Panel OKs rezoning for development



BY SCOTT WUERZ



News-Democrat



BELLEVILLE - The city's Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday unanimously approved the rezoning of 126 acres along Illinois 159 as the first phase of a planned new 1,600-acre development.



About 580 homes are to be built on the land, which is 2 1 / 2 miles south of Illinois 15, as part of the Richland planned residential development. But, according to Floyd Schlueter, who owns much of the property, eventually 4,000 homes could be built in the development.



Project manager Doug Smith said earthmoving and infrastructure work could begin at the site this spring.



"This is going to be the major development that spurs other developers in the region," said Smith, of the H.O.K. planning group. "We want to set the bar high for other developers."



Smith said houses there will include four-unit townhomes, attached single-family row houses, bungalows and large lot upscale colonial houses.



"We want to make it so everyone from secretaries up to executives can afford to be a part of this development," Smith said.



Zoning Board member Bill Shambro was concerned about the row houses because an option for buyers was to have a garage built in the rear with a mother-in-law apartment above it.



"Basically, what you would have is a duplex," Shambro said. "Are these going to have separate utilities and sewer from the main house?"



City Economic Development Director and Planner Mike Malloy said all the housing on the site would be owner occupied and the mother-in-law apartment would be used for a family member or a guest space. But it would not be allowed to be rented as a standalone apartment.



The land was rezoned from classification for agricultural use to single-family residential.



Another similar development was planned for the same site about five years ago. But it fell apart when the offshore bank in Grenada that was supposed to finance the project bounced an $800,000 check to developers.



Attorney Bob Becker who represents the Richland developers, said the planning for the project has been much more thorough this time.



"I hope that this time we have done a heckuva better job," Becker said.



Plus, developers said, the timing is better. They hope the new community will eventually be bisected by the planned Illinois 158 Gateway Connector and a potential MetroLink extension that could make it a breeze to travel to and from the St. Louis area.



In other business Thursday, the zoning board unanimously approved special use permits to sell alcohol for Big Daddy's Disco Diner at 313 E. Main St. and for Geo's Wings at 4307 W. Main St.



All zoning board decisions must be approved by the City Council on March 7 before they become final.



Contact Scott Wuerz at swuerz@bnd.com or 239-2626.

Well, it's definitely new urbanism.

Oh, and images. Eh, not sure I like the winding streets.























From HOK planning-

"With immediate access to the major transportation, including light rail, Richland is strategically positioned both regionally and locally. The client's key objective was to create a place where residents could live, work, and enjoy the natural amenities of the surrounding land. With that goal in mind, The HOK Planning Group conducted a week long charrette exploring ideas and design concepts with the developers, surrounding land owners, local citizens, interested home builders, Illinois Dept. of Transportation, civil engineers and several predominant politicians.

A critical element of this project is the re-use of a former coal mine as an amenity and key community asset. The site has been designated as a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District due to significant site disturbance from coal mining and its associated operations. Mining operations ceased in the 1970?s. As it stands today, the excavation sites have filled with water and the spoil areas have become overgrown with vegetation.



While difficult to develop, the disturbed area of the site offers natural features not available elsewhere in the region. The 50?-70? deep linear water features from the mining excavation areas create an interconnected network of canals that become a focal point for residential and Town Center development."

Belleville development plan advances



03/24/2005



Richland's mixed-use proposal gains City Council approval





B



Y J OE M ATY

Special to the Post-Dispatch A major new residential and business development planned for the southern outskirts of Belleville moved closer to reality this week when the City Council approved preliminary plans for the first part of the Richland development.



The developer, Belleville-based NBD Inc., said it expected to begin construction this spring on Richland Phase I, a 126-acre tract where 580 single-family homes and an eight- to 10-acre commercial town center are proposed.



Required before construction can begin is city approval of engineering plans for streets, sewers, water lines and stormwater control systems.



The Phase I site is on the east side of Illinois Route 159, about 2 1/4 miles south of Illinois Route 15.



The tract is part of several properties annexed by the city in 1999, as part of an ambitious development program centered on rolling farmland along Richland Creek.



The city also established a tax-increment financing (TIF) district to help stimulate development by means of financial incentives.



Richland Phase I calls for construction of various styles of homes to be sold at prices ranging from about $130,000 to more than $300,000, with completion of the first homes anticipated by early 2006.



The commercial portion of the project will be along the east side of Illinois Route 159.



Homes will be built in a variety of architectural styles and will include townhomes, cottages, lofts and single-family homes, the company said.



