High Ridge Commons Public Hearing Rescheduled

A Jefferson County Council public hearing on rezoning 25 acres to make way for the High Ridge Commons redevelopment has been rescheduled for March 28.

Originally scheduled during the council’s March 14 regular meeting, the hearing on a petition to vacate the subdivisions known as the “High Ridge Commons” and “High Ridge Commons Consolidation Plat Lot 1 and Lot 1” was rescheduled at the petitioner’s request.

The redevelopment, proposed by THF Realty, is located on about 25 acres near High Ridge Commons Parkway and Ridge Point Drive east of Highway 30 and is expected to include a Walmart Supercenter, an over 152,000 square-foot retail building, a 30,000 square-foot strip mall, six “outlot” buildings for retail, restaurant and financial institution  use, as well as a single-family subdivision.

THF’s original redevelopment plan was approved in December, 2010 by the former Jefferson County Commission. Jefferson County Planning and Zoning officials said THF is essentially “double crossing their Ts” in seeking the vacation of the original subdivision plat submitted under old zoning ordinances and substituting the same plat under the county’s new Unified Development Order.

Jefferson County went through a transition in 2008 from its old subdivision regulations to what is now called a Unified Development Order; THF’s original subdivision plat was based on the old ordinances and THF is trying to essentially get the same plat under the new Unified Development Order.

Officials have notified THF the change isn’t needed but added the developer is just being cautious.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a hearing on the matter at 7 p.m., March 24, before the matter reaches the county council meeting at 6:30 p.m., March 28. Both the commission and council meetings are held at the administration building, 729 Maple St.