West Newsmagazine 10-11-17

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Chesterfield City Council approves
rezoning for new sports complex
October 11, 2017
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE I NEWS I 15
By JESSICA MESZAROS
At the Oct. 2 meeting, Chesterfield’s
city council approved an amended ordinance
to rezone a 17.95-acre tract of land
located at 18385 Chesterfield Airport Road
from an industrial district to a planned
commercial [PC] district. The petitioned
development is the $22.65 million Chesterfield
Sportscomplex to be located on
the Chesterfield Valley site. The legislation
received its first reading and was unanimously
approved by the Chesterfield City
Council on Sept. 18.
The Chesterfield Hockey Association
[CHA] petitioned the rezoning. The
CHA will fund, construct and operate the
Sportscomplex, which will feature a twosheet
ice rink and serve as a multiuse facility.
After some discussion at the last session
about the ordinance’s language regarding
access and access management, the council
unanimously passed a blue sheet amendment
at its Oct. 2 meeting. The amendment
states that the interim access road connecting
to the development from the south
through the current Valley Village development
[Comfort Inn & Suites] shall be
restricted by either or both of the following:
• [Option A] by removing the access
point entirely at the northern access point
to the Valley Village development [south
side of the new Olive Street Road extension]
or
• [Option B] by limiting the movement
to right-in right-out only access at the
southern access point to the Valley Village
development [north side of Chesterfield
Airport Road].
A motion was made by Councilmember
Tom DeCampi [Ward 4] to postpone the
ordinance’s second reading until after Nov.
7, following the Chesterfield Valley Transportation
Development District [TDD]
election, where voters will decide whether
to extend a 3/8-cent sales tax to fund up
to $7 million of transportation-related
improvements for the complex.
“I think it would be proper that we not
put the cart before the horse and we see
what the result of the TDD election is,
which is very politically charged and controversial,”
DeCampi said. “We’re talking
about $7 million in tax money to be spent
on a private enterprise. If TDD election
fails, there’s no point in rezoning.”
DeCampi’s concerns were echoed by
Councilmember Ben Keathley [Ward 2],
who was concerned with the lack of certainty
of the development’s financing prior
to the election.
“It’s speculative zoning at this point,”
Keathley said. “I think, before we start
going in and rezoning land, it’s important
that we know the projects proposed for that
land are actually going to happen. Otherwise,
you’re zoning and amending it later
when plans change. It’s inefficient and
leads to a waste of time in some cases. I
think it would be more appropriate to wait.”
Ultimately, the motion to postpone failed
6-2 on the grounds that the property’s general
rezoning was separate from any specific
development.
“The zoning is non-controversial,” Councilmember
Barry Flachsbart [Ward 1] said.
“The zoning is for a [commercial] district
and it’s appropriate, and if that development
isn’t built, it might come back to the
council again for another use, but, in fact,
they have a lot of uses there already.”
The 3/8-cent sales tax originally received
voter approval in a 2005 election, and projects
affected by the vote have largely seen
completion.
The rezoning ordinance received its
second reading on Oct. 2 as planned and
was passed by the council with a 6-2 vote
in favor.
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