Commission approves rezoning and preliminary plat for 2630 Forest Drive over neighbor concerns about drainage and sewer capacity

On Aug. 20, 2025, the St. Charles County Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of a rezoning (RZ25‑10) to R1E (single‑family residential) and approved the accompanying preliminary plat (PRE25‑10) for a 3.18‑acre site at 2630 Forest Drive. The proposal, brought by Rawls Company, would create seven single‑family lots ranging from about 10,579 to 16,958 square feet, with common ground for stormwater detention.

County staff said the rezoning and plat are consistent with the county’s 2030 master plan recommendation for low‑density residential (1–4 units per acre), meet the technical requirements of Chapter 410, will be served by Public Water Supply District No. 2 (water) and Duckett Creek (sanitary sewer), and include provisions for a 10‑foot multiuse trail along Highway DD. Staff recommended approval and noted that the pipeline easement shown on the site must be vacated before plat approval.

Multiple neighbors opposed the project during the public hearing, raising longstanding drainage concerns tied to earlier subdivision construction and questioning sewer capacity. Heather Carnes (6 Forest Manor Court) said prior runoff had required litigation and repairs; John Fulmer (2584 Forest Drive) and Dave Horowitz (2600 Forest Drive) described past construction problems and said a nearby forced sewer line was at capacity. Cynthia Lopane (10 Forest Manor Court) said the neighborhood’s pattern of single homes on larger lots should be preserved and opposed seven new lots on the 3.18‑acre parcel.

The applicant’s engineering representative, David Volz of Volz Engineering, said the central portion of the site drains northwest into an existing ditch and that the project will provide a detention basin and water‑quality measures that meet county standards. Volz stated the sanitary connection would flow to a manhole and thence to a pump station in Fox Haven and that Duckett Creek has been contacted; at the preliminary plate hearing he said the differential runoff design figure is about 2.3 cubic feet per second and that the basin will limit discharge to no greater than current rates.

County Public Advocate Arnie C. Dinoff urged approval, saying he preferred county‑led development rather than potential annexation by the city of O’Fallon, and asked that the developer dedicate right‑of‑way for future Highway DD expansion and build the multiuse trail at the developer’s expense. The commission’s recorded vote on the rezoning and the preliminary plat was a recommendation of approval and will be forwarded to County Council; the transcript shows the commission voted in favor on both items.

Staff and the applicant noted next steps: formal vacation of the pipeline easement before recording, compliance with the county’s tree‑preservation rule (minimum 10% or 25% of existing woodlands, whichever is greater), and coordination on trail and right‑of‑way matters with MoDOT and county engineering. Opponents requested additional written confirmation from the Wentzville School District about student capacity and urged attention to bus turning radii and fire apparatus access; staff recorded those concerns for the record and noted the applicant addressed turning‑radius and trail dedication questions during the hearing.