The City of Parkville had several land development items on its docket for this week’s meeting of the board of aldermen.
Developer Brian Mertz submitted an application in January for the voluntary annexation of about 60 acres off Highway 45 – currently containing defunct farm buildings – into the city for the purpose of building a residential development. A public hearing was scheduled to be held Tuesday, March 3 on the proposal. Located adjacent to the Woods at Creekside and Creekside Village, Mertz hopes to develop Creekside West, a planned mixed-density residential development consisting of 246 residential units on 157 lots for patio home, duplex, and triplex units on 58.87 acres.
In a staff report, Parkville Community Development recommended approval of the voluntary annexation petition. According to Parkville municipal code, and state law, annexation must be approved by ordinance following board determination that the property to be annexed is contiguous and compact to the existing corporate limits, that the annexation is reasonable and necessary to the proper development of the city and that the city has the ability to furnish normal municipal services to the area to be annexed within a reasonable time.
The board is also expected to approve the first reading of a bill to approve a zoning map amendment and preliminary development plan for Creekside West. Under county zoning, the area is slated for residential multiple dwelling, to be annexed into the city as planned mixed-density residential.
The development is proposed to be accessed via a new network of public streets connecting to the existing Aaron Street, Magnus Street and Highway 45. The main access point for the subdivision is a new connection to Hwy. 45 in the southwest corner of the site. This access point will require MoDOT review and approval. Pursuant to that, Mertz submitted a traffic study to MoDOT. The summary of the traffic study stated:
• The development is estimated to generate a total of 1,448 new trips on an average weekday including 75 new trips for morning peak hour and 111 new trips in the evening peak hour.
• Access to the development is proposed at Hwy. 45 approximately 1,885 feet west of Homer Parkway, measured center-to-center.
• An auxiliary westbound right turn lane was warranted at the Hwy. 45 and the proposed driveway and should be constructed according to MoDOT requirements with a minimum deceleration distance of 200 feet and 180-foot straight line taper.
• Existing vegetation on the north side of Hwy. 45 is within the intersection sight triangle and should be removed prior to intersection construction.
According to the staff report, the Parkville 2040 Master Plan encourages leveraging Creekside to expand housing options while ensuring a consistent level of quality and visual character.
The Master Plan also notes the importance of ensuring important commercial nodes of Parkville remain resilient, active and vibrant. Placing new residential development near the existing commercial nodes of the Creekside development will help ensure the sustainability of these commercial areas.
A first reading of an ordinance allowing the construction of three-plex buildings in Creekside West was also on the agenda.