The first phase of a 140-home subdivision in Jefferson City could clear its next hurdle this week.
On Monday, Oct. 19, the Jefferson City Council is scheduled to take up an ordinance approving the final subdivision plat for Walnut Hills Plat One, in the 3800 block of Rock Ridge Road. The ordinance was introduced Oct. 5, and the Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the final plans in September and recommended approval, KOMU 8 reported.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the John G. Christy Municipal Building.
What's in Plat One
According to meeting documents cited by KOMU, the final plans cover 55 single-family lots, 21 acres of common ground and 48 acres held for future sections of the neighborhood. The first phase includes two streets, Leeds Drive and Goldammer Court. Future phases would add 85 more lots, for 140 homes in all.
A traffic study for the area was approved by the city, county and state.
The developer is McBride Homes, which describes itself as the largest home builder in Missouri. KOMU has described the site as roughly 80 acres of undeveloped farmland at the northwest corner of Rock Ridge Road and Highway C. When the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the amended plan in February, KOMU reported that the subdivision would have single-family homes of varying sizes, all with basements, and more than 50 acres of common ground and open space. Company representatives presented three home layouts at that meeting, and McBride said in a statement it was "excited for the project in Jefferson City."
Rock changed the plan
Walnut Hills started out a lot bigger. The original request in June 2025 was to rezone more than 80 acres and build more than 230 homes near Liverpool Drive and Rock Ridge Road. The City Council approved that plan in June 2025.
Then the ground got in the way. According to the City of Jefferson City, geotechnical survey work revealed significant bedrock on the site, and the plan was amended to 140 single-family homes, with lower density and more green space, in "a design better suited to the site's natural conditions." KOMU described it as extensive solid rock on the property.
That's a cut of about 90 homes, and it's a reminder that what's under the dirt can rewrite a project. For a subdivision where every home has a basement, rock means more excavation cost, and possibly blasting or hammering, so it's easy to see why the developer chose fewer, better-placed lots over fighting the site.
Not everyone nearby is happy. At the February Planning and Zoning meeting, neighbor Julie Gragert said the project will disrupt the area's quiet character. "This information was a surprise to us and was not presented to us at the time of purchasing the home," she said. She said she appreciated the reduction in homes and the added open space, but that neighbors will still lose their view and the natural landscape around them.
The Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce's community calendar lists a groundbreaking ceremony for Walnut Hills by McBride Homes on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 10 to 10:30 a.m. at 3819 Rock Ridge Road. An earlier listing on the same calendar showed a ceremony on Oct. 15, but we couldn't confirm that event took place, so the Nov. 5 date is the one to watch.
No home prices or construction start date for the first phase were included in the council materials KOMU described. When the amended plan cleared Planning and Zoning in February, KOMU reported that the developer would then return to the commission with detailed phasing and construction plans.
Why it matters for Contractors
Fifty-five single-family lots with basements, plus 85 more in later phases, is a solid multi-year pipeline in a market the size of Jefferson City. The bedrock is the headline for site contractors: excavation, rock removal, utilities and stormwater work will be a big part of the early budget, and crews with rock experience have an edge. After that comes foundation and basement work, framing, roofing, siding, windows, MEP and finish trades across three home styles. McBride Homes builds at volume across Missouri, so local trades who want in should reach out to the builder now, before Plat One gets rolling. If the council approves the plat Monday, the Nov. 5 groundbreaking is the next milestone.