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On June 25, protesters voiced their displeasure in the St. Charles County Courthouse. That was the night the County Council approved developer Greg Whittaker’s proposal to build a residential subdivision adjacent to the Missouri Bluffs Golf Club—a controversial decision, to say the least. The St. Charles County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 8 to 1 in opposition to the development, yet the County Council moved forward.
Great Rivers Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit challenging this decision. And on October 29, at the most recent hearing at St. Charles County Courthouse, a trial date for the case was set for March 12, 2019.
One hundred and forty single-family homes; up to 136 multi-family townhouses. Trees leveled; habitats destroyed. Bulldozers, backhoes, and a whole lot of noise.
That’s solely what will come with construction, never mind the long-term effects on the local environment.
I spent a Sunday searching for signs of the planned development near Weldon Springs. I explored the streets around the Missouri Research Park, riding the stretch of the nearby Katy Trail that will be most affected. I was curious to see if ground had been broken, curious to see if there were any signs of protest, curious to hear what those using the Katy Trail had to say about the project, if anything.
Driving down to the Busch Greenway/Missouri Research Park Trailhead, it’s hard to envision such a development tucked into that area. The plan is designed to align with the golf course, with several lots sitting between the course and the trail that connects to the Katy Trail. At present, this area is densely forested. Leaving the trailhead parking lot, you are immersed in the outdoors immediately—woods surround, a creek babbles along the trail—it is a beautiful descent to the Katy Trail and the Missouri River bottoms. It took effort to avoid imagining the rumble of construction, forest-turned-backyard, and the ensuing effects that residential development will have on this stretch of trail.
Once on the Katy Trail, it’s just over a mile north to the Daniel Boone Bridge and the Missouri River Crossing—the corresponding stretch along the bluffs currently zoned for the development. With the bluffs rising up to 140 feet, it is difficult to predict any immediate effects such a development will have on people using the Katy Trail. It’s a sheer cliff face, and the homes are to be set back at least 150 feet from the cliffs’ edge. “You’re never going to see it from the Katy Trail,” Whittaker claims, and he may well be right.
But that’s hardly the entire argument.
Driving west along Highway 64/40, the current view is one of majestic bluffs uninterrupted—a spectacle to behold in peak foliage season. While the plan has been revised to keep more forested areas intact, one can imagine the spotted effect clearing out forest for houses will have on the view. Again, this goes without mentioning the destruction of habitat and the long-term effects on local wildlife.
I spoke to several people along the Katy Trail to gain perspective on how the planned development has been received by those who use it. Most were aware of the plan and familiar with the controversy. The general sentiment was opposition, mainly for environmental reasons, but also for traffic concerns (both along the trail as well as getting to the trailhead), noise pollution, etc. Many cited the view driving west across the bridge and how the development could change it. A bird enthusiast was concerned about habitat loss and the long-term effects of residential development along the river, as countless birds use the St. Louis river system as a waypoint on their annual migrations.
All things considered, the main concerns from a recreational perspective will be the construction traffic, noise pollution, and forest reduction during development, along with the potential residential traffic issues and increase in human activity along the Busch Greenway Trailhead and Katy Trail once the development is completed. The trail down from the parking lot will feel more like a ride in a neighborhood than a ride in the woods, and will lose most of its "outdoorsy" charm once the east side of the trail is lined with homes.
From an environmentalist’s perspective, the effects could potentially be far worse, and much more difficult to predict. Habitat loss/destruction, residential pollution, soil erosion, the effects of residential pets on local fauna populations—too many factors to count, and even more difficult to predict.
These's also the fear of setting a precedent: This land was rezoned for residential purpose.
Who’s to say that other "protected" land along the bluffs won’t suffer the same fate in the future?
