Shiloh panel OKs new development in Hartman Lakes

The Shiloh Committee at Large on Monday unanimously approved a local developer’s rezoning request from country estates to multifamily to put in 328 homes on 55 acres as part of the proposed Hartman Lakes development project.

Heeding the advice of the Planning Commission’s unanimous recommendation of denial, the Shiloh Committee at Large agreed to delay Green Mount Center Retail LLC’s request to rezone eight acres for commercial development of the new Hartman Lakes proposed development. It is currently zoned country estates, and is requested to be rezoned to B-3 Highway Business.

However, the committee wanted to approve the housing development portion of the project, even though the Planning Commission recommended denial, to build 152 ranch homes, 120 garden houses and 56 townhouses on 55 acres. If approved, some of the housing would include senior living apartments.

A B-3 highway district can accommodate a wide array of businesses, ranging from retail to office space, but with lesser intensity than the B-4 zoning district.

Over 40 people attended the meeting, and 10 residents addressed the board in opposition to the proposed Hartman Lakes development, which would only be rental properties, ranging from about $900 to $1,500 in rent.

“How is rental properties going to help Shiloh? It isn’t. It’s a ridiculous notion to bring more rentals,” Greg Peterson said following the meeting.

Due to large attendance capacity at the March 14 Planning Commission meeting, Monday’s meeting was moved from village hall to the Shiloh Senior Center.

“This is a real concern we have, and we think there should be some restrictions put on the rezoning application if it’s approved to not allow (businesses like) 24-hour gas stations or liquor convenience stores and fast-food joints in front of the residential portion of the development,” Sean Thouvenot said.

Trustee Greg O’Neil agreed. Other trustees who voiced concern were Trustees Bob Weilmuenster, Kurt Burrelsman and Mark Kurtz.

“I understand why they wouldn’t want to drive past a White Castle just to get out of their subdivision. We need to put some restrictions on this,” he said. “We can’t just let them put anything they want there along the roadside (and in front of residential portion).”

Village Attorney Terry Bruckert, of Bruckert, Gruenke & Long PC in O’Fallon and Breese, advised the board to delay making any decision on the commercial portion of the development until he can gather more background information and specifics on what qualifies as a B-3 Hwy zoned district.

“One week isn’t enough time for me to come up with all the information, as well as for the trustees to review before voting,” Bruckert said. “So. it’ll be on one of the Committee at Large agendas in late April.”

The Committee Village Board of Trustees is expected to vote on the residential rezoning request at 7 p.m. Monday during its Regular Board meeting.

The business rezoning request is not expected to come back to the Committee of Whole until late April.

The Thouvenot family, specifically Gene Thouvenot, owner for 46 years and counting of the original farm land being developed, requested the developer create retention ponds, not detention ponds to handle the already existing issue of flooding, which is highly expected to increase with the implementation of over 300 units of houses, town houses and apartments on the adjacent property.

The traffic impact study initiated by the St. Louis, Mo., CBB Transportation Engineering firm is is “still being finalized,” according to CBB Traffic Engineer Lee Cannon.

The development expected to be in the northwest quadrant of Hartman Lane and Frank Scott Parkway would have primary access to the residential site from Hartman Lane with a secondary permanent right in/right out access is proposed at Frank Scott Parkway.

Shiloh Mayor Jim Vernier made several references to several county projects, which are expected to start next year and will be completed before the Hartman Lakes project is completed, sometime in 2019 or 2020, like the Frank Scott Parkway and Green Mount Road Improvement projects resulting in wider five lane roads eventually.

“I have been in this community 55 years and when I grew up there was 400 people — if I said ‘No!’ to every thing, and let traffic congestion stop a development, then we would still be at 400 people, and we’d have never grown to a community of about 1,000 people (in 1981), to about 14,000 (today),” he said. “Traffic is already bad. It’s only going to get worse, but the good news is solutions are coming.”

Village Engineer Norm Etling also provided the board with comparisons of neighboring community developments, zoned multifamily density. He cited Green Mount Village as an example. It’s located north of Frank Scott Parkway and westerly of Green Mount Road, has 248 units on 15.89 acres. That equates to about 15 units per acre.

Parkway Lakes in O’Fallon, which is westerly of Green Mount Village, has 232 units on 20.13 acres, or 11.5 units per acre.

A development recently approved in Belleville, north of Highway 161, has 352 units on 20 acres, or about 17 units per acre.

Hartman Lakes development will have about five units per acre, Etling said.

Residents file petition against CC Food Mart

Following the filing of a petition against the proposed development of a CC Food Mart at 210 North Green Mount Road in Shiloh, developer Pearl Family Limited Partnership, withdrew its application for a special use permit for the 24-hour food service and gas station on Friday.

The petition, containing 269 signatures, was filed on March 23 by Alisa Fantley, a neighbor of the development.

Fantley, who lives in Plum Hill subdivision (which is located at North Green Mount Road and Mascoutah), said putting a gas this close to Wingate School “is absurd.”

“Yes, the area has been zoned for commercial use,” Fantley stated on the petition. “But putting a dentist or dry cleaners is completely different than putting a gas station and 24-hour convenience store in front of a school.”

“Looking at the plan, the proposed entrance for this entrance isn’t on the main road. Vehicles would actually to use the same road as buses and parents dropping off their children for school. That’s just asking for accidents, as I can imagine car whipping into and out of the gas station. This type of business often brings crime. That’s not something we want near our school and our neighborhoods,” Fantley explained, concerned for her two school-age children attending Wingate Elementary.

Within two days of Fantley’s petiton being submitted, CC Food Mart developer Dale and Gail Wade issued a statement Friday to the village, informing staff of its withdraw of its special use permit for the time being.

“I believe we have the right to voice our opinions as to what businesses are (proposed) to be built by our children’s school,” Fantley said.

According to its statement, “Being a small company and already involved in another construction project (on the corner of O’Fallon Troy-Scott Road and Hwy 50), we feel that it is best to withdraw our application for the special use permit for our property at 210 N. Green Mount Road.”

On Monday, Gail Wade, president of CC Food Marts Inc., confirmed they withdrew its application with Shiloh.

She said her and Dale, general partner of Pearl Family Limited Partnership, were very surprised by the reaction from the residents.

A fifth-generation family owned and operated since 1979, CC Food Marts Inc. has 11 local metro-east locations including one at 1011 Hwy 50, near the Auffenberg Ford-O’Fallon dealership.

Wade did not rule out the possibility that they might reconsider Shiloh’s site in the future.

“This is great news,” Fantley said Monday, when she heard of the developer pulling its special use application.

Down the line Wade said CC Food Marts would like to move forward carefully with the residents because we want to be an asset to the communities we serve, Wade said.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 10:47 AM with the headline "Shiloh panel OKs new development in Hartman Lakes."