Master Plan Will Wrestle with Growth Challenges

St. Charles County's next Master Plan-the guide that influences what and where new construction will be allowed in unincorporated areas-looms on the horizon as County leaders prepare to craft an updated plan for the next 5-20 years of development.

Apartments, rural vistas, traffic flow, industry, jobs, community-there are many moving parts when deciding what to invite into the county. A draft of the updated Master Plan is currently expected by the end of this year.

The County Council convened a special work session Aug. 11 to lay out what the Master Plan will do-and some things it won't.

"There's a lot of confusion about what the Master Plan is, and how we, as council members, are supposed to use it," Council Chair Mike Elam said in his opening remarks.

First off, the Master Plan isn't a rule, it's a guide, explained Rory O'Sullivan, the County's chief attorney.

"You are not locked in," O'Sullivan told the council. "The Master Plan is to help the council make decisions on development questions."

On the council members' minds during the discussion were several recently rejected housing proposals, which would have inserted suburban-density housing into rural areas.

"Our big thing that we deal with all the time is (people saying), 'I'm not interested in having a house where I'm close to somebody. … I want to live on open land.' That's the pull and tug we deal with," said Councilman Terry Hollander.

County planning staff said such input will be considered alongside expert advice, geographic factors and infrastructure needs. But they said an overly restrictive development plan could have unintended consequences.

If housing availability isn't keeping up with demand, that makes home prices go up for everyone. And developers can often request their land be annexed into a nearby city for more favorable regulations.

Housing cost is a big concern to County Executive Steve Ehlmann, who wants young people and first-time buyers to find a home in St. Charles County.

"We need places our kids and grandkids can afford," Ehlmann says. "Right now, all the homes getting built are three-bedroom houses, even though 70% of our households don't even have kids. We need more homes for people just getting their start in life."

Ehlmann predicts future developments will concentrate on farmland along the Route N corridor. While other areas can't support development because they're in a flood plain, or they're too rocky and hilly, Route N has the right mix of flat ground and soft soil. The same conditions that make good farms, Ehlmann says, make good subdivisions.

Cities have their own plans

No matter how the Master Plan unfolds, the County's vision for growth ends where a city boundary begins.

Each incorporated city-like St. Peters, O'Fallon or Wentzville-makes the rules for its own planning and development, independent of the County. The Master Plan revisions include looking at each city and taking their plans into account, said Community Development Director Mike Hurlbert.

The process is meant to be cooperative. But the County and cities don't always have the same goals, and developers sometimes turn to a city to annex their property and approve a project the County would reject.

"They shop around to see what neighboring municipality is more accepting to it," said Councilman Matt Swanson. "And then they come back to us saying 'If you don't (approve us), we're going to go there.'"

Hurlbert said when that happens, it's important to ask what the developer was looking for. With small adjustments to the County's development rules, builders might be convinced to stay unincorporated and better fit with the County's vision for the community's future.