Traffic access was a theme: The property is landlocked, and M/I's plan routes all traffic through a single entrance onto Rosebud Drive, a narrow residential street that runs through the Reserve of St. Charles and River's Edge subdivisions. Some residents said that school traffic near St. Charles North High School is already dangerous as it stands now.

Neighbors have organized: Residents from surrounding subdivisions have formed a nonprofit called Citizens for Responsible Growth and retained a law firm. One speaker said a petition opposing the development has collected more than 750 signatures. Multiple speakers noted that M/I Homes never reached out to residents after the Plan Commission recommended they do so in November. 

Density remains a concern: At two homes per acre, city documents show that Claibourne Farm would be roughly double the density of adjacent subdivisions. A 2005 land plan for this area recommended no more than one unit per acre. Residents argued the proposed lot sizes, some under a quarter acre, are incompatible with the half-acre to one-acre lots that define the character of that part of town — a reason some cited for moving to St. Charles in the first place.

Officials discussed the plan: Several committee members said single-family homes are appropriate for the site and consistent with the comprehensive plan, but several pushed back on the access issue. One official estimated about a thousand residents’ daily lives would be affected by the additional traffic.