NBD Inc. is billing the project as the first community of its kind in Southern Illinois, offering a lifestyle where residents can live, work and play in close proximity. The company calls the project a master-planned community designed to put most residents within a five-minute walk of neighborhood center stores, services, businesses and recreational amenities.



Floyd Schlueter, president and CEO of NBD Inc., said in a recent announcement that the developers were striving to produce a community of mixed-use urban neighborhoods that would offer a full range of housing types and prices.



Schlueter formerly operated a pick-your-own orchard and berry farm on one of the properties slated to be developed as part of the Richland plan.



NBD Inc. said that when completed, the Richland development would consist of about 4,500 housing units on 1,800 acres and would include nature preserves and green space, lakes, business districts, a town center, senior housing and care facilities, a river walk with retail shops, schools, churches and a commercial/high-tech business district.



Plans also include parks, trails, athletic fields and a community pool.

Large-scale development is planned for Belleville

By Doug Moore

Of the Post-Dispatch

06/09/2005



Groundbreaking ceremony in Belleville, Ill.

(Anthony Souffle/P-D)



Floyd Schlueter ended a six-generation run of growing apples, peaches and blueberries at his family's orchard in Belleville to build what he says will be quality of life not found anywhere in the Midwest.



It's Schlueter's take on New Urbanism, the catchphrase to describe a trend in building compact, "self-contained" communities within a city. If fully realized, his $2 billion project, to be known as Richland, would become the largest residential development in the St. Louis area that combines residential, retail and office space. The development, projected to take 20 years, is the first of its kind in Southern Illinois.



WingHaven in O'Fallon, Mo., and New Town in St. Charles are similar developments. Boulevard-St. Louis, across from the St. Louis Galleria, and Station Plaza, in Kirkwood, are often referred to as New Urbanism because of the dense mixture of residential and retail.



Richland and Sugar creeks wind through the 1,900 acres in Belleville where 4,000 houses are planned. The property is filled with 100 acres of old strip mine lakes stocked with bass, catfish and perch. An 18-hole golf course, seven parks, a town center with shops, a private school and senior living facility all are on tap. Conservation areas have been set aside. The development will straddle the Belleville and Freeburg school districts.



The first phase will take three years and includes 583 homes with move-ins scheduled for next spring. Developers are expected to select three to five homebuilders within 90 days with construction to begin immediately on model homes.



Schlueter and other members of his company, New Belleville Development Inc., had a groundbreaking Thursday to officially launch the ambitious project that has struggled since the city annexed the property six years ago. Investors came and went. Schlueter kept plugging away. Peoples National Bank and Regions Bank now are backing the project.



Schlueter, 69, said he had no regrets about shutting down the orchard to pursue the development.



"This has been a dream," Schlueter said. "I have a zest to make a better place."



The first phase will hug Illinois Route 159 with commercial properties serving as a buffer between the highway and homes. It will include streets with patriotic names. The main drag will be America Boulevard. Ballot Street, Election Avenue, Pilgrims Way and Bald Eagle Drive are among Richland's other street names.



Other phases of the development will have streets named after American authors, astronauts and aviators. The five-phase project is expected to be completed in about 20 years. The northern part of the property where the orchard and the Schlueter family home sits would be developed last.



The development abuts where the proposed Gateway Connector is to be built. The 41-mile highway would link Troy, Ill., to Columbia, Ill., and Interstate 255. Supporters say the "outer belt" would open up development that has lagged in the Metro East area because of the lack of accessibility to a major highway.



St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern was Belleville mayor when he first saw the plans for the Schlueter project in January 1998.



Kern and Schlueter met on a Saturday at a Denny's restaurant. Pancake syrup got onto the plans, sticking them to the table. Kern remembers being impressed. The year before, only 17 homes had been built in the city of 43,000.



"We needed to build more houses, and Floyd brought us this plan, and we were excited," Kern said. "It's great to see this happening. It's been a long time coming."



Starter houses will begin at $130,000. One-acre lots on a lake island will start at $150,000.



It's on the island that Floyd and his wife, Carol, probably will build. But like all happily married couples, they tend to disagree. And exactly which plot of land they will put their name on is still under debate.



"I know what I want, and she wants something else. Who do you think will win?" Schlueter said. Carol Schlueter raised her eyebrows slightly, smiled and walked away.



Reporter Doug Moore

E-mail: dmoore@post-dispatch.com

Phone: 618-235-0260

The street names sound lame to me.

You may notice there seems to be a MetroLink Connection, and station, as part of the plan.