By KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The city of O'Fallon, Mo. is withdrawing its plan to annex a plot of land that includes the Busch Wildlife Preservation Area.
City Administrator Bob Lowery says including the wildlife area was the only way to annex the nearby Research Park, which he says was the main goal of the proposal. The property lies along the Highway 40 corridor but the research park is not connected to O'Fallon in any way at this time and cities must annex land that is contiguous.
Lowery added the city is withdrawing the plan because it was too divisive. "We always remain most respectful and cognizant of the concerns of our residents," Lowery said, in a statement.