Christian County awaits filing of 'final' Terrell Creek plans

There hasn’t been much progress on the plan since then; Glenda Hammons, interim planning and zoning administrator for Christian County, said the developer had yet to submit any plans.

“I just received a letter stating that they want to get on the agenda without meeting the absolute policies of Christian County unified development codes,” Hammons said. “I cannot grant them that variance. They will have to go through the Board of Adjustment for a variance on our absolute policies.”

Long road

Redford’s Branson-based firm, Missouri Partners Inc., is behind Terrell Creek, for which development plans have changed several times because of cost and neighbors’ concerns and to avoid planning and zoning regulations. Originally envisioned as a high-density development of 2,300 homes on 2,240 acres in 2004, the plan did not win approval from the planning and zoning commission.

Since then, some of the land has been sold, and some has been donated to nearby Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield.

The plans were changed to upscale 20-acre ranchettes, which would be exempt from P&Z requirements as agricultural property.

A petition filed in June by Christian County in Christian County Circuit Court brought Terrell Creek to a standstill, halting advertising and sales in the development until it won P&Z approval. Among the factors dictating approval at that time was the fact that the property was not being advertised as agricultural property, but rather as an “upscale residential community.”

Holes to fill

In a letter sent to the developer Nov. 20, Hammons spelled out what MPI’s current plan is lacking for planning and zoning approval.

“One was their on-site sewage disposal approval,” she said. “They are proposing a new central sewer district, which is against the county regulations. ” Hammons said that state legislation has changed so that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources cannot approve central sewer districts if the local county has regulations against them.

Waste disposal isn’t the only major issue to be addressed, though.

“(Another) would be the state land disturbance permit for the proposed lakes and the (U.S. Army) Corps of Engineers 404 for the proposed lakes,” Hammons said. “We still need the (Federal Emergency Management Agency) permits proving they are not going to raise the base flood elevation more than one foot in height through their proposed development. I haven’t seen anything yet.”

Calls to Redford and Rick Billington, MPI’s vice president of marketing, were not returned.

Founded in 1993, MPI provides commercial and residential development, excavating and real estate services, primarily in Stone and Taney counties. MPI’s other developments include StoneBridge Village in Branson and The Community & Marina at Red Rock Bluff. [[In-content Ad]]