Cape council approves proposed development near Klaus Park

A new residential development south of Klaus Park would involve a mix of single-family homes, duplexes and apartments under a planned development approved Monday by the Cape Girardeau City Council.

It also might involve age restrictions and facilities that would cater to the elderly, city planner Ryan Shrimplin said.

The council with little comment approved the preliminary plan for Deerfield Estates, submitted by Drury Properties Inc.

In connection with the development, the council annexed more than 32 acres west of Interstate 55 into the city limits adjacent to an 8.6-acre tract the company owns that already was in city limits.

The council approved planned-development zoning for the entire tract, which borders Cape Girardeau County Road 313.

A planned development zone allows for a customized project that would not have to meet all the residential zoning requirements such as property setbacks of other residential zones, according to Shrimplin.

In an agenda report to the council, Shrimplin wrote plans for Deerfield Estates envision 81 single-family lots, 14 duplex lots, one multifamily lot and five common-grounds lots. One of the common-ground lots would be reserved for a stormwater detention basin, he said.

Under the plan, part of the project may include an “age-restricted (55 years and older) section” and a “continuum of care” section, Shrimplin said.

Shrimplin said the “continuum of care” section could include independent living and assisted-living facilities as well as a “memory care” facility together in the same development.

Another option could involve single-family lots with a minimum size of 5,000 square feet, Shrimplin wrote.

Any of these “alternate uses” would have to be spelled out in the final development plan that would require further council approval, he said.

In other action, the council authorized an agreement with SkyWest Airlines for use of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

The council also approved an ordinance that would allow the city to board up dangerous buildings if property owners fail to do so.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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