The St. Louis County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Monday, July 15, on several potential developments in South County, including a senior-housing facility, regulations on storage facilities and senior housing, and an expansion of Midwest RV Center.
The planning panel will meet for the hearing at 7 p.m. Monday, July 15, in the County Council Chambers at the Administration Building at 41 S. Central Ave., Clayton.
Every development on the agenda for the meeting primarily revolves around South County, in the Mehlville School District and in the 6th District of County Council Presiding Officer Ernie Trakas, R-Oakville.
Adworth Senior Living RE is hoping to get a conditional-use permit in R-7 residential zoning to build a group home for the elderly, “Adworth Senior Living,” on a 2.83-acre lot at 1025 and 1031 Adworth Drive, near the Taravue Apartments and Home Depot in Lemay.
The two properties both currently have single-family houses on them.
Under the plans submitted to the county, Adworth Senior Living proposes three buildings measuring 38,560 square feet total that appear to be connected: one one-story 19 feet tall, one two-story 41 feet tall and one three-story 43 feet tall.
The buildings would have two enclosed courtyards inside the facilities. The builders propose 50 units of one type and 21 of another.
Public hearings set on regulating senior housing, self-storage
The county Department of Planning did not provide any advance documentation for the public hearing on the county’s regulations on senior housing and storage facilities, which were requested by the County Council through Trakas.
Trakas sponsored a resolution at the June 4 council meeting to notify the Planning Commission that the council could change the zoning code to prohibit self-storage facilities within a mile of each other.
“Can you explain to us what the motivation is on that one?” 7th District Councilman Mark Harder, R-Ballwin, asked Trakas. “I was a little confused about the new storage places.”
“I’m interested in having the council consider an ordinance regarding the approval of storage facilities within a certain distance of one another. So, I wanna take a look at the reasonableness of providing a minimum radius between storage facilities, because frankly in unincorporated St. Louis County, we have plenty. And I’m not sure that I need them less than a half mile apart. So, I wanna take a look at that and that’s what this resolution begins to do, is open a conversation.”
Harder clarified with Trakas again that the legislation only “opened a conversation,” and 5th District Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, D-Maplewood, asked why Trakas didn’t just introduce legislation with the proposed zoning change.
Acting County Counselor Micki Wochner said that with a zoning change, the proper way to amend the code is by a resolution which calls for a public hearing at the Planning Commission first.
The council voted 4-0 for the resolution, with 3rd District Councilman Tim Fitch, R-Fenton, absent.
Midwest RV Center looks to take over vacant bank site
Represented by engineer Mark Doering, Midwest RV Center is requesting a change from commercial C-3 Shopping District to C-8 Planned Commercial for a 1.78-acre site 4435 Meramec Bottom Road, at the corner of Meramec Bottom and Heimos Industrial Park Drive.
The site currently has a vacant bank building, which was Southern Commercial Bank.
The business plans RV displays and employee parking at the site.
It is across from QuikTrip and next to the existing Midwest RV Center site at 6200 Heimos Industrial Park Drive.
Midwest RV plans to demolish the existing one-story 9,333-square-foot bank building and the canopies over the drive-thru lanes. The existing landscaping bordering Meramec Bottom would stay.
