Parkville may expand to add hundreds of new homes as population keeps growing
Parkville is considering extending its city limits to include a new mixed housing development that would feature more than 200 single family homes, duplexes and triplexes — drawing some opposition from residents.
A local developer has requested a nearly 60-acre plot of land along Missouri Route 45 be annexed into the rapidly growing Platte County city, but several citizens voiced concerns at a Parkville Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday night.
Brian Mertz, a Parkville native and developer, plans to build 84 single family homes, 57 duplexes and 16 triplexes on the plot of land located just west of Creekside Village, totalling 246 residential units on 157 lots.
The area is currently outside of Parkville’s city limits and is zoned in unincorporated Platte County for residential use. The board approved first reading of the annexation along with a preliminary development plan and a conditional use permit to allow triplex buildings at its Tuesday night meeting. All three motions will be up for final approval at the next meeting on March 24.
“Ultimately, these people (living in the development) are going to benefit from Parkville, and Parkville, I think, will benefit from them. It’s kind of a mutual relationship here,” Mertz said.
But Jerald Harris, who lives beside the planned development, was vocal against the plan, calling it “ridiculous” and questioning the quality of the homes that would be built.
“We moved out there to have no houses, and now we’re going to have 240 more,” he said. “It’s not good for the city, the county or anybody else. I just hope you don’t change the annex of it and leave it in Platte County the way it is.”
Parkville’s population has been growing dramatically in recent years, up nearly 25% between 2020 and 2024, according to census data.
Louise Thurlow, who also lives near the planned development off of Waldron Road, expressed concerns regarding traffic in what she described as an already busy area. According to Thurlow, residents often encounter a plethora of traffic safety concerns along the stretch of Route 45 where the development would be built, including drivers crossing the centerline, passing in no-pass zones and driving over the speed limit.
Thurlow also pointed to the lack of shoulders along the highway and intersections with poor lines of sight as potential dangers for drivers.
Renaissance Infrastructure Consulting conducted a traffic study of the area upon Mertz’s request and found that a westbound right turn lane on Route 45 leading up to the development’s entrance would be warranted. The firm also found existing vegetation on the north side of the road would need to be cleared to create a clear line of sight at the intersection.
But Thurlow worries construction will make the area even more dangerous for drivers. She also fears having additional residents in the area could compound the issue and cause more traffic safety concerns along the stretch of highway.
“We live this everyday,” she said. “...We feel these issues will be magnified as the population expands in this area.”
John Schneider, who lives south of Route 45, said traffic heading eastbound is much worse than people may realize and has even caused his 21-year-old child to nearly crash.
“Having that much traffic coming in there with just a right hand turn lane, I think, is going to be quite dangerous,” he said. “I’m not against development, but it has to be done responsibly.”
