents appeared at a public hearing to oppose the Creekside Promenade, a proposed retail development at the northwest corner of the Kyle Road and Lincoln intersection. The issue is now moving to the City Council for consideration and features an array of land use policy issues.
The residents are concerned that the development will harm their property values, create excessive traffic and noise, and increase crime in their neighborhood. The developer claims the retail services are needed in this area of town, is designed primarily for the residents, and would not create much more traffic than is already traveling along Kyle and Lincoln daily.
In the face of the opposing arguments by the residents, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the project to the City Council. They stated that since the Comprehensive Plan recommends Neighborhood Commercial at this site and the development meets all City regulations, they did not see that a better proposal would come along for this site.
The City Council, however, has the final say. The policy issue at hand is whether the City Council should follow its Comprehensive Plan for the general good of the community or should it side with the concerns of the residents who are adjacent to the development and would be impacted the most. The project complies with City regulations, so it really comes down to whether the City Council wants to have a retail development there.
Before we go any further, let’s start with the basics: the site consists of about 21 acres and is currently undeveloped, although about 13 acres is forested with a deep ravine separating the flat ground from the homes in the Lincoln Farms subdivision. It is zoned agricultural, but has been listed in the City’s Comprehensive Plan as “Neighborhood Commercial” since 2001. There are no services in O’Fallon north of State Street.
Here is what the 2006 Comprehensive Plan says about Neighborhood Commercial projects:
Neighborhood Commercial uses are to be planned in and near the residential areas of the City; located at the intersection of collector/arterial roadways; low intensity commercial uses intended to serve nearby residents; may be mixed with residential uses; potential uses include limited retail, business, professional and personal services, financial services, dental or medical services, day care, food or drug sales, postal or mailing services, schools, and churches; prohibits gas pumps; the scale and character of the development should be compatible with the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
The Comprehensive Plan goes on recommend that the City “identify appropriate locations for village and neighborhood centers that reinforce concentrations of neighborhood retail, neighborhood services, and housing at a density appropriate to the surrounding neighborhoods.” The latest recommendations in urban planning advocate more mixed use developments, where residential and commercial coexist so people do not have to travel so far for neighborhood services.
The Plan also states that a neighborhood commercial intersection may contain up to 10,000 sq. ft and 4 acres per corner, for a total of 40,000 sq. ft. and 16 acres at an intersection designated for neighborhood commercial. The developer has proposed consolidating the “development credits” from the rest of the undeveloped area at this intersection, which contains a proposed Presbyterian church and a 99 year conservation easement prohibiting any development. The proposal is within the overall 40,000 sq. ft. allowable at this designated “neighborhood commercial” intersection.
Using the Comprehensive Plan as a guideline, staff has been working with the developers to make the proposal suitable for the Neighborhood Commercial designation. Staff emphasized that there should be a buffer between the development and the homes backing onto the site, and the developer has pledged to retain all of the large trees on the north side of the property. Staff encouraged the developer to make the architecture more residential in nature, and the developer designed a center with shingled roofs, public art, a lake with a fountain, and considerable landscaping. The tenants listed on the proposal include such businesses as a drug store, coffee shop, deli, bank, dry cleaner, dentist, and insurance broker.
Here is an artist’s rendering of one of the buildings:
The Community Development Committee will consider all of these issues at its next meeting on June 25. We expect for the meeting to be full of the development’s neighboring residents both for and in opposition to the project. The residents directly adjacent to the property are understandably concerned about the proposal, and those needs should not be discounted if the development is deemed to be too intrusive. Buffering, noise, rear facades, and hours of operation must be considered. The developer has asked about allowing the development to operate 24 hours per day, but that seems unlikely. Historically, the City Council has not allowed 24 hour operations next to residential areas. Businesses along Hartman Lane were forced to close at 11 p.m. because of homes across the street.
My sense is that opposition to the project decreases as homes are further away from the site. In the interest of full disclosure, I live about a mile from the Kyle/Lincoln intersection and I know I would visit the retail center often, particularly the drug store. However, the project is not in my back yard so I am not as concerned about the site specific details.
As I mentioned, the development is consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan and development regulations. In the end, the City Council’s decision will not be as much about regulations or the definition of “Neighborhood Commercial” as it will be about balancing the concerns of the vocal opposition with the silent residents who would likely visit the center if constructed. Is commercial development appropriate for that site?
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