Contact City Council to Oppose

nlarkey@belton.org

pjohnson@belton.org

amccallum@belton.org

cdavidson@belton.org

jpryan@belton.org

alawson@belton.org

crichardson@belton.org

wthompson@belton.org

bwhite@belton.org

Farm Land to Industrial Park and Apartments  

Development Concerns

• Protect nearby homes and neighborhoods. Large warehouses and multi-story apartments do not fit next to established residential areas and rural farmland.

• Keep roads safe. More semi trucks, construction vehicles, delivery traffic, and commuter traffic will create safety concerns on local roads used by families, school buses, and emergency vehicles. Traffic is unsafe as it is.

  • • Since the Raymore warehouse projects are still ongoing, traffic impacts, especially semi-truck traffic—are likely to increase further once construction is complete and the facilities are fully active (their biggest one is not even done yet). Scannell’s (the Developer) proposed warehouses are equally as large as Raymore’s if not larger.

• Prevent years of construction impacts. Nearby residents could face prolonged noise, dust, vibration, bright lights, backup alarms, road congestion, and heavy equipment activity for multiple years.

• Address flooding and drainage concerns first. New pavement, rooftops, parking lots, and large buildings can increase runoff. Existing drainage and flooding concerns should be fully studied before development moves forward. We cannot take on any more flooding! 

• Preserve farmland and open space. Once agricultural land and open fields are converted into industrial or high-density development, they are gone permanently.

• Protect property values and quality of life. Warehouses, truck traffic, loading areas, apartment buildings, noise, and lights near homes will affect the peaceful character and desirability of surrounding neighborhoods. No one wants to live next to warehouses. 

• Require infrastructure before expansion. Roads, intersections, stormwater systems, sidewalks, and emergency access should be evaluated and improved before approving a development of this size.

• Avoid incompatible land use. This area needs thoughtful transitions between homes, farmland, and commercial development—not large industrial-style buildings directly beside residential communities.

• Demand transparency and public involvement. Residents deserve clear information, honest communication, proper notice, and meaningful opportunities to participate before major land-use decisions are made.

• Support responsible growth instead. We are not against all development. We support growth that is appropriately located, safely planned, environmentally responsible, and respectful of the people already living here.

Transparency and Process Concerns with The City of Belton

The following concerns are based on information residents learned through submitting a Sunshine Request to the City of Belton for the Graham-Effertz Subarea. 

• Residents were only told there was developer interest, while emails indicated a developer had the property under contract and had been discussing plans with the City for over a year. This created the impression that the proposal was only speculative when planning for the project may already have been underway.

• The public was not clearly informed about the developer’s early involvement. Residents were not told about the apparent pre-planning discussions and pre-applications connected to the proposed project before major land-use changes were considered. Only that a "developer was interested". 

• Public records suggest the Comprehensive Plan change was discussed as a way to make future rezoning easier for the developer. The Comprehensive Plan should guide responsible, long-term community planning—not be changed simply to help clear the path for a specific private development. The Comprehensive Plan was just completed in 2024 after 18 months of planning, public input, and consultant review at taxpayers expense. Now, only a short time later, the City is already considering changing it because a developer’s proposal does not fit the current plan. It took longer to create the Comprehensive Plan than it has taken to try to amend it. That makes the process appear developer-driven rather than community-driven.

• The proposed land-use change appeared to come before key impacts were fully addressed. Residents have raised concerns about truck traffic, road capacity, drainage, flooding, emergency access, buffers, and compatibility with nearby homes. Those issues should be studied before—not after—major land-use decisions are made. With citizen pushback - the comprehensive plan amendment was pulled, but per Belton City Planning, Scannell Properties is planning to submit a formal application in the next couple months.

• The process did not appear to prioritize appropriate transitions between residential areas, farmland, and intensive commercial development. Residents believe City planning should protect existing neighborhoods from incompatible development rather than place industrial-style uses immediately beside homes.

• Important questions remain unanswered. Residents are asking for documentation, studies, and clear explanations showing how the City will protect nearby homes, roads, drainage systems, public safety, and quality of life before allowing this project to move forward.

Links to Sunshine Request Documents