O’Fallon resident goes from neighborhood activist to planning commissioner

When Michael Skrabacz and his wife, Julia, discovered how the proposed 53-acre Brandywine Garden Villas development would affect their Southview Gardens neighborhood, they became vocal citizens last spring.

This month, Mayor Herb Roach recommended appointing Michael Skrabacz to the O’Fallon Planning Commission for a three-year term expiring on Nov. 7, 2025, which the council unanimously approved.

Skrabacz said he is eager to get started.

“I’m ready to jump right in,” he said, noting that the Brandywine proposal made him realize to pay attention to what’s happening in the city.

“This is a great way to be able to do that. We want our kids to grow up here. I want to make sure we stay on track, and be able to grow, but also keep smart growth in the city, so that we do it wisely,” he said.

“I’ve definitely got a lot to learn. There is a lot of good happening, and I look forward to seeing what our community is going to look like 5-10-20 years from now,” he said.

Ward 4 Alderman Todd Roach had approached Skrabacz about serving after Bob Ellis resigned, having moved out of the O’Fallon city limits.

“After the Brandywine project was resolved, Alderman Roach asked if I would like to be a part of the exciting new growth O’Fallon is experiencing as a member of the Planning Commission, and I immediately expressed my interest,” he said.

“I am honored for the opportunity to serve with members of the commission and eager to help develop creative solutions that support positive growth of our community and continue to make O’Fallon a great place to live,” he said.

The Planning Commission features 11 city residents who meet regarding present and future development of the city, recommend changes in the comprehensive plan, and designate land suitable for annexation. They work with Community Development Director Justin Randall as staff liaison and are appointed by the mayor, as approved by the council.

Roach had met with residents, including Skrabacz, during the Brandywine debate.

“All great communities have one thing in common and that is having engaged city residents working to better the community not just for their own families, but for all. O’Fallon is lucky to have so many great residents volunteering their time and experience to better our community and Michael is just another great example of that,” Roach said.

Skrabacz sent his resume in, and then met with the mayor, who interviewed several candidates. He has been to a commission meeting, been reading past minutes, and also met with Randall, who has become his ‘go-to, quite a bit.’ His first official meeting will be Dec. 13.

A U.S. Coast Guard veteran, Skrabacz is an environmental specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He and his wife moved to Southview Gardens nearly six years ago, and have two children, 2 and 4 years old. Their home is located near a four-way stop on Whitehall Drive.

“The thing that concerned me the most about the Brandywine project was the intent to create a throughfare for a large multi-unit housing complex, a medical facility, and retail shops through our well-established single-family neighborhood while at the same time creating a connection from South Lincoln Avenue to my street. This would have significantly increased traffic and essentially cut our neighborhood in half,” he said.

‘Respect the need for growth’

“As a prior resident of the city of St. Louis, I chose to move to O’Fallon to get away from busy streets and highly dense housing communities to start a family. With that said, I believe there is also room in our community for more diversified housing as our 2040 master plan dictates,” he said.

“This of course can present a difficult balance that I feel many here in O’Fallon are concerned about — bringing in multi-unit housing complexes while also maintaining the integrity of our single-family neighborhoods that so many of us enjoy,” he said.

“I feel it important that we respect the need for growth while also respecting the reasons why people come here and stay here — many for generations,” he said.

“I think the Brandywine project result was a perfect example of our ability to achieve that balance. Our aldermen listened to our concerns, a new plan was developed, and the project is moving forward without connecting through our neighborhood,” he said.

Brandywine Garden Villas Development Revisions

When their neighbor told them about the Brandywine mixed-use development project at the northeast corner of South Lincoln Avenue and Interstate 64, with plans to open Whitehall Drive to be accessible to 174 attached single-story villas, a 50-unit memory care facility, a 12,600-square feet retail building and 11,400-square-foot office building on an undeveloped agricultural site known as Rasp Farm, near Memorial Hospital Shiloh, that spurred the Skrabacz into action.

As young parents, they were concerned about the parking on the streets and the fast cars that cut through the subdivision to avoid U.S. 50 to get to South Lincoln Avenue. They invited neighbors to a meet-and-greet in their front yard before the O’Fallon City Council meeting June 6, in hopes of sharing ideas and uniting their community.

They posted on social media sites: “Save Whitehall Drive from being a thoroughfare for a large apartment complex.”

Julia started a Southview Garden Subdivision closed group on Facebook, and it had grown from 30 to 133 in five weeks.

People wanted to be heard, she said. They wanted to work out a solution because people were not opposed to the project, just the street access.

They were among a groundswell of vocal residents that started showing up at meetings the past month, with about 60 at the June 6 council meeting

Steve Valentine of Lombardo Homes revised his rezoning plan, removing Whitehall Drive as a thoroughfare from development after the public outcry from residents regarding the traffic impact. He said it wasn’t necessary as a connection and removed it from the plat and plans.

More about project, thanks from mayor

The project had moved through city channels, from the April 26 Planning Commission (6-0 vote), with statements from several residents regarding their concerns, to the May 9 Community Development Committee (5-0 vote), to approval on first reading at the May 16 City Council meeting (14-0 vote), back to the Community Development Committee meeting on May 23 (3-3), where more residents expressed concern, then June 6 Council meeting (7-7, mayor broke tie vote, sending it back to CDC on June 13).

Mayor Roach thanked the residents for their feedback and the council for listening to residents.

“We ended up with a better resolution. We had meaningful discussions,” he said.

That’s when Skrabacz committed himself to being vigilant, keeping the needs of neighborhoods in focus.

More about Mike Skrabacz

Mike, who grew up in Maryland, said he has family that grew up in East St. Louis, after emigrating from Poland to work in the National City stockyards. Julia is from Houston. They selected Southview Gardens because it was close to the public library, post office and the community park.

“We moved to midtown to be accessible to all of that,” he said.

Southview Gardens, a subdivision annexed to the city in 1957, was developed from farmland to meet the growing demand for housing from Scott Air Force Base, starting out with 29 homes and eventually building 90. It was during the city’s growth spurt during the 1950s. O’Fallon Township High School opened at Smiley in 1958 and the Southview Place opened a year later.