The proposed Chapel Ridge residential development near Parkville was unanimously denied Tuesday evening by the Platte County Planning and Zoning Commission after a more than four-hour session. Attorney Jim Bowers of White, Goss, Bowers, March, Schulte and Wisenfels represented developer Brian Mertz of PC Homes LLC and attorney Bill Quitmeier represented the numerous residents opposed to the developer for hours of presentation and testimonies to a standing-room-only crowd.
Platte County Director of Planning and Zoning Daniel Erickson outlined the project and told the commission the developer was seeking both rezoning and a preliminary plat approval. Mertz sought to rezone the property from agricultural (AG) and rural estate (RE) usage to single-family high density (R-7). The proposed Chapel Ridge subdivision would be made up of 379 single-family home lots ranging in size from 7,800 to 30,254 square feet on about 145 acres. Chapel Ridge would be located adjacent to Union Chapel Elementary School at the northwest corner of Highways 45 and K. Homes in the development would be priced from $275-325,000.
Erickson gave the findings of the Platte County Planning and Zoning staff report, which recommended approval of the rezoning and the preliminary plat. According to the staff report, the subdivision conformed to the Platte County Land Use Plan, the existing infrastructure could accommodate the development, there would be significant improvement to roadways and the sewer and water system in the area and the single-family usage was compatible with surrounding developments.
Potential roadway improvements included work to NW 76th Street, the realignment of the Highway K and 76th Street intersection, removal of a hill and the construction of a turning lane on Hwy. K north of Crooked Road and right-of-way dedication to the Highway 45 reconstruction project. Bowers said Mertz had committed to making $4 million in infrastructure improvements in the area through road work, sewer work in conjunction with the Union Chapel Elementary School sewer line project and other improvements.