Marabella moving forward after Ozark board vote this week

The Ozark Board of Aldermen this week issued unanimous support to three bills all tied to the roughly 229-acre mixed-use Marabella development.

The board gave the green light to the trio of bills, which annex, rezone and approve a preliminary plat for the Marabella property, at its Nov. 3 meeting. The meeting was livestreamed on the city's YouTube page. 

The Marabella development is planned on currently vacant land that's bordered by North Farmer Branch Road on the west and Bluestem Road on the east. It's located east of the Ozark campus of James River Church and south of the quarry.

At the board's Oct. 20 meeting, when first readings were held for the bills, Marabella LLC developer representative Michael Roberts said the vision is a “a community within a community” where families could reside through their various stages of life. He pointed to a project scope that comprises 789 total dwelling units including apartments, single-family homes and town houses, 10 commercial lots and amenities such as a 6,000-square-foot pool and splash pad, trails, clubhouse and multiple sports courts, according to past reporting. 

“Our goal for this is not to just come in here and build the homes. What we really have desired at 10 years from now [is] that people look at this development and it holds eye appeal and it holds quality and allows people to stay in this community in different phases of their life,” Roberts said at the Oct. 20 meeting.

Marabella LLC is operated by Steve and Connie Faria, who also own four resorts on Table Rock Lake via Faria Resorts LLC, according to past reporting.

Roberts said at the first-reading meeting that Marabella would be completed in 18 phases, with a timeline of five to 10 years and a goal of five to seven years.