Cape Girardeau, Jackson to hold joint meeting on planning and zoning

As development continues on the edges of Jackson and Cape Girardeau, an issue often arises for landowners -- which city can best provide essential services, such as water and public safety. And both cities are eager for the tax revenue that newly added areas provide.

Future policies on annexations, as well as a possible formal agreement on annexations, will be discussed Wednesday evening, when the Planning and Zoning commissions of both cities hold an annual joint meeting at 7 p.m. in Jackson City Hall, 101 Court St.

While there is an informal agreement between the cities, the final decisions on which city to join are often left up to the landowners. Both cities have followed a policy of only seeking voluntary annexations for a number of years.

In a recent example, the Cape Girardeau City Council last week approved annexing 14.14 acres on Lampe Road, west of Interstate 55, that the developers want to use for an assisted living center. That property, by becoming part of Cape Girardeau, will bring the city's boundary up to that of Jackson on the south side of Klaus Park.

Under the informal agreement, established in 1999, Jackson generally was to stay west of I-55, while Cape Girardeau would bring into its boundaries property up to the west side of the I-55 right of way. The line has generally held north of Center Junction, while Cape Girardeau has brought in areas along Hopper Road, Route K and Bloomfield Road to the south.

Jackson is interested in a formal agreement designating which areas are set aside for each city, said Janet Sanders, building and planning superintendent. "We don't expect anything final, but it is a good opportunity to open the discussion," Sanders said.

Cape Girardeau is interested in establishing guidelines but may not want to put every detail in writing, said Ken Eftink, director of planning services. "What we want to do is have some discussion of areas outside the city limits that would be more logically served by Cape or Jackson," he said.

Cape Girardeau annexed the Lampe Road property at the request of D-7 Holdings LLC and Cape Properties LLC, the owners of the land. Any new agreement between the cities should be detailed about land close to city limits but development will also guide decisions, Eftink said. "The further you get away from the cities, the more gray that line becomes," he said.

Other items on the agenda are intended to be information exchanges, both Sanders and Eftink said. Jackson will present plans for the Uptown Historic District, improvements on Highway 25 near South Elementary School and plans to study a roundabout as the solution for traffic issues on what is known as the "S" bend on U.S. 61 just north of the county courthouse. A St. Louis engineering firm is looking at that possible solution to make traffic flow more easily through the center of the city, Sander said.

Cape Girardeau will offer details of the DREAM Initiative strategic plan, recently approved by the council, as well as a discussion of the draft zoning ordinance that will soon be sent to the council for consideration. That ordinance will not include a provision extending the city's zoning rules for two miles beyond current boundaries, Eftink said.

Cape Girardeau also wants to talk about a rental inspection program under consideration. No decisions have been made on whether to hire additional inspectors or how often rental units would be scrutinized, Eftink said.

"It is something we are still thinking about and obviously we still think there is a need," he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

101 Court St., Jackson, MO