THE PLOT THICKENS

Development near Parkville receives OK despite opposition

A controversial housing development planned between Highways 45 and K met the approval of the Platte County Planning and Zoning Commission at its meeting Tuesday night and received its official new name — West Pointe Plaza. With David Picco and Michael Sinkhorn voting no, the West Pointe Plaza development was approved on a 5-2 vote. During a four-hour session, the Platte County Planning and Zoning Commission heard rezoning and planned residential district plan and preliminary plat application from NBH Holdings for the development near Parkville. The proposal was originally scheduled to be heard July 8. The County Commission meeting room was near capacity, mostly filled with those opposed to the development, most of whom held signs reading, “Say no to NBH” during much of the meeting. An online petition at gopetition.com has so far garnered more than 375 signatures in opposition and has been promoted on the No Chapel Ridge Facebook page — which has rebranded itself as South Platte for Responsible Development and created a new webpage at spfrd.webs.com. The ghost of Chapel Ridge — and even the failed 2008 Lake at Tomahawk Ridge development near Platte City — was invoked often by both the opposition and owner and developer David Barth, who urged the commission to judge the project on its own merits. West Pointe Plaza, which bears the same name as a development proposed for this same property by Barth in 2004, will consist of approximately 85 acres. The property was rezoned from agricultural and single-family to neighborhood commercial and planned residential zoning. A planned residential district for a 62-acre housing development and a preliminary plat for the remaining 23 commercial acres was also submitted. In the residential section, the plan indicates construction of 10 four-plex housing units, 14 three-plexes, 23 duplexes, 95 single-family home lots and a pool and clubhouse. The homes would be sold to private owners and not used as rental properties, and outside grounds maintenance would be provided through a homeowner’s association. The commercial development would contain 10 commercial retail or office buildings of various sizes. A small grocery store, restaurant, bank and possible drug store have been suggested in the plan, although developers admit the plan is preliminary. The housing development would come first with commercial development added slowly during the phased construction. Full build-out of the project could take up to 20 years.

Read the full story in this week's issue of The Citizen.