Seeking to keep ‘small town feel,’ master plan goal is to build a better O’Fallon

Building a better O’Fallon for residents, their children and future generation is the reason behind the O’Fallon 2040 Mater Plan, which the O’Fallon City Council is ready to adopt Tuesday, Feb. 22.

The 20-year plan covers everything from housing and jobs to parks and bike trails. The in-depth analysis includes future land use policies, what type of businesses should be developed, what neighborhoods should look like, and how much green space the city should have.

Residents will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments at a city Town Hall meeting Wednesday, March 16.

Community Development Director Justin Randall, who was the lead staff person on the project, said quality of life was a major component in this new comprehensive plan.

Feedback about maintaining a “small town feel” where residents feel safe to raise their families and walk or bicycle around town was factored into the plan, which includes a 15-minute city concept, also called “Neighborhood Nodes.”

Good neighborhoods are crucial to this success, he said.

“People want a safe community that provides diversity, quality housing options, and social opportunities, including such amenities as great parks, trails, recreation, and community events,” Randall added.

“We talked about a ‘15-minute City,’ creating neighborhoods with access to that type of feeling, where residents — when they were kids — would ride their bikes to places. They could walk, get a cup of coffee, sit down with neighbors. That was the biggest concept — to have a sense of comfort,” Randall said.

The last Master Plan was in 2006, and in the 15 years since, the city has experienced tremendous growth in public and private investments, Mayor Herb Roach said.

The final draft culminates 18 months of work gathering input from residents, business owners and all city departments on guiding the city’s growth and development the next 20 years.

The project team researched data and trends to develop an understanding of the town’s history and current environment. More than 1,700 residents provided input on housing, parks, transportation and other services and amenities.

“We know our future will be impacted by changing demographic, economic, societal, and industrial trends. This is our chance to plan ahead and make O’Fallon the best it can be for all our residents and businesses,” Roach told community members when the project was rolled out.

“It is an exciting time to live and work in O’Fallon,” Roach said. “We are again in a point in time of evolution. Over the past years, O’Fallon has turned from a bedroom community into a hub of economic activity, jobs, and family friendly amenities.”

City Administrator Walter Denton said the addition of the HSHS-St. Elizabeth’s medical campus and the growth of Scott Air Force Base helped galvanize O’Fallon’s future.

And the city’s marketing has brought in operations and interest from businesses that have never been in the St. Louis market and/or Illinois, he said.

The staff’s goals were also included, and managed growth, creating good-paying jobs, and attracting and retaining a quality work force were among those cited. Expanded recreational opportunities and property maintenance were also listed.

More about Master Plan in O’Fallon

The document has been going through the city channels after being completed in December, following feedback from a joint Planning Commission and Community Development Committee on Nov. 8, 2021.

Before a public hearing Jan. 11, Planning Commissioner Debbie Arell-Martinez commented it is made for the community by the community.

At the Community Development Committee meeting Monday, Feb. 14, aldermen reviewed it without any changes, which followed its Jan. 24 vote of 6-0.

At the Feb. 7 meeting, the council advanced the ordinance to its final approval Tuesday, Feb. 22, with a 13-0 vote.

During the Planning Commission’s public hearing Jan. 11, there were no public comments yay or nay, so that group sent it on to the council with an 8-0 vote.

View Master Plan; Strategic Plan on agenda

Commissioner Robert Kueker said supporting the city’s existing affordable housing was important. Commissioner Casey Scharven said telecommuting has affected housing and the pandemic has reshaped how and where people work and live.

On the city’s website, the Master Plan can be accessed here: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/ofallon/Board.nsf/files/CBFJDQ4CACB7/$file/2040%20Master%20Plan%20OFallon%2C%20Illinois.pdf.

In addition to the Master Plan vote Tuesday, Feb. 22 (moved because of the President’s Day holiday), the Strategic Plan created to guide staff, officials, and the community for the first three to five years will be on the agenda as a resolution.

Randall said the Master Plan is a working document and it must be occasionally updated to meet current trends and technologies.

The Master Plan does not obligate the city to spend any money — any projects listed in the Master Plan must be allocated through the annual budget.

O’Fallon History

Founded in 1854, O’Fallon started as a railroad stop and coal mining community over 166 years ago and has transformed over the years. By 1870, its population was 1,117. Then, 100 years later, it had grown to 7,868.

O’Fallon experienced rapid growth in the 1980s, with its westward expansion, and had 12,173 people at the start of the decade. In 1990, the population grew to 16,073. With Interstate 64’s expansion, the city counted 21,910 people by 2000.

Based on the 2020 U.S. census, O’Fallon is now the fastest growing city in southern Illinois with a new population of 32,289, which is a 14.1% increase.

“We have just completed three years of growth that rank in the top 10 in the 30+ years that the city has been keeping records of the new developments,” Roach said.

O’Fallon keeps growing

O’Fallon was the leader in new home construction in Madison and St. Clair counties. This year, the city was about 26% ahead of overall building permits compared to last year and the year before, and about 25% up in new residential construction.

“For the first time in the city’s history of keeping records on building permits, O’Fallon issued over 700 permits this year and it was the fourth year in a row that we have issued over 480 permits in a year,” Roach said.

There is also a separate Parks and Recreation Master Plan update, and the Capital Improvement Plan addresses projects the city would like to see implemented from 2023-27, addressing economic development.

Future items to be addressed include what will happen to the Auffenberg Auto Mall, Southview Plaza development and Reider Road’s Mid-America Commerce Center.

This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 10:00 AM.