ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – O’Fallon City Council and community members gathered Thursday evening to discuss a voluntary annexation of a project’s property lines that has left many residents frustrated.
The St. Charles County Council approved The Highlands at Busch Wildlife in June of this year, which is a project residents have been fighting against since its proposal last year.
Shawn Mann, a concerned citizen, told us, “It’s encroaching on the rural areas that are really jewels of St. Louis County.”
One community member is extremely worried about the impact on the area’s school systems and overcrowding. He told FOX 2 that if construction starts on this development, he and his wife have discussed moving out of the region because he will never compromise his children’s schooling and education.
Arguments over the wear and tear on the region’s infrastructure and environmental damage didn’t stop the council from moving on to the next step in the project. Previously, at a St. Charles County Council meeting, the attorney for the builder said there were no plans to annex the area.
Residents are so passionate about this issue that a majority declined to re-elect councilman Nathan Bibb, a major proponent of this development, by a 69% to 31% vote in favor of Joe Brazil during Tuesday night’s election.
Some residents said they’re not against development; they just want to maintain the integrity they were drawn to when they originally invested in their properties, and they believe tract housing goes against that.
An attorney representing the project developers spoke at the meeting, hoping to soothe the fears of concerned residents, stating that over 67% of the existing trees will remain after development.
At one point during the meeting, a resident faced the council, telling them to “do the right thing for once” and asking why they weren’t listening to their community members.
