The St. Charles County Planning and Zoning Commission voted Sept. 17 to recommend denial of a rezoning request to reclassify 6.5 acres at 263 East Highway N from Agricultural to C-2 General Commercial.

Staff presented RZ25-11 as a rezoning that would change the subject parcel’s future use but noted several factors weighing against approval: the county’s Year 2030 master plan designates the parcel for low-density residential (1–4 dwellings per acre), the property lacks immediate sanitary sewer service (the nearest City of Wentzville sewer was described in the staff report as roughly 1,500–1,600 feet away), and Highway N corridor improvements and potential rerouting are still in a speculative Phase 3 of MoDOT’s planning process.

County planning staff explained that commercial uses such as restaurants, retail and offices typically need visibility, access and utilities; without sewer or a clear long-term corridor alignment, staff said the parcel’s shape and limited frontage could create “spot zoning” relative to surrounding agricultural parcels. Staff recommended denial for those reasons.

The applicant did not appear at the hearing. Staff reported a phone call that day saying a purchase contract had been dissolved by mutual agreement; the applicant declined to withdraw the application. Several members of the public spoke. A nearby property owner described how potential MoDOT work (a roundabout and right-of-way takings) could cut his front yard and change his property’s viability; he said rezoning the corridor to commercial would improve his options. Arnie C., the county public advocate, urged the commission to either table the item to allow the applicant to appear or to recommend approval and stressed that the Highway N corridor is among the county’s fastest-growing areas.

Commissioners discussed the speculative nature of future Highway N alignments, the distance to sanitary sewer, and the county master plan’s land-use guidance. Staff clarified that if the county council denies a rezoning, the same exact application for that parcel cannot be resubmitted for one year; different parcels or different zoning districts could be submitted sooner. After debate, Commissioner Schell moved to approve and Commissioner Barr seconded; the motion failed on a roll call in which all commissioners voted no. The commission’s denial is a recommendation to the County Council.