County Planning Board denies vote of support for Willard-area rezoning

A rezoning for a scaled-back Auburn Meadows subdivision proposal was voted down for the second time last night by the Greene County Planning Board.

Although the measure failed 4-3, that tally marked a gain in support from the Planning Board, who voted 6-1 not to recommend the development at its last hearing on April 21. However, as before, numerous potential neighbors of the development spoke out to object to plans, with no one standing in support.

The measure is now scheduled to be heard by the three-member Greene County Commission on June 1, and it appears to be one-third of the way to passage, with Commissioner Rusty MacLachlan voting for it last night during his turn as a rotating member of the Planning Board.

The Planning Board was considering the proposal again after it was remanded by the commission following a revision by the developer.

The subdivision is proposed by applicant Willard80 LLC for a site outside of Willard. Once proposed as a 600-home development on 93 acres, the new incarnation would be 36 lots on 14 acres. The property includes a detention basin that developer Derek Lee, of Lee Engineering & Associates LLC, said would be modified to accommodate stormwater for the entire 93-acre site.

Lee, who owns the property just north of the intersection of State Highways AB and EE, is seeking a rezoning to an urban residence zoning district from a suburban residence one, and that would allow a minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet from the current minimum of 10,000 square feet.

Lee testified to the board that there are three existing home sites north of the 14-acre lot, the smallest of which is a 0.22-acre property, which is just under 9,600 square feet.

“The reason I’m back here a month later is because several members of the board indicated that they had problems with the overall 93 acres,” he said. “I thought I’d see if making it smaller and only rezoning that section adjacent to the existing smaller lots, if you would find that appropriate.”

Lee said in the drawing he submitted previously, he was aiming primarily for lots of 9,000 square feet.

“I would have a number of lots that would be over 10,000 square feet, and then I’d have some that would be under, but they would average the same as those,” he said, referring to the existing homes adjacent to the 14-acre lot.

Joining MacLachlan in supporting the rezoning for the development were Tom Huff and Aaron Wyssmann, while Mike Scott was absent.

That vote followed testimony by 20 people living near the proposed development, and they offered a range of concerns about traffic, water and sewer service, flooding and sinkholes, and the possible impacts on the city of Willard.

Bill Hennessy objected to the urban zoning designation for the rural site.

“It just seems ironic to me that you have to pass chickens and cows to get to an urban area outside of Springfield from Springfield,” he said.

He added that he does not object to property being developed but to the disproportionate density of the Auburn Meadows proposal.

Also testifying was Missouri Rep. Bill Owen, who represents District 131, where the proposed development is located.

Owen’s concerns centered on the sewer capacity of Willard, whose sewage is routed to the city of Springfield for treatment.

“They are on the clock,” he said. “We’re getting close, I think, to the city of Springfield basically saying, ‘No more – that’s it.’”

The subdivision could push the capacity issue over the top, he said, adding that a lot of money will have to be put into the system to correct existing problems.

Explaining his support for the rezoning, MacLachlan talked about the need for housing in the county.

“We know the metropolitan area just topped 500,000 – like it or not, it just has,” he said. “It’s a great place to live. People are seeing that and coming here.”

MacLachlan shared statistics that he attributed to the National Association of Homebuilders to argue that ownership of new homes is out of reach for two-thirds of households in the Springfield metropolitan area.

Greater Springfield Board of Realtors data for April shows an average sale price of $321,310 for homes in the greater Springfield area – comprising Greene, Christian and Webster counties, according to GSBOR’s website – reflecting a 2.7% price increase over April 2025. The median home sale price was $280,000. In Greene County alone, GSBOR statistics show average home sale prices that month were just shy of $309,000, with a median sale price of $262,000.

“My fear is, the more of these housing developments we reject, the more apartment projects we’re going to have to approve so people can live somewhere,” MacLachlan said.

He said his own preference is homeownership.

“I think we have to accept smaller lots or more apartments, and I prefer smaller lots,” he said.

He added that if the infrastructure is not there, the subdivision can’t be developed because it won’t be granted permits.