The Good Shepherd Daycare is scheduled to reopen in Wright City after coming under new ownership. 

The daycare had closed earlier this year after St. John’s Lutheran Church in Warrenton voted to divest from the property, citing rising insurance costs. 

The property is being purchased by Rachel and Ramiz Hakim. The couple stated at the Aug. 22 Wright City Board of Aldermen meeting that they will act as property owners and the daycare and thrift store will be tenants. 

Ramiz Hakim said that while they are still working on closing the purchase of the property, he expected that to be complete by Sept. 15 of this year with the daycare reopening roughly 90 days later. 

“When this property became available, my husband and I saw an opportunity, not just to invest in real estate, but to invest in the future of Wright City,” Rachel said. “Our vision was immediately to preserve the essential role this property plays in our community by maintaining the thrift store and reopening the daycare.”

While the daycare is slated to reopen, the Hakims wanted to address the zoning of the property since it had been operating under a nonconforming use. Previously the property was zoned SR-3 single family residential, which does not allow for the operation of a daycare. A public hearing was held at the board meeting to rezone the property to C-5 commercial, bringing the use of the property back into conformity with the city’s zoning code. 

“The reason we are requesting a rezoning to C-5 is simply a matter of formalizing the property status to reflect its actual use,” Rachel Hakim said. 

There were several neighbors who expressed their displeasure at the zoning change, who questioned whether it was necessary to rezone the property since it had already operated under SR-3 zoning for so long. 

Corey Ruby, a resident next door to the daycare, said she was for its reopening, but she was concerned about the zoning change and felt the regulations with C-5 zoning were too loose for what is otherwise a residential area. 

“I am all for using those businesses as they have been used in the past, but as for rezoning to a C-5 I feel like it’s overreach and spot zoning and I’m not for it,” said Ruby. 

Mayor Michelle Heiliger reminded Ruby that while the regulations are looser, any of the changes she was concerned about would require a conditional use permit, and in turn a public hearing, before they were approved. 

St. John’s Lutheran Church Pastor Jeremy Klaustermeier was also in attendance at the meeting and expressed his support for the sale of the property and reopening of the Good Shepherd Daycare. 

“I’m very excited to see the Hakims and their willingness to keep the ministry going, as our church has not been able to do as much as we would like there with the property,” said Klaustermeier. 

Following the public comment, the board voted to rezone the property with Aldermen Kim Arbuthnot and Don Andrews voting yes and Alderman Ramiz Hakim abstaining. 

The Hakims are no strangers to investing in real estate and already own other properties in the area. 

“We’re already in this line of work. This is just another opportunity to marry our line of work with what’s best for the community,” said Ramiz Hakim